Construction timber with natural humidity

Country houses, bathhouses and not expensive houses For permanent residence It is advantageous to build from freshly sawn timber with natural moisture.

Such lumber is much cheaper than profiled or laminated timber. Assembling the walls of a house from construction timber is quite simple and, if certain rules are followed, allows you to build a reliable and durable house.

Do I need to dry the timber?

The purchased timber should not be dried. During natural drying in a stack, lumber is greatly deformed - it bends, twists like a corkscrew. Fold from such a warped timber smooth walls with tight seams it is almost impossible.

After manufacturing, the timber should be laid into the walls as quickly as possible. The timber dries out while it is in the wall. In the wall, the beams are fastened together and are in a fixed position. The deformation of the timber when drying in the wall is less significant.

Buy freshly made timber, sawn from winter-cut wood. Do not buy stale timber from storage and do not store it yourself for a long time.

When dry, the beams decrease in size, become thinner and shorter. Wood compresses especially strongly in the direction across the grain. The height of the wall as the timber dries may decrease by 7-10%.

The process of drying timber in the wall continues for quite a long time. Finally, the timber reaches equilibrium moisture content within 3-5 years. Humidity decreases especially strongly in the first year of drying. Throughout this time, the dimensions of the timber also change.

When drying, deep cracks appear in the timber, into which water and cold easily penetrate.

These properties of building timber must be seriously taken into account when constructing timber houses.

For example, you can lay floors, sheathe ceilings, and finish the inside of an attic without waiting for the frame to shrink. Doors and windows are installed immediately, making sure to leave shrinkage gaps.

But insulate and finish the walls outside and inside, install a permanent staircase, install a stove, make frame partitions inside it’s better after a year or two, when the shrinkage of the log house is basically finished.

If the walls made of timber are not sheathed, then one or two edges of the timber are planed or ground before laying in the wall and chamfered from the edges.

How to choose the thickness of the walls of a timber house

Standard construction timber the cross-section can be square or rectangular and have side dimensions: 100, 150 and 200 mm. By special order, many manufacturers can produce timber with side sizes up to 250 mm. But the price is 1 m 3 non-standard size timber will be noticeably higher.

Thus, the thickness of the house wall, specified by the dimensions of the timber, maybe 100, 150 or 200 - 250 mm.

The thickness of the timber walls is selected based on the need to provide the necessary strength and rigidity of the building walls. In addition, the wall must protect the house from the cold.

The strength and stability of walls depends not only on their thickness, but also on the configuration of the walls of the house, the presence and size of openings, etc. design features home, as well as on the build quality.

Traditionally it is believed that for one-story buildings, walls made of timber with a thickness of 100-150 will be quite stable mm. Taller buildings are built from timber with a wall thickness of 150-200 mm.

If the house is intended for permanent residence and will be heated all year round, then. Without additional insulation, wooden houses made of timber do not meet modern energy saving standards.

The figure, for example, shows the values ​​of thermal resistance R k of walls made of timber of different thicknesses, with and without mineral wool insulation. The thermal resistances of each layer are indicated and total value for the wall as a whole.

Thermal resistance R k of timber walls with and without insulation.

Comparing walls made of timber of different thicknesses, it is easy to see that for an insulated wall, the thermal resistance weakly depends on the thickness of the timber. Insulated wall made of timber 150 thick mm only 12% “warmer” than a 100-thick wall mm. (R k =2.22 and 2.50).

From this we conclude, For a timber wall with insulation, it is advantageous to use timber of a smaller cross-section. For example, for one-story building it is enough to make walls 100 thick mm. from timber 100x150-200 mm. and insulate them with slabs of mineral wool layer thickness 100-150 mm.

When choosing the size of the timber and the design of the walls of the house, other factors must also be taken into account. A house with walls made of thicker timber still has advantages. For example, the larger the cross-section of the timber, the less it warps when drying, the less the walls are deformed. A thick wall of a house has a higher heat capacity - it serves as a good heat accumulator; the house has better sound insulation and resistance to vibration.

The insulated facade of the house is made of timber and sheathed on the outside. Cladding gives the building attractive appearance and protects the insulation and walls from atmospheric influences. For cladding, they usually use or, as well as wooden molded products - lining, block house, imitation logs or timber, etc.

Country houses for seasonal residence only in summer and short-term visits in winter, as well as bathhouses You don't have to insulate it. For such buildings it is better to choose a larger wall thickness made of timber, at least 150 mm.

Foundation, bottom frame and basement of a timber house

For a house or bathhouse made of timber it is quite enough it is profitable to arrange shallow foundation.

Depending on the ground conditions at the construction site and the size of the building, the following are used: designs of shallow and non-buried foundations:

For a timber house without a basement it is inappropriate to arrange. Such foundations, including those on screw or bored piles with a grillage, are expensive and do not always protect the house from deformations caused by frost heaving of the soil.

The width of the base or grillage tape under the outer walls of the house is selected based on the following considerations:

1. The plinth (grillage) should accommodate a wall beam with a thickness of 100, 150 or 200 mm.
2. Beams are supported on the plinth from the inside basement floor. Support length - 140 mm.;
3. A protrusion from the wall is left outside for sheathing and ebb lining - 50 - 70 mm.

Thus, for load-bearing walls from timber 150 thick mm. The width of the base tape must be at least 350 mm. ( 150 mm + 140 mm + 60 mm).

Under self-supporting walls, where only the wall rests on the plinth, the width of the plinth can be reduced to 300 mm. Less than 300 mm. It is not recommended to make the width of the plinth from reinforced concrete or masonry materials to ensure lateral stability strip foundation.

A wooden house will be durable if the lower crowns of the frame are located above the snow cover at the construction site. For example, the depth of snow cover in the Moscow region is 0.6 m. The height of a properly constructed blind area is 0.2 m. Then, safe plinth height for wooden house should be 0.8 m.

The figure below shows a version of a non-buried strip foundation combined with a plinth, for one-story house with an attic and walls made of timber.

Two options for installing a strip foundation for a one-story house made of timber: a - a shallow foundation for a load-bearing wall; b - not buried foundation for a load-bearing wall; c - shallow foundation for a self-supporting wall. 1 - foundation strip; 2 — air hole; 3 - sand cushion; 4 - upper and lower layer of crushed stone 5-10 cm; 5 - backfill; 6 - vertical backfill of the construction site; 7 - vertical filling of slopes around a non-buried foundation; 8 - bottom and top waterproofing of the base.

Tape monolithic foundation- the base shown in the figure is designed for building a house on weak peat soils of a “former swamp”, with high level groundwater.

The foundation strip made of concrete grade B25 is reinforced in the lower and upper levels with three longitudinal bars of the main reinforcement of class A-III, with a diameter of 12 mm. The size of the protective layer of concrete for reinforcement in foundations is 50 mm.

To increase the bearing capacity of the soil, reduce the degree of heaving, as well as to drain surface water from the house, soil is filled within the boundaries of the foundation, plus at least 1.5 meters outside, pos. 6 in the figure. Filling is done with non-heaving sandy soil.

For soils with higher bearing capacity, the width of the foundation base can be reduced to 500 - 350 mm.

The sand cushion, item 3, is laid in layers of 100 mm. onto a layer of washed crushed stone compacted into natural soil, pos. 4. Each layer of sand under the base of the foundation is carefully compacted.

A layer of crushed stone, pos. 4, is again placed on the sand cushion under the base of the foundation and compacted. Compacted crushed stone is poured with heated bitumen, which, after hardening, creates waterproofing film under the base of the foundation. The bitumen film prevents cement laitance from sinking into the sand when pouring the foundation, and subsequently prevents water from flowing through the capillaries of the concrete foundation strip.

The side surfaces of the foundation in contact with the ground are coated with heated bitumen mastic twice. The concrete surface is primed before applying mastic.

More detailed information Read about the construction of various designs of shallow foundations using the links given above.

A house with a grillage on stilts with a basement floor is more expensive and more difficult to build and operate than a house on a shallow or non-buried foundation with.

Traditionally wooden house they do it with a basement ceiling and a cold subfloor - they leave space between the ground and the floor of the lower floor.

The emergence of new thermal insulation materials makes it possible to build wooden house without a basement with cheaper, warmer and more durable floors on the ground:

To find out how to make such a floor in a house made of timber, click on the picture

Bottom frame of timber walls

The bottom trim beams along the contour of the walls are laid on the base tape through a layer of waterproofing. The surface of the base is coated with bitumen mastic, on which a layer of waterproofing is laid.

On the outside, it is recommended to make the dimensions of the lower trim smaller than the dimensions of the foundation by 50-70 mm. from each side. Sheathing bars are supported on the outer protrusion of the foundation, and the joint between the frame and the frame is closed metal sheet- low tide. In addition, if the walls hang too much from the foundation, it looks unsightly.

The joint between the bottom trim and the base is covered with a metal cast. The ebb sheets are secured to the trim beam with self-tapping screws. The wall sheathing is done on top of the ebb.

It is recommended to plan the bottom frame beams and wooden parts of the basement floor and treat them with a protective antiseptic. The bioprotective composition must be intended for the treatment of raw wood. Planed and impregnated wood does not rot longer.

Do not coat raw wood with oil or bitumen based compounds. The depth of impregnation with such compounds will be small, and the waterproof film on the surface of the timber will preserve the moisture inside the wood.

Bioprotection is effective only during the first few years after application, protecting the wood during its drying period.

To protect the strapping beams from moisture for a long time, it is recommended to lay a gasket under the beams, to waterproof the base, along the entire length. dry antiseptic board wrapped in roofing felt.

Modern advanced builders do this gasket between the trim and the base made of extruded polystyrene foam(penoplex, etc.) 40 mm thick.

The gasket protects the beams from moisture, which can accumulate on the surface of the basement waterproofing as a result of vapor condensation or soaking. By changing the thickness of the gasket you can align the strapping beams horizontally.

The beams of the lower trim are connected to each other with construction brackets or plates made of galvanized steel.

After assembling and checking the diagonals (squareness) of the frame, its position on the foundation strip is marked with paint - marks are applied to the timber and waterproofing. This is necessary to control the position of the frame during the installation of walls.

It is not recommended to fasten the strapping beams to the foundation. It should be remembered that during the drying process the dimensions of the timber decrease, but the dimensions of the foundation remain constant. You can install temporary fasteners that fix the position of the frame on the foundation only for the period of wall installation.

Basement of a house made of timber

For the installation of a traditional basement floor, it is most often used design diagram"beams - logs".

Beams made of timber or boards on edge it is better to lay it on the protrusion of the plinth. This floor design, when the beams are loosely connected to the frame beams, ensures better safety and ease of replacement of wooden parts in the basement of the house. Moisture from the beams is not transferred to the framing beam, and vice versa. If necessary the floor beam or framing beam can be replaced relatively easily.

On top, across the beams, bars are fixed - logs. Insulation is laid in the spaces between the beams and between the joists. Subfloor slabs or boards are laid on the joists.

This ceiling design allows:

• Arrange the logs at intervals convenient for laying subfloor slabs.
• Get a rigid structure and a total floor height of at least 200mm using cheaper lumber of a smaller cross-section. This ceiling height is necessary for laying insulation slabs of the required thickness in the spaces between the beams and joists.

The construction of the basement floor is based only on beams, without joists, and is used when using thick boards - 40 mm - as a subfloor. and more, and beams with a height of 200 mm.

The beams should be laid so that there was a ventilation gap between their ends and the trim (2 cm) . This is done with the help of spacers, which are removed after fastening the beams with brackets or steel plates (see figure, node B). The end of the beam must rest on the base for a length of at least 120 mm.

The technology for installing beams is simple. First, the outer beams are mounted and aligned in a horizontal plane. After this, a board is placed on edge between them and intermediate beams are installed on it. The work is usually monitored visually, and if necessary, a level is used. A temporary technological flooring made of boards is laid on the beams.

The ends of the beams are laid on the base in the same way as the trim beams, through a layer of waterproofing and leveling gaskets.

Before installing the basement floor, the space under the floor is thoroughly cleaned of wood residues and other debris that may rot. The surface of the earth under the floor is covered with sandy soil with a layer thickness of 10 cm . and compact it.

Over sand preparation the soil in the underground along the entire surface is covered with rolled waterproofing based on bituminous materials with careful gluing of the joints of the panels. The waterproofing is wrapped on the walls of the plinth and glued to them.

A modern solution that provides comfort and savings on heating costs is the device.

To find out how to make such a warm floor without a concrete screed, click on the picture.

Double lining of timber walls

There is another option for the bottom trim device timber house- double strapping. The double strapping design is clearly shown in the video clip.

The purpose of the double strapping device is to the floor beams rested on the protrusion of the lower beam, without cutting into the upper frame beam.

The time will come, and, as mentioned above, such independent laying of beams will make it quite easy to replace defective beams and framing bars. In addition, the durability of the wooden strapping parts increases.

According to building codes the ends of the beams must rest on the lower beam for a length of at least 100 mm. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a lower beam with a width of at least 200 mm.

It is advantageous to use double strapping in structures when the width of the plinth (grillage) does not allow the floor beams to be supported on it.

In log country houses on stilts or columnar foundations, a separate grillage is often not made. The lower frame beam is laid directly on the pile heads or foundation columns. In this design, the bottom beam of the double trim actually serves as a grillage. In this case, the floor beams are often cut into the upper frame beam. This is a cheaper and less durable option.

Three ways to connect timber in wall corners

When building houses or baths, the following three methods of connecting beams in the corners of walls are most popular:

1. Wood floor connection. At the ends of the beams, horizontal cuts of half the thickness are made and the ends are placed on top of each other. The parts in the connection must be fastened with construction staples, galvanized steel plates or dowels. The connection is easy to make, but requires additional fastening of parts and is “cold” due to easily blown gaps.
2. A connection in a one-sided key groove is an analogue of the connection that is traditionally used in log houses made of round logs. The connection is “warm”, durable, but difficult to achieve on a construction site. Most often, in log houses made of timber, it is used in the manufacture of parts in the factory.
3. In a dressing with a root tenon - the most common corner connection of beams. The profile of such a connection is quite easy to mark and cut out. The gaps in the tongue-and-groove lock are sealed by pushing inter-crown insulation on top.

Wood-floor joints are usually used in corners to fasten the beams of the building’s lower frame.

Connections of timber partitions with an external wall

Beam connection interior wall- partitions with a crown outer wall the groove-tenon type turns out to be “warm”, since it does not have through joints outward. This connection is easy to make.

“Warm” connection between the partition beams and the outer wall. 1- main beam; 2 - extension beam; 3 - partition beam

In every fourth crown of the log house, the partition beam is fastened to the wall beam with construction brackets, or galvanized steel plates.

The figure below shows the connection point at the crown of three beams at once - the outer wall, the bay window and the inner wall - the partition.

Connection of timber in the crowns of the outer wall, bay window and inner wall - partition

The connection of the beams in this unit is made using rectangular keys, which are inserted into grooves in the parts being connected.

In one crown, the end of the outer wall beam is adjacent to the end of the bay window beam, and the end of the partition beam is adjacent to the wall beam. In the next crown, the ends of the outer wall and bay window beams are adjacent to the partition beam from different sides.

Timber for home, bathhouse in your city

Beam. Natural humidity. Edged. Log house made of timber

Steel perforated fasteners for timber

The wooden parts of a timber house are traditionally connected and fastened together using mortise, notches, tenons, grooves of various configurations, as well as steel construction brackets and nails.

In recent years, steel perforated fasteners have appeared on the construction market, specifically designed for connecting wooden parts in construction.

When developing the designs and sizes of connectors, the standard sizes of wooden parts that are widely used in construction, as well as the loads that wooden parts usually withstand, were taken into account.

Perforated steel fasteners support a wooden beam.

For example, the article above repeatedly emphasized the need to attach floor beams to the frame beams without notches in order to ensure easy replacement of floor beams and not weaken the frame.

The use of metal supports for attaching beams to the framing beams makes it possible to easily solve this problem and, in some cases, simplify the design of the basement of the house.

The beam support is made of galvanized steel 2.5 mm thick. with high strength values.

The metal part of the support must cover at least 2/3 of the height of the beam.

The dimensions of the “mouth” of the steel support must correspond to the width of the beam, and the height of the support is chosen to be at least 2/3 of the height of the beam.

The steel support is screwed to the wooden parts with self-tapping screws. The load-bearing capacity of the beam connector is equal to the sum of the load-bearing capacities of the screws with which the support is attached to the beam.

In order to fully utilize the load-bearing capacity of the connector, self-tapping screws are screwed into each hole of the steel support. If this is not necessary, then screws must be screwed into the beam into the top and bottom and then into every second hole. In the strapping beam, self-tapping screws are screwed into each hole in the row located closer to the beam.

The length of the screws is chosen equal to half the width of the beam. The diameter of the screws should be slightly smaller size holes in the steel support.

Instead of self-tapping screws, you can use rough nails. Regular nails with a smooth surface cannot be used.

The gap between the end of the beam and the trim beam is allowed no more than 3 mm.

You can use perforated steel fasteners in other structures of a log house. For example, It is convenient to replace construction brackets with fastening plates or corners.

A wide variety of steel perforated fasteners are produced for a wide variety of components of wooden structures.

Of course, you can admire the art of our ancestors, who built without a single nail. But it hardly makes sense to follow their example and try to repeat it now.

Modern technologies allow you to do a lot faster, stronger, and cheaper. For example, it is convenient to connect a beam or timber along its length using such a gerbera connector.

A typical application of a gerbera beam connector is connection and splicing of beams, purlins, rafters not on a support, but in a span, in the absence of bending and torque moments in the joint.

Connectors should be located from the support at a distance of 1/7 of the span length L. Calculations show that at this distance from the support, minimal bending and torsional moments will act on the beam, purlin or rafter.

Always use a pair of connectors per connection. The height of the connector must be equal to the height of the beam. Gerbera connectors are made of galvanized steel 2mm thick.

More articles on this topic:

Many of those who live in stuffy apartments, and when they go outside find themselves in gray smog and deafened by the noise of cars, want to change their living environment. Live in a wooden house, breathe clean air and enjoy the silence. And those who decide to do this often wonder how to choose timber to build a beautiful and reliable home for their family.

Today the construction market presents the most different types timber, differing in geometric parameters, profile, grade, production method. Choosing the best one is not an easy task, especially if the buyer’s financial capabilities are not unlimited.

From this article you will learn about all types of this material, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to save on your purchase without sacrificing quality.

Which timber is better

If you are not faced with the question of what to choose - timber or frame, if you have already decided that you will build a wooden house, then the first thing you need to do is study the assortment of local construction markets and hypermarkets. As a rule, they offer three main types of timber: planed, profiled and glued.

Let's consider each type separately with all its disadvantages and advantages.

Planed timber

The material is obtained by cutting a log, during which a product with a rectangular or square cross-section is obtained. The main competitive advantage of planed timber over glued and profiled timber is its low price. Compared to a log, it is easier to assemble into a log house, and compared to brick, it requires less effort and installation costs.

However, in addition to tangible advantages, this type of timber also has serious disadvantages that you need to be aware of and take into account if your goal is a strong, durable and warm home.

Planed timber is made from wood with natural moisture.

It gradually decreases as the tree dries, and this can lead to the following unpleasant consequences:

• Deformation. You can buy a perfectly smooth, beautiful timber, but after a while amazing metamorphoses will begin to happen to it: it can bend or even turn out like a “helicopter”;
• Cracks. This is the most common defect that worsens not only appearance material, but also its performance properties;

• Rot, blue, mold. If raw timber is stored in improper conditions - in poorly ventilated areas or in stacks close to each other, such manifestations are inevitable;
• Shrinkage. When building a house with your own hands, it is important to remember that over time the timber will dry out and its geometric dimensions will decrease. As a result, the entire structure will shrink, which depends on the initial moisture content of the material and environmental conditions.

Note. If we were talking only about the loss of a few centimeters in height, this trouble could not be paid attention to.
But as a result of shrinkage, window and door openings can be deformed, the outer and interior decoration walls
Therefore, the log house must be allowed to settle for several months, preferably under the roof, before continuing construction.

• Crevices. Conventional planed timber often suffers from inaccurate dimensions, so when building walls it is difficult to avoid gaps between the crowns. They also increase as the wood dries. They must be sealed: lay sealing materials between the crowns, caulk the walls to prevent the penetration of cold and moisture.

The planed timber itself is not distinguished by its ideal shape and surface, and when the described defects are applied, it is completely inferior in appearance to profiled and glued timber. Therefore, it needs additional external finishing.

Profiled timber

You can avoid some of the problems listed above if you purchase profiled timber. It differs from planed wood in the shape of its cross-section: its front sides are smooth, and the working surfaces are made of a tenon-groove or comb type.

Which timber profile to choose depends not so much on personal preferences as on the moisture content of the material.

• The tongue-and-groove connection involves the use of insulation laid between the crowns in the grooves. Even if the timber shrinks when drying, forming gaps, it will prevent ventilation.

• The protrusions of the “comb” profile fit each other very precisely and do not require the use of insulation. But if the moisture content of the wood changes, the comb parameters may change. Therefore, when choosing such a profile, you need to be sure that the timber is dry and will not shrink significantly.

For reference. The advantage is that the wood is dried until its moisture content reaches no more than 22%, otherwise the quality of processing will be low.
Therefore, it shrinks less than planed wood.

Many woodworking enterprises produce profiled timber to size, according to the customer’s design, immediately cutting into it “cups” for joints and corner joints. You no longer have to think about how to choose a groove in the timber - the log house is assembled like a children's construction set.

But this material, nevertheless, is not without such disadvantages as the appearance of cracks and shrinkage, which requires a technological break in construction.

Glued laminated timber

This type of timber is distinguished by the best performance characteristics, but also the highest cost. Its main advantage is low humidity and, accordingly, the absence of all those negative aspects that arise during drying of the material and shrinkage of the finished log house. You can build a house from it in one season, without waiting for natural shrinkage.

You will learn about how laminated veneer lumber is produced from other articles in this resource. We note that the technology of its production allows us to obtain a high-quality product, practically devoid of the disadvantages of raw wood, but possessing all its useful natural qualities. In addition, it is impregnated against rotting and fire and does not require additional finishing.

As in the case of profiled timber, laminated timber can be made to order in accordance with the chosen house project. And some manufacturers offer ready-made kits, which come with assembly instructions.

Note. Not long ago, a new product appeared on the market - D-shaped laminated veneer lumber, the convex front surface of which imitates a rounded log.

How to save money on timber construction

The budget deficit for building a house does not always allow you to choose expensive and high-quality materials. But, if you know how to choose the right timber - ordinary, not subjected to special treatment, and how to prepare it for work, you can save a lot and get a good-quality and beautiful structure. Our tips will help you with this.

So, what to look for when buying?

• Evenness of timber. Determined visually and practically. The product must be placed on a flat surface with all its edges in turn and make sure that it is not bent or twisted by a “propeller”.
• The distances between the annual rings, visible at the end of the beam, should be the same. If they narrow or widen on one side, this indicates that over time the beam will “lead” and it will bend.
• The surface of the wood must be uniform in color everywhere. A visually noticeable color contrast at the ends or side edges indicates the presence of layers with different internal stresses, which will also lead to deformation.

It is much more difficult to determine the moisture content of the material. But even if you see that the timber is completely fresh, but good quality, you can independently bring it to the desired condition. True, this will take time.

Before construction, read which timber is best for building a house - choose the type of timber, size and thickness depending on the purpose of the future construction. Let's consider and compare the types of wooden building materials.

We will also determine what thickness of timber is suitable for the construction of a bathhouse, a summer house and a house for permanent residence.

Types of wooden building materials on the modern market

Currently, there are several types of materials used in wooden construction:

• laminated timber,
• profiled timber,
• non-profiled timber,
• calibrated log,
• cylindered log,
• hewn log.

Advantages of timber buildings

Why timber is better than logs for building a house:

• smooth and even surface of the walls,
• “easy” construction due to the lighter weight of the timber,
• geometric accuracy of the entire structure,
• strong fastening of the beams to each other, which, as a result, prevents the penetration of cold and the formation of cracks,
• pleasant atmosphere and aesthetically pleasing appearance, both outside and inside the house.

The most popular competing wooden building materials are: laminated timber and profiled timber. Both have their supporters and opponents.

Before starting construction, the customer must clearly understand which timber is best for building a house, and which timber is best used for a summer house or bathhouse.

What type of timber to use for building a house

Profiled timber

The most popular material for low-rise wood construction. The beam is made of wood, often coniferous. It is a solid piece of wood, processed to produce a groove on a planer and milling machine. When making it, it is important to maintain the exact dimensions and correct geometric shape, otherwise the beams will not fit together and a gap will form. Therefore, the main requirement for obtaining high-quality profiled timber is high-precision equipment.

Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber is also often used for low-rise construction private houses, cottages and baths. The beam is made of wood, most often coniferous species - spruce, cedar, larch, pine. The logs are sawn into boards (lamellas) and planed until they achieve perfect smoothness.

Which timber is better for building a house - glued or profiled

Let's compare the main characteristics of these types of timber.

Environmental friendliness

Here, profiled timber has no equal. This natural material, absolutely harmless to people living in a house built from it. The environmental friendliness of laminated veneer lumber depends on the glue that was used for its production. The more harmless the glue (and over time it will still evaporate little by little), the more expensive the laminated timber. If you use low-quality glue, the boards may even come apart over time.

Dimensions

The length of the profiled timber depends on the length of the source material (most often the length of the timber is 6 m.) The length of laminated veneer lumber can reach 18 m.

Quality

The question is complex. At first, laminated veneer lumber is stronger than profiled timber due to gluing and pressing, and is also drier (laminated laminated timber contains 11-14% moisture), while profiled timber contains up to 20%. Due to dryness, laminated veneer lumber exhibits very little shrinkage (about 1%). But over time, laminated veneer lumber becomes saturated with moisture from environment, which brings its properties closer to dry profiled timber.

Well-dried profiled timber that has undergone the shrinkage process does not rot, does not crack, and can serve for more than a hundred years.

Price

The cost of laminated veneer lumber is much more expensive than profiled timber - 2-3 times, which is due to the peculiarities of manufacturing the materials. It happens that the price of laminated veneer lumber on the market is significantly reduced, by 1.5-2 times, but then you need to pay attention to the quality of the material (what glue was used, what kind of wood, how dry the material was, etc.).

Summary

Which timber is better for building a house - glued or profiled - everyone decides for themselves; there is no universal answer. Briefly summarizing the features of each type:

• profiled timber- favorable price, environmental friendliness, less cracking or damage;
• laminated veneer lumber- high strength, reduced shrinkage time, you can do without external finishing.

The main thing to remember is: do not skimp on materials, because in the future this will affect the quality of the house.

What size and thickness of timber is best for building a house?

The answer to the question of what size timber is best suited for construction depends on the purpose of the building being constructed. The thickness of the profiled timber can be different: in final size, taking into account the profile, 90 mm, 190 mm.

The thinner the timber, the more of it there is in cubes, for example,

• timber 100 x 150 mm - 11 pieces per cube;
• timber 150 x 150 mm - 7.5 pcs. cubed;
• timber 200 x 150 - 5.5 pieces per cube, so the final price of the house is less for thinner timber).

But the thicker the timber, the better the heat will be retained in the room.

For a bathhouse, a beam with a cross section of 100 mm is sufficient.

Country seasonal house

A beam with a cross-section of 100 mm is quite a suitable option for a country house. economical home, in which the owners do not plan to live in winter.

Winter house for permanent residence

• A beam with a cross section of 150 mm is ideal for seasonal home, where they live in spring/summer/autumn. Such a house may be suitable for winter version, it all depends on the quantity and quality of the insulation and on how and with what the house will be heated.
• Timber with a cross-section of 200 mm is made only under a specific order for “premium” class houses. It holds heat better, but many will consider its cost to be unreasonably high. This thickness allows you to easily withstand temperatures down to -25 ºС.

So, to build a house for permanent residence, choose timber with a thickness of 150-200 mm. 150 mm is a more economical winter house and is suitable for middle zone, 200 mm - more expensive and suitable for northern regions.

The DomBanya company builds houses from profiled timber up to 200 mm thick. Contact the company’s specialists and they will advise what thickness of timber is best for building a house or bathhouse.

Its warm and safe home- the dream of many people. A house built of wood is not only warm and reliable, but also environmentally friendly. Modern construction technologies offer various options construction wooden houses. Perhaps the best thing is to build a house from timber.

Timber minimizes the unpredictability of wood behavior during operation, and therefore is the optimal building material. The construction of timber houses is completed within one season, and the durability of these houses is at least 50 years. There are 4 types of timber used in the production of wooden houses: solid non-profiled, solid profiled, glued profiled and the so-called LVL timber (from the English LVL - Laminated Veneer Lumber).

Which one is better to use to get a house with the best price/quality ratio? Let's look at the pros and cons of each type.

Solid non-profiled

The timber is made from a single log, with a round edge cut off on four sides. For the construction of residential buildings, as a rule, 150x150 mm naturally dried timber is used.

• low cost;
• availability at any sawmill, that is, by choosing the nearest one, the issue of delivery of building material is easily resolved.

• warping, shrinkage and cracking are the disadvantages of naturally dried wood;
• wood defects - internal rot, flying knots, pests, fungus that appear after construction is completed;
• the need for additional finishing - it is not subject to finishing, therefore it needs additional finishing;
• the need for enhanced insulation of the seams - it does not have strict transverse dimensions and evenness of the cut, as a result - large gaps between the crowns;
• low manufacturability - initially it is not suitable for the construction of walls, so it is necessary to make additional strengthening of the load-bearing walls and corners of the house, and this is unnecessary labor costs and time.

The price of a solid non-profiled timber with natural humidity is about 9,500 rubles. per cubic meter Plus the cost of finishing, mandatory treatment with fire-retardant compounds and additional work.

Conclusion: not the best good material for building a house, but if you have the labor, patience, accuracy and attention to detail during construction, you can build a house from it, and for reasonable money.

Solid profiled

The timber is also made from a single log, only it is driven through special equipment, where it is given ideal geometric dimensions, a special lock profile is selected and, of course, planed to give it an aesthetic appearance.

• low probability of warping - industrial wood drying technology makes it possible to achieve 10-15% humidity in the final material with virtually no deformation consequences;
• does not require additional processing and finishing of the walls;
• high precision connections (no gaps);
• manufacturability - locking profiles greatly facilitate the construction process.

• all possible wood defects mentioned above;
• the need for additional time for shrinkage - after all, the existing possibility of shrinkage and warping of solid beams requires time for the finished walls to shrink.

Price for solid profiled timber chamber drying on average 12,000 rubles. per cubic meter More expensive than non-profiled, but the final result is much higher in quality.

Conclusion: after treatment with fire-bioprotection, subject to construction technology, perhaps the best choice in terms of price/quality ratio, however, you must be prepared to deal with possible “surprises” of solid timber.

Glued laminated timber

As the name implies, this type of timber is also calibrated and equipped with a locking profile. However, it is not made from a single log, but from separate blocks. They are glued together under pressure with a special glue.

• all the advantages of profiled timber;
• resistance to warping - thanks to combination various types wood when assembling blocks for one log, further deformation, cracking is absolutely excluded and shrinkage of the finished beams is practically eliminated;
• no need for additional time for shrinkage - a house built from laminated veneer lumber, does not shrink and is suitable for habitation almost immediately after completion of construction.

• high price;
• low environmental friendliness compared to solid timber - glue is a foreign material;
• somewhat disturbed natural circulation moisture inside the timber, due to the use of glue, moisture is not able to circulate between the layers, because of this there may be a slight disturbance of the microclimate inside the house.

The price of laminated timber is on average 25,000 rubles. per cube - twice as expensive as a whole one. However, it should be noted that the cost of a project of wooden houses made of laminated veneer lumber is no different from similar projects of houses made of solid timber, and in the costs of the construction itself, the cost of the walls is approximately half of the entire construction budget. Consequently, the final house will not rise in price by much. In addition, when construction time is reduced, and when using laminated timber, as mentioned above, it is minimal, the cost of work also decreases.

Conclusion: If you have the opportunity to spend money on this expensive version of timber, then for the quick construction of a turnkey wooden house this is the best option, otherwise, it is probably better to stick with a solid profiled timber.

LVL timber

The manufacturing technology of LVL timber is reminiscent of the technology of laminated timber, only it is glued not from blocks, but from 3 mm veneer. Plywood is produced in almost the same way, only, unlike it, the wood of adjacent layers in LVL timber is located parallel to each other relative to the fibers. This allows you to process this type of timber in the same way as solid or laminated timber. When gluing, the density of the various layers is selected in such a way that the denser layers are located on the outside and the soft ones on the inside.

• all the advantages of profiled laminated veneer lumber, only elevated to the rank of absolute;
• increased strength and elasticity, as well as unlimited length, makes it possible to manufacture spans of any size;
• increased moisture, fire and bioresistance.

• highest price;
• lowest environmental friendliness.

The price for LVL timber is about 35,000 rubles/m 3. This price makes it unprofitable when building walls of houses made of timber, but since it makes it possible to increase spans without the use of support pillars and beams, in combination with other types of timber it significantly expands the possibilities when choosing a project.

Conclusion: It is not a rational material for the construction of walls, but it is quite suitable for auxiliary structures.

All conclusions are quite clearly shown in the final table:

Name	Availability	Technology versatility	Warm- insulation	Fire, moisture, biostability	Strength	Construction time	Eco- versatility	Risk of wood defects	Conclusion
Solid non-profiled	ex.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	bottom.	ex.	bottom.	Satisfactory material
Solid profiled	chorus	ex.	chorus	chorus	ud.	ex.	ex.	avg.	Very good stuff
Glued profiled	ud.	ex.	ex.	chorus	chorus	ex.	chorus	ex.	If not for the price, it would be an ideal material
LVL timber	bad	ex.	ex.	ex.	ex.	not Spanish	bottom.	ex.	Very expensive to build. Excellent for power elements

Thus, what the house will be like is always decided by whoever will live in it. Materials for construction must be selected based on your needs and available funds. From the analysis we can conclude that the most preferable for building a house from timber are solid profiled and glued profiled beams, however, there is also a place for other types.

When choosing wood for building a house, the question of which timber is best for construction interests any user. The number of buildings made of lumber is increasing, and, consequently, the demand for materials is growing, which allows manufacturers to offer more and more new products with a wide variety of quality and practical characteristics. As a result, the owner of the construction site is given a good choice, which needs to be carefully sorted out so as not to make a mistake when purchasing materials.

Types and types of timber

Assuming to build timber house for permanent residence, it is worth remembering that wooden lumber looks like a long beam with a rectangular cross-section measuring 6 meters in length and 100-300 mm in thickness. This is a standard size, considered the most optimal for the construction of buildings.

Advice! If this length of timber is not enough, you should pay attention to elite Finnish wood: manufacturers offer elements up to 12 meters in length.

Materials differ according to various indicators, for example, according to the degree of processing; there are the following types of timber:

• Raw edged/sawn;
• Planed;
• Polished;
• Profiled.

According to the manufacturing method, lumber is divided into:

1. whole;
2. glued;
3. hollow, supplemented with thermal insulation materials as filler.

Now a little more about the types of timber for building a house, modifications and characteristic features.

Edged timber

Considered a classic material, it is an element obtained by cutting the body of a tree. During processing, the whole log is freed from edges, the result is construction material in the form of a beam of square cross-section, having smooth, untreated, rough planes on all four sides.

The product has natural humidity, therefore, it is possible to inspect the material for distortions that occur during improper storage. Section sizes: 250*250; 150*200; 150*150; 100*150; 100*100 mm. A large range of sizes allows you to choose the optimal batch of lumber to build your own.

Affordable price, high quality and the practicality of the material are advantages, but among the disadvantages it is necessary to note the mandatory use of sealing material. It is mounted between the crowns so that precipitation does not get into the cracks, leading to the destruction of the building. In addition, there is a possibility that the lamellas will lose their shape when the natural drying process begins.

Planed, polished timber

This is an edged product made from wood, which undergoes a sanding process during processing. The result is lumber with smooth planes (on one, two or all sides), sometimes with a removed corner chamfer, which gives an aesthetic appearance and facilitates the construction process.

Advice! Dishonest manufacturers often pass off planed timber as sanded timber, so you need to be especially careful: the price of sanded timber is higher than planed timber. The differences are obvious: planed material does not have the smoothness of sanded material.

Profiled wood building material

It is considered the most progressive and practical for building a house. Each element is equipped with a locking connection, and, therefore, the crowns are adjacent with maximum density. In addition, the smoothness of both sides and the presence of fasteners make it possible to build a warm and strong structure, so the increased price of the product does not frighten consumers.

Advice! There are two profile options on the market: tongue-and-groove (German) and bowl-shaped (Finnish). The choice depends on the construction technology and the preferences of the developer.

Glued laminated timber

The material consists of several separate lamellas obtained by cutting the body of a tree, glued together. Thanks to pre-drying, as well as gluing taking into account the direction of the fibers, the product is considered one of the most reliable and high-quality for building a house. High-tech laminated veneer lumber does not shrink, does not require additional processing of wall panels and has high energy saving rates. Developers consider the lack of deformation and moisture resistance to be one of the main advantages of the material. The high cost of the material is due to its practicality and quality.

Advice! The material labeled LVL is also laminated veneer lumber, but has regular veneer as components. This causes it to be hard on the outside but soft at the core. It is considered the most expensive and quality material made of wood. Due to increased strength, elasticity and moisture-repellent properties, the timber is not subject to corrosion and does not rot; the product range has a different set of lengths, which makes it possible to call the piece goods universal for building a house.

Finnish timber

Elite wood with the following characteristic features:

1. the annual rings in the lamellas have a unique direction opposite to each other, that is, they “look” at the center of the section.
2. Strength and flexibility are also due to the vertical splicing of component parts every 4-6 meters.
3. To obtain the finished product, thick elements are spliced ​​together, so the question is: which timber thickness to choose is of utmost importance. Standard technology recommends impregnating the elements adhesive composition no less than 2 cm, due to which the material is not completely impregnated, but only in the upper layers.

Important! Glued Finnish timber has a price 2-2.5 times higher than the Russian analogue.

Composite timber materials

The packaged and hollow types of timber that have appeared on the market are also suitable for the construction of houses and buildings for various purposes. Representing hollow inside wood block, the structure consists of a pair of boards equipped with end elements and jumpers.

The differences are:

1. The package material is internally filled with insulation, which has a base made of mineral wool or foam glass.
2. Hollow timber has no filling.

The main feature is increased energy-saving characteristics, which allows you to build a house with high energy efficiency indicators. Due to its technological features, composite beams are extremely affordable, but are superior in quality to foam blocks, and experts say: a piece of composite timber product retains heat 2 times better than masonry made from brick, gas blocks and other standard materials.

Advice! For areas with high temperature fluctuations, the latest development is suitable - thermal timber. It is also a composite material consisting of hollow timber filled with polyurethane foam. Price category finished house comparable to the cost of a house made of laminated solid timber, however, when deciding what thickness of timber to take, choosing a glued timber, you will have to make a wall of 390 mm, an alternative thermal timber can be taken of 160 mm. This means that with equal cost and energy saving indicators, wall panels made of composite thermal timber will be thinner.

When calculating the disadvantages and advantages of lumber, you should pay attention to optimal humidity. This figure should be approximately 15-20%. Quality is achieved by drying in special chambers. The process should be carried out immediately after cutting the body of the log, and only then, the dried lamellas are processed, sanded, and so on.

Choosing the thickness of timber for building a house

Everything here is quite simple: standard timber for construction comes in square or rectangular cross-section with side dimensions of 100, 150, 200 mm. Some manufacturers offer sides measuring 250 mm on order, but here you will need to focus on the price of lumber. It turns out that Wall panel, specified by the dimensions of the timber, can be 100-250 mm thick. And the parameter is selected depending on the needs of the owner: the thicker the beam, the higher the rigidity of the structure. In addition, the wall must provide protection from the cold.

Important! The strength of wall structures is based not only on the thickness of the timber. When building a house, the presence and number of openings, the configuration of the walls and other indicators are taken into account; the assembly, or rather its quality, should also be taken into account.

Experienced developers advise choosing timber with a thickness of 100-150 mm for a one-story building, but parameters of 150-200 mm are better for building a house of 2 or more floors. It is also important to understand that when constructing an all-season heated building, it is necessary to insulate the walls from the outside; without this element everything modern houses will not comply with accepted energy saving standards.

If we compare wall structures made of timber of different thicknesses, a weak dependence of the thermal resistance, determined by the thickness of the elements, is noticeable. For example, an insulated wall made of 150 mm timber is only 12-15% “warmer” than a wall 100 mm thick. Conclusion: with high-quality insulation and thorough waterproofing, it is enough to choose a good timber, as well as insulation. The calculation is approximately this: for walls made of 100 mm timber (100*150-200 mm), purchase mineral wool insulation of the same thickness (100-150 mm). This will be enough to maintain the high energy efficiency of the building.

But, nevertheless, when choosing what thickness of lumber to buy, it is worth remembering that building from thick timber has many other advantages, in particular, the structure will have less ability to warp when drying, greater strength and heat capacity.

Advice! Houses for seasonal living, bathhouses and outbuildings do not need to be sheathed with heat-insulating material, but it all depends on what size of timber is chosen. Experts recommend not to go cheap, but to build a bathhouse or summer house from lumber with a thickness of 150 mm or more. Heat accumulation is higher, which means that when warming up optimal temperature will last longer.

Types of beam connections

The technology for constructing timber walls is different, but it is important to know the types of timber connections. Today developers offer the following typical connections:

1. Angular. It happens with a residue (in the bowl) and without a residue (in the paw). With a remainder - a type that represents the protruding ends of the log house at a distance of approximately 0.5 meters. It is expensive, but heat loss is reduced and the strength of the building increases. Without remainder - the type when the end of the frame ends at the level of the wall. The connection occurs using staples or spiked plates with nails.
2. Longitudinal connection is used when the length of the timber is insufficient. The increase in size occurs by connecting two elements. There are several ways:

• tenon with key;
• half a tree;
• root thorn.

1. T-shaped connection. It is used when it is necessary to fasten the outer and inner walls. The options are as follows:

• by creating a trapezoidal symmetrical tenon in the log house;
• creating a triangular tenon in a log house;
• a locking groove on an insert tenon;
• straight groove on the main tenon.

Despite the variety of connection types, there are some general recommendations:

• the beam is rounded with outside to minimize the threat of water accumulation in the grooves;
• the place where the logs touch must be smooth and carefully polished.

It is a good idea to give the elements additional tightness by coating the joints with a composition of resin and sand.