Tips for Maintaining the Natural Beauty of Glue Laminated Timber
Glue laminated timber has become increasingly popular in construction. Due to its durability and minimal maintenance requirements, it makes an excellent choice for projects where long-term value is of prime importance.
Gulam offers more architectural freedom by being free from columns and supports that might obstruct views, providing greater architectural expression. Furthermore, its modular nature enables its creation into both straight and curved sections for your convenience.
1. Keep it Clean
Glulam wood construction material can be used in numerous applications. From arches and roof truss configurations to building facades and other structural elements, Glulam timber has become increasingly popular with contractors over time due to its beautiful aesthetic that rivals other forms of building material.
Glulam differs from sawn wood in that its appearance grade is independent from its strength grade; thus making it possible to alter its look without impacting performance, while being produced using scrap pieces of wood that would otherwise go to waste, increasing resource efficiency.
Gulam can be manufactured in various shapes and sizes to allow greater architectural freedom in design. Curved glulam can be created by bending its laminations before being glued together and cured – this allows greater architectural expression when designing.
Wood’s ability to absorb sound rather than reflect it makes glulam an invaluable addition when designing quiet and comfortable environments, such as homes or offices. This feature should not be underestimated when designing for quiet and peaceful living conditions.
Durability is another impressive quality of glulam. It can support large buildings without needing joints and fittings like traditional timber frame structures do, reducing construction times while reducing on-site waste. Plus, it is fireproof and helps regulate indoor temperatures!
Although other building materials may be visually appealing, few can match glulam for durability and sustainability. This structural lumber product is ideal for residential, commercial and industrial projects as well as high-rise structures or large buildings.
Glulam is constructed using multiple laminations of kiln-dried, stress-tested wood that have been finger-jointed together, creating an extremely strong and stiff structure. Each lamination runs parallel to its length so as to form an effective and solid beam structure that can also be customized in many different ways such as headers, beams, girders purlins columns. Furthermore, pitched tapered beams and various load bearing arches and trusses may be created out of Glulam as well.
2. Apply a Protective Coating
Glulam is a structural wood product composed of multiple laminations of dimensioned and strength-graded timber glued together, commonly used for loadbearing applications. Glulam can be produced to meet specific project needs by manufacturing under stringent quality control requirements using seasoned lumber; consequently it offers excellent dimensional stability during manufacture; during construction however it must be protected from moisture changes to minimise swelling or shrinkage, so using protective coating may help.
As glulam beams are often exposed to sunlight, their surfaces can quickly discolour if left without sufficient protection. A translucent coating that lets light pass through but protects from UV rays would provide excellent UV-blocking properties; an opaque paint or wood stain may also be applied as needed – choosing one compatible with the final finishing material would also be wise; dark colours should be avoided when being installed by workers.
Modern construction has seen an increased use of glulam due to its versatility, sustainability and strength. This engineered wood product can be found used across floors, walls, roofs and decks of buildings. A major concern associated with CLT and glulam structures is their vulnerability to fire – upgrading fire protection measures is imperative in protecting lives and properties of residents of these wooden structures.
To reduce the risk of fire, a fire-resistant intumescent coating should be applied to timber structures. When heated, these products expand, providing an insulation layer around them which slows the spread of flames and allows occupants to safely exit their buildings in time.
Many glulam manufacturers apply a temporary protective coating before shipping their product from their factory, to provide extra protection during transport and storage; this protects it for as long as possible; therefore it’s crucial that an additional permanent coating such as stain or clear finish be added once construction begins to ensure maximum timber protection for as long as possible.
3. Store it Properly
Glulam, also known as glued laminated timber, is an engineered wood product comprised of lumber laminations (called lams ) adhered together using durable moisture-resistant structural adhesives. It comes in various shapes and sizes dependent upon manufacturing, transportation, handling capabilities. Glulam has many applications across construction fields from simple beams in residential building projects to soaring arches in domed roofs over 500 feet wide spanning more than 500 feet in width.
Glulam building materials differ significantly from sawn timber by being produced to stringent quality requirements from stress-graded and seasoned lumber, which ensures it has sufficient strength and stiffness to withstand design loads. Furthermore, this building material offers significant advantages over metal building materials like sawn timber such as its superior strength-to-weight ratio, high degree of dimensional stability, and ability to be manufactured both straight or curved configurations.
To create glulam, kiln-dried lumber must first be finger joined to form long lengths called lams, before being adhered with an adhesive such as melamine formaldehyde or phenol formaldehyde glue and cured using continuous radio frequency curing systems for optimal performance and durability.
Laminates produced this way are then milled to precise dimensions and surfaced for exterior applications, often being pressure treated against weather damage.
Storage requirements should include keeping the glulam away from direct sunlight and rain to protect it from discoloration, and ensure it rests on level, well-drained ground with adequate drainage systems such as lumber blockings or skid systems to provide even support. If storing for an extended period, cut slits into its wrappings to allow ventilation and drainage of moisture that builds up during storage.
Glulam should not be exposed to rapid fluctuations in humidity as this could cause its timbers to expand and contract, potentially resulting in checkering. Furthermore, heat sources like stoves or fireplaces should be kept away from it to protect it from heat loss; whenever possible a covering should be used to shield it from weather elements until its installation can take place.
4. Keep it Dry
Structural Glued Laminated Timber, more commonly referred to as glulam, is an engineered wood product composed of wood laminations (lams) bonded together using durable and moisture-resistant adhesives with grain running along their lengths. Used widely across a range of construction applications – from simple beams and headers to more complicated curved members – glulam is often an engineered wood product of great versatility.
Glulam is created from carefully chosen and graded dimension lumber that has been end-jointed, sized within tight tolerances, end-jointed again for precision fitting and dried to an extremely low moisture content. This allows the production of long length sections that would be difficult or impossible with sawn timber; additionally glulam production helps decrease natural defects like knots, splits and shakes that occur frequently when working with sawn timber.
Glulam’s strength and beauty makes it an excellent choice for building projects requiring long spans, tall or curved sections. Pound-for-pound, it outshines steel while possessing higher strength/stiffness than comparably sized lumber products. Furthermore, its adaptable nature enables designers to more quickly realize bespoke designs.
Due to being made from high quality timber, glulam has an exceptional degree of dimensional stability, resisting sudden fluctuations in moisture content without experiencing swelling and shrinkage. However, caution must be exercised when using it outdoors or in environments that experience drastic humidity swings as this could result in splits or, potentially, delamination.
Modern structural glulam is produced to stringent performance and durability standards, so delamination during service is unlikely. Modern adhesive bonds are extremely resilient and regularly pass tests for moisture resistance and strength; furthermore, pressure treatment protects wood against decay.
As with all prefabricated building materials, understanding how to store and handle glulam is critical for its proper performance and appearance over its lifespan. If storing long term on site becomes necessary, its components should be carefully stacked using spacers between each piece as well as covered with an appropriate waterproof covering to avoid weather influences from harming its structural integrity.