Ironwood Australia's Industry Focus; Twenty Questions Part 2

It's scandalous! In Australia our timber millers have had their logging allocations substantially reduced by all the various state governments. These logging allocations have ostensibly been reduced to protect the environment and to promote eco-sustainable forestry practices. Unfortunately this has had the effect of increasing the price of Australian hardwood timbers which, consistent with the laws of supply and demand, also encourages the importation of non-environmentally friendly timbers that sell at a substantial discount to our Aussie hardwoods.

I could possibly accept the logging allocations if the statutory forestry limitations were realistic. The problem I have is that the regional limits are 10 times more onerous than they need to be. Restricting limits to a quarter of 1% of total forest resource per annum when you are running a 30 year reforestation programme is excessive to the extreme. It is not doing the planet any good because we have the opportunity to utilise a renewable resource instead of effectively encouraging forest degradations in the Pacific rim and South America.

Great isn't it! As an eco-friendly timber merchant you try and do something for the environment, while our state government bureaucrats effectively increase the price of an environmentally sustainable product, thus encouraging irresponsible logging practices in the poorer countries of the world and the very substantially increase in our importation of non-environmental timbers. Let's not also forget that at the same time these bureaucrats have also managed to decimate the job market within the Australian timber industry.

Has anyone ever considered the need for an environment levy on non-sustainable imports so that we at least have a level playing field?

Keith Mackenzie
Managing Director

Feature Article; Twenty Questions - Part 2

Q. Can T&G flooring be used outside?

A. Yes narrow board T&G floors can be laid on an external veranda or patio. I say that because I have a Baltic Pine veranda floor installed at my own 100 year old house. Unfortunately I would not recommend the installation of a T&G floor outside as timbers continually expand and contract when they get wet or dry out. This natural movement loosens the nails and gluing and eventually results in the boards chattering as you walk on them. However, if you insist..., my boards are laid on joists and have not been glued. I suggest that you do not lay a board wider than 100mm, do not clamp the boards when laying them and also lay the floorboards lengthwise leaving a space at least 10mm on each side. I also suggest that the timber finish is applied on the top and underside of the boards. This method of fixing allows the floor to move and should not result in the floor doming or pushing out the bricks on any side walls.

Q. Do antique timber beams leach?

A. Yes. The outer pores, do however clog up and seal the timber over time. Every time any timber is dressed the new surface pores need to seal. Cabots D-K helps reduce the leaching but cannot prevent it totally. For cleaning up timber leaching stains use Oxalic Acid - a poisonous, colourless crystalline organic acid, found in many plants, such as spinach. It's also used as a bleach and rust remover and is available at most hardware stores.

Q. What can I do to preserve my timber floors?

A. The most common factors that reduce the life of a timber floor are: a) moisture; b) termites; c) surface indentations; and d) excessive sanding.

• Your floor should be kept dry. When floors are affected by moisture they can lift and cup. Precautions should therefore be taken to keep them dry and also properly acclimatise them before laying. If your sub-floor is damp you should always look to improve the air circulation, apply concrete slab sealers and include a plywood barrier in the sub-floor structure (even between bearers).
• Termites are also attracted to damp sub-floor environments and softwood floors. There are no guaranteed precautions against termites, though you can reduce the risk by keeping the sub-floor really dry and using hardwood timbers. Various products, such as Timber Plus - a clear wood preservative, also claim to be effective.
• Surface indentations can be limited by selecting more rugged hardwood floors, such as spotted gum and red ironbark. Scratches can also be covered by applying floor waxes which fill the scratches thereby reducing the light refraction which emphasises the surface damage.
• Finally, floors should not be sanded excessively. An experienced floor sander will usually only take 1-2 mm off the surface and subsequent resanding should only remove the top finish layers without getting back to the timber again.

Q. What is the best timber for decking?

A. Ironbark, tallowwood and select grade spotted gum. These timbers have fewer surface imperfections and gum vein than other timber species which means that water and dirt do not accumulate on the surface - which means less potential for rotting.

Q. Can I stop my pergola from going grey?

A. Only if you apply a timber stain to a newly dressed timber. New timber surfaces react to UV light and oxidise over time. Finishes applied to newly dressed timbers merely retard the oxidisation process. The only real way to avoid the greying of the timber is to regularly reapply clear finishes and lightly sand back the new surfaces.

Q. Can I get timbers for staircases and decking to match my internal flooring?

A. Internal timbers, yes, absolutely no problem at all. Due to the difficulty in obtaining large timbers these days it may however be necessary to utilise laminated stair treads and landings. When it comes to matching internal timbers with external decking it is more problematic because we would only ever advocate the use of a select grade spotted gum tallowwood or ironbark for external decking. The decking will also go grey over time.

Q. Are there any practical differences between a 10-12mm and 19-22mm board?

A. Not at all (other than cost)! In fact it amuses me that the public at large perceive that there is inherent value in having thicker floorboards. When thin floors are laid onto concrete there is absolutely no way that you can tell the thickness of the floor from above. It is arguable that thin floors are more stable than thicker floors and are less likely to cup because there is less tension within the timber floor boards. The flooring glues that are now available are also a lot stronger than the timber floorboards themselves. Another misnomer is that the traditional thicker boards sound different - we believe this is debatable because the thinner board is absolutely solid on a concrete floor and when laid on solid plywood on top of bearers it also takes on the acoustic properties of the solid plywood. In addition, when laid on plywood the thinner boards are protected from subfloor moisture by the layers of plywood and glue. Another advantage with the thinner floorboards is that they take up less height and it is easier to match the height transitions between carpet and timber areas. One final thing, the thin floorboards are more environmentally friendly as less timber is utilised.