Timber designs from Ironwood - Twenty questions part 1

Now we are all back at work in the middle of this hot summer I cannot help but think about the guys up at our Kandos mill in these obscene temperatures slaving away over a hot saw (sic!).

Our mill only closed for 2 weeks over the Christmas break, though we did keep our denailing team working for an additional week so we could get ahead of the demand for our Tempe demolition timbers. The denailing process is the most laborious and time-consuming part of our timber recycling operation. It really is quite a sight watching the guys wrestle with rusty nails and bolts and repeatedly running the metal detectors over the timber.

While the Tempe recycled flooring stock is now arriving in the shed we have already run out of a couple of the recycled floors. If you are looking for a recycled floor can I therefore suggest that you make your enquiries early, before the current Tempe range diminishes even further. The recent activity in our showroom only serves to confirm the popularity of good quality recycled floors.

To supplement our range of recycled flooring we have managed to take delivery of a few recycled blackbutt floors from up north. So, as always, we will do what we can to ensure that when you do visit our showroom we have a large variety of new and recycled floors for you to choose from.

(You will also be pleased to know that we have increased our forward orders for new wideboard flooring so in two months time we will be holding a lot more stock and will be able to reduce our delivery times.)

Keith Mackenzie
Managing Director

2004 Timber Design Trends

These are the latest trends overseas with timber:

• tailor made, individually crafted bespoke floor designs combining strip flooring and parquetry - on show on our website;
• stained, lime-washed and colour tinted floors;
• recycled parquetry, very popular in Europe at the present time - also looks great because old growth recycled timbers have a very rich patina;
• 25mm x 25mm timber slats for sun protection screens or decorative purposes - completely taking over from cca treated latticing;
posts and beams made into features by polishing and finishing with milled corners;
• recycled and rustic timber features for benchtops, shelving, wall-mounts and furniture (tabletops, bar counters, exposed frame designs, display racks, pedestal stools et al).

It seems that designers all round the world are finding it harder to differentiate themselves and make a statement. This has lead to the increased usage of natural products, most particularly timber - what I refer to as the fall-back medium. The big difference now is that designers are paying far more attention to timber detailing and timber finishes - proving to be a very versatile medium by providing a perfect contrast for cold steel and cement. Timber is very neutral and can make an extraordinary and striking impact when used sympathetically!

February specials!

• Recycled Tempe Creams & Tempe Mixed Reds.
  80mm x 19mm Recycled warehouse floorboards. These floors show off their history. They used to be top-nailed, have iron stains and surface cracks. Boards are also reversible. 70 years of weathered $65 sq.m floors to play with!
• Recycled posts - assorted species.
  190mm x 190mm. 3 & 6 metre lengths.
  Hand hewn, prominent 'scalloping' textures on all faces. Sheer magic, either with the weatherd look or wirebrushed. We would never re-mill these so grab them while they last! $150 per metre.
• New standard grade blackbutt.
  130mm x 19mm superb quality for this grade. $69 sq.m

Feature story - Twenty Questions... Part 1

Q. How hard is this timber?

A. Each timber species has a Janka rating (as bracketed - refer Ironwood's timber properties table). Australian eucalpyts are renowned for being very hard. The softest commonly used eucalypt floors are Victorian Ash (5) and Tasmanian Oak (5). These floors will over time evidence furniture scrapes and heel strikes. They are however both considerably harder than Kauri (3) and Baltic (2). Timbers such as Blackbutt (9), Spotted Gum (11) and Ironbark (14) are far less likely to evidence scrapes and heel strikes. What actually happens with these floors is that the surface finishes get damaged rather than the timber itself.

Q. Tell me about colour consistency

A. Timber is a natural product. As such its colour will vary depending on the species, the size of the tree, the location in which it grew, soils, climate, whether it's from a coastal or inland location and a host of other factors. Generally speaking, plantation and coastal timbers are more consistent in colour than old growth and inland timbers. Old growth timbers and timbers from larger trees are darker than new timbers.

Q. What lengths do the floorboards come in?

A. Generally speaking, new flooring is now supplied in random length packs where individual timbers range between 0.9m to 5.4m. ...and no, you cannot select or specify long lengths only! The length of recycled flooring timbers is entirely dependent on what the boards are made from. If we are making them out of old bearers or joists the lengths are likely to be very consistent and dependent on the raw material.

Q. What floorboard widths are available?

A. For new timbers, Ironwood now concentrates on a few standard sizes, generally 100mm, 130mm,150mm, 175mm, 200mm, 220mm and 240mm. The sizes we carry are dependent on the species and also on what is available. Ideally we would like to carry only about 4 sizes in each species, however in practice this is not always achievable because of the available supplies.

Q. Do antique floorboards need to be acclimatized?

A. Most certainly. Timber is a natural product. It will breath, take in moisture and dry out throughout its life. The one thing that is less prevalent with antique timbers is gum vein seepage. In all other respects it acts the same as any new timber.

Q. Are old timbers more stable?

A. Yes and no. Timbers cup and bend for 2 main reasons. (a) because of different moisture levels on either side of a board; and (b) when a timber section is cut close to the heart or core. Old timbers tend to be taken from very large trees, the grain pressures have stabilised and they have had a lifetime to try and bend. Problems can however occur, even with the stable old timbers, if they are re-sawn across the heartwood.

Q. What finish do we use?

A. Only use a finish that you have seen and like. All floor sanders have their own preferences in terms of products, methods of application and polishes. A number of products are available, including 1 pack and 2 pack polyurethanes, water-based polyurethanes and a range of different oils. Some of the new European and American products, which have only recently been introduced here, are extremely hard wearing and dry in 20 minutes so 3 coats can be applied in a day, which makes them ideal for commercial interiors.

Q. Where does the timber come from?

A. The Australian timber industry is now highly regulated. Most new NSW timbers are sourced from eucalypt plantations. Qld still mills some old growth timbers. It is however very limited and restricted by the issue of Qld government leases. In Victoria the story is much the same as Qld, though the volume of plantation timber is quite substantial. The volume of available Australian hardwood timbers has decreased very substantially in the last 10 years and is very closely monitored in accordance with state forestry practices.

Q. How much does a floor cost to lay?

A. Floor laying, sanding and finishing will cost about $80-$100 per sqr metre for a wideboard floor, plus materials. It is possible to get the job done cheaper, no question about that! It is just a matter of quality. The people we recommend do cost a little more - we believe they do a better job to justify their price. The price will vary depending on the area, degree of difficulty, type of fixing (i.e. battens or plywood) and width of the board. We always suggest you get more than 1 quote.

Q. Can we secret nail this floor?

A. This is an interesting question. The accepted literature written 40 years ago says that you should not secret nail a floorboard if it is wider than 80mm. We however recommend a few experienced floor layers who will secret nail a floor up to 130mm wide if it is trowel glued and laid on good quality plywood. They pre-drill the nail holes so as not to split the boards if the boards aren't cut with a secret nail profile. My intuition on this is that glue technologies have improved so much in recent times (i.e. Bostik Ultraset) that this technique probably works quite well. Personally I would always top nail a wide board as I believe it improves the quality of the bond and because top nails do not bother me. I think this solution is a matter of personal taste.

Q. What are the most popular timber flooring species?

A. In NSW and Queensland it is probably blackbutt, spotted gum, ironbark and brushbox, in that order. In Victoria vic ash would probably also be high up there together with European oak. The ash and oak are not as dense and are therefore better suited to the climatic extremes in the southern states and the effect of central heating.

Q. Why is New Zealand Kauri so expensive?

A. NZ Kauri trees were last commercially harvested in the mid 1960's after they became a protected species. Apparently the last Kauri mill closed down in New Zealand in 1979. Of course new Kauri can still be found in small quantities from approved land and road clearing projects. It is very scarce. The only commercial quantities of Kauri flooring that we can obtain are therefore from home renovations/demolitions in and around Sydney. We buy every piece of Kauri that is offered to us and we never have excess stock - most often we have a backorder situation, so the price is based on supply and demand.

Q. Can I stop the gaps appearing between my floorboards?

A. Not really. Timber responds to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity by absorbing moisture or drying out, thereby effectively swelling or shrinking with seasonal changes. Gaps between boards can be expected during the dry time of the year. Wide gaps or irregularly spaced wide gaps generally indicate that a floor has not been properly acclimatised at the time of laying or has been exposed to direct sunlight or hot dry winds. Conversely, floors will detach themselves and dome if they get too humid.

#1 These Ash/Messmate varieties are = collectively and=20 commonly referred to as either Victorian Ash or Tasmanian=20 Oak.

#2 Some of the above ratings are subjective as = there are=20 considerable discrepancies depending on which text is used = to source=20 the above data.

N.B:- When it comes to structural = beams=20 and posts strength, toughness, elasticity, shrinkage, = weight,=20 stability, lyctid borer susceptibility, edge splintering, = plus a few=20 other industry measurements details can be accessed via the=20 internet. With Ironwood's feature beams and posts they have = usually=20 been modified by their previous fitting and age - we = therefore do=20 not attempt to rate these beams ourselves as they are sold = primarily=20 for aesthetic purposes.

Our warehouse and display rooms are conveniently located in Rozelle (near the ANZAC Bridge). Come in and visit us, we are open Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m

© 2003 Australian Ironwood Antique Timbers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.