Spruce wood is actively used in industry and construction, including in the construction of private houses. Widespread distribution, active cultivation and large volumes of harvesting have a positive effect on the final cost of lumber and their demand. In this article we will look at the properties of softwood timber, a prominent representative which spruce is, we will talk about their advantages and disadvantages, and touch upon the issue of the cost of building materials.
Brief characteristics of spruce wood
When purchasing spruce timber, you should choose material made from industrial spruce. Such raw materials are usually mined in forests in northern Russia: they are characterized by a tall, straight trunk, the lower half of which is distinguished by a small number of knots. The color of spruce wood is close to white, but may have a yellow or pink tint. Over time, under the influence external factors, the wood darkens. The pattern is uniform, the knots are round, fit tightly and do not fall out.
Advantages and disadvantages of spruce timber
Advantages:
- It is warmer in a house made of such building material. Comparing spruce material with pine timber, it is worth noting that the first is less dense. And this, in turn, directly affects its thermal conductivity qualities.
- Comparably small release of resins. A pleasant and unobtrusive aroma indoors; when the air temperature rises, the walls “cry” less.
- Uniform timber texture.
- Affordable price.
Weak spots:
- Difficult to process. Due to its high tensile strength, spruce wood is difficult to plan or sand. Therefore, we advise you to buy planed timber! Knots are very strong, so some problems can arise with them too;
- Additional impregnation. To prevent putrefactive processes, the timber must be carefully treated with antiseptic preparations (due to the lower content of natural antiseptics - resins, than in other conifers).
Types of spruce timber
High-quality material can only be obtained if high-quality raw materials are processed in strict accordance with modern technologies. This remark fully applies to spruce timber. Most affordable option– logs edged on four sides, which are most often used in the construction of baths. More expensive than them are profiled and glued materials, which are distinguished by their clear geometry and special properties. It is better to use them for the construction of full-fledged wooden houses. The moisture content of the product significantly affects the final cost: timber natural humidity will cost the least, but dried in special ovens will cost several times more.
Price
The cost of a cubic meter of spruce timber depends on the same factors as the cost of pine material - in many regions their prices are at the same level. It is natural that the price of dry timber is higher than that of building materials with natural moisture. Also, a lot depends on its type: glued was and remains the most expensive, followed by profiled, and the cheapest is non-profiled. The approximate cost of a cube of each type of timber is presented in the table below. The data is current for 2013 for Moscow.
Spruce can be found throughout the Russian Federation. This tree is the most common and accessible. Therefore, the use of spruce as a raw material for the production of lumber is so important. Spruce timber has become an integral part of today's construction products market. Houses for permanent residence, bathhouses, gazebos are built from it, as well as doors and windows are made. We will talk about this material in more detail in this article.
Spruce is a coniferous tree with a high content of resin and knots. But this is precisely where manufacturers see its advantage. These spruce branches never fall out, which means that when correct processing material it will have a unique pattern. At the same time, the texture of the wood is very beautiful and unusual. Resin content gives the lumber additional strength, as well as protection from bugs and rodents. This guarantees the protection of products made from this lumber.
Compared to pine, the density of the wood is slightly lower, which means the price is also lower. If you make spruce partitions or roofing, then the density will not matter of great importance. Spruce can be used for industrial purposes or ordinary. Industrial spruce is grown in the north of the Russian Federation. For lumber, it is best to choose it.
The color of the spruce is light with a slight yellow or pink tint. But after a while the color changes to darker.
Pros and cons of spruce timber
Pros:
Minuses:
- Density of knots. It is very difficult to process such small and strong knots by hand. It is better to immediately purchase processed lumber.
- The strength is 10-15% less than that of pine.
- The resin content is less than that of other conifers. After a while it needs additional processing from fungi.
What types of spruce timber are there?
Only adherence to precise technology makes it possible to obtain high-quality spruce material. This can be attributed with 100% certainty to spruce timber. It is better to make such material from high-quality wood that has fewer knots in the lower part. The most practical thing would be to make the material from solid wood by processing it on all sides. Such beams are often used for the construction of bathhouses and garages.
The next most difficult to manufacture from spruce is the profiled type. It is most often used for construction. This is due to the components of a lower price than glued ones and a good geometric shape.
The most difficult to manufacture, as well as the most expensive price category is laminated timber from spruce. This type has slight shrinkage and does not require additional finishing.
Price for spruce timber
The cost of a spruce product depends on its moisture content, cross-section, variety, and type of structure. Here, as with any lumber, the most expensive will be laminated veneer lumber, a little cheaper profiled dry, then profiled with natural moisture and in last positions ordinary timber. Price in different regions approximately the same.
Average prices for spruce timber in Russia for 2014 can be seen in the table below:
If you build a house from spruce timber, it is best to choose laminated or profiled timber. An ordinary one is also suitable for building a bathhouse. Which one you like depends on your personal preferences.
In all countries, spruce is considered the most suitable type of wood for walls. wooden house, and there are many reasons for this.
Features of log houses
If a spruce log house has been treated with special compounds, its service life will greatly increase. Spruce is also the most affordable building material, and wins the competition due to its low cost. This material can be used not only for construction and exterior finishing, and for designer finishing interior spaces, including furniture manufacturing. This type of wood is also distinguished by bactericidal properties that protect those living in the house from many diseases. In addition, spruce does not cause allergic reactions.
Characteristics of spruce houses
Spruce log houses are of better quality than buildings made from other types of wood for 3 reasons:
1. Increased thermal insulation.
Houses made of spruce retain heat better, since this material is naturally low in density. For example, larch, oak, cedar and other types of wood of high hardness have such little thermal insulation that when building houses they have to make much thicker walls.
2. Natural ventilation.
Spruce houses do not overheat hot weather. Due to the specific structure of wood, there is continuous air exchange inside it, due to which the building will “breathe,” that is, air will freely pass through the wood fibers back and forth. This effect does not allow the rooms to heat up, therefore, in such log houses, air conditioners and split systems are not installed, due to their uselessness.
3. Aesthetic wood texture.
Compared to other types of wood, the shade and surface texture of spruce building materials has an aesthetic and attractive appearance. For example, buildings made of larch materials are often sheathed with spruce boards, since a few years after the start of operation their walls begin to look unpresentable.
Why is spruce better than pine?
There is an alternative to spruce log houses - pine houses, but this material has too many disadvantages. And although the difficulty of processing spruce is much higher, for a log house it is the most best option. Spruce houses are of high quality and durability, which is why the vast majority of customers choose them.
Let us list the comparative advantages of spruce:
1. Greater moisture resistance compared to pine, due to the specific cellular structure and pores. For example, the core and surface of spruce absorb liquid at the same level. Pine has the opposite: the surface absorbs moisture easily, but the core does not.
Increased resistance to moisture makes spruce houses more reliable:
- When it rains, only the surface of the walls gets wet, while pine materials get wet at depth.
- Due to regular wetting and drying over the years, cracks form in pine walls.
- Since pine has less resistance to moisture, buildings cannot resist the appearance of mold and turn blue over time.
- If you treat both materials with a glazing agent, the result will be different: spruce building materials will acquire an even shade, while pine materials will have an uneven shade.
2. Uniform color.
Spruce materials have a homogeneous light shade, since both the core and the surface of the tree are the same color. At the same time, pine has a thick, resinous, and therefore yellow, core and narrow, light sapwood (the surface layer under the tree bark). The diversity of pine makes the structure look like a rural hut, and the uniformity and whiteness of spruce makes log houses made from it elegant and elite.
3. Invisibility of seams in gluing areas.
Since nowadays people prefer to build houses from high-quality laminated logs, the uniform color of spruce building materials provides them with an indisputable advantage: the invisibility of seams in the gluing areas!
4. No darkening effect.
The resin of pine materials only turns yellow over time, and sometimes even becomes brown tint. At the same time, a spruce frame will never turn yellow, retaining its white color.
5. Lightness.
Since spruce wood is not as dense as pine, 1 cubic meter of this material weighs on average 1 quintal less.
6. Spruce knots are smaller and lighter in color, whereas in pine they are large and dark. Therefore, houses made of spruce look more attractive.
7. No resin drips.
Pine wood has a high resin content, making it difficult to process and damaging it appearance. For these reasons, pine cannot be used in the construction and finishing of baths, since the resin flows more strongly when heated.
8. No cracks.
The bending strength of spruce is higher, therefore, under a similar load, pine logs break, while spruce logs simply bend. That is why there are almost no cracks in spruce buildings, while there are many of them in pine buildings.
9. When constructing luxury houses, only spruce building materials are used.
10. According to research results, buildings made of spruce turned out to be much more durable.
Flaws
A minor but unpleasant drawback of spruce is the presence of hard and small knots in it, which complicates the pre-treatment process. But, in essence, this is the concern of the manufacturer, not the customer, so you can simply forget about it.
Picking up quality materials for construction country house Buyers often cannot decide which type of timber to give preference to. If the construction budget is not limited, of course, it is better to purchase profiled cedar timber. Another popular material, slightly inferior in performance characteristics to cedar, is larch. But, if the budget for building a house is limited, then preference is given to more versatile types of wood - spruce and pine. Also, in order to save money during the construction of a house, it is allowed to combine materials of different types. For example, the first crown of a house can be laid from larch or cedar beams, and the rest of the building is built from pine or spruce.
Pine: advantages and characteristics
There are 3 types of timber produced from pine:
- log edged on 4 sides (solid timber);
- profiled timber;
- laminated veneer lumber.
The golden mean in terms of acceptable cost and High Quality is a profiled beam. For suburban construction V middle lane In Russia, they usually use profiled pine beams 150 150, with a standard size of 200 200 for the construction of houses in the north. The main advantages of pine as a building material include:
- aesthetic appearance;
- strength;
- durability.
Profiled timber allows you to preserve the natural appearance of a wooden house due to the absence interior decoration walls Walls of any height made of profiled material are smooth, even and windproof. The tongue-and-groove connection of the crowns provides the necessary rigidity of the entire structure.
Spruce is a worthy alternative to pine
Spruce is a representative of a coniferous tree species, which is also used for the construction of houses and outbuildings. Spruce timber – universal construction material and it is sold at approximately the same cost as pine. For the production of lumber, spruce is grown on an industrial scale in the north of the country. Logging and harvesting of material are mainly carried out in the cold season, since it is timber harvested in winter that has the best performance parameters.
Spruce and pine timber differ significantly from each other in the following parameters:
|
Characteristics |
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Wood color |
Light, closer to white |
From light yellow to dark |
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Density |
Less dense |
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Resin content |
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Structure |
Tree rings are poorly defined |
Pronounced |
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Rot resistance |
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Presence of blue |
There is no obvious blue discoloration |
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Ease of processing |
Spruce processing is difficult due to large quantity knots |
Easy to process |
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Number of knots |
Lots of small knots |
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Strength |
Less durable |
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Scope of application |
Manufacturing of non-critical structures, interior decoration |
No limits |
The choice of the main material for construction is an important task, the competent solution of which greatly depends on the reliability and durability of the planned building, as well as the level of living comfort. Considering this, it becomes clear why determining whether spruce or pine timber is better suited for the construction of a house or other building takes on such significant importance.
Comparison of properties
The most clear comparison of the properties of timber made from pine and spruce is made by presenting the data in the form of a table. Naturally, the most serious and significant indicators of materials should be compared.
|
Comparison parameter |
Spruce timber |
Pine timber |
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Color and its change over time |
Close to white, no color change occurs during long-term use |
Various shades yellow color ranging from yellow to brick. Over time, the color of the timber does not fade |
|
Structure |
Identical along the entire length of the tree trunk |
Stable and uniform throughout the entire depth of the wood |
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Presence and number of knots |
Relatively large number of small knots |
Rare, but large branches |
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Density |
On average, a spruce beam with a standard humidity of 12% weighs about 450 kg/cu. m. Conifers wood is lighter than deciduous wood, and spruce is one of the leaders, inferior to cedar, whose density is 410 kg / cubic meter. m |
On average, pine timber weighs about 520 kg/cu.m. m |
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Thermal conductivity |
Due to the less dense arrangement of fibers, spruce timber has better energy efficiency - 110 mW/cu. m |
Pine timber retains heat worse, having a thermal conductivity of 150 mW/cubic meter. m |
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Rot resistance |
Due to the presence of resin in the wood structure, spruce timber is quite resistant to rot, mold and the appearance of microorganisms |
An obvious advantage of the material is that the high resin content reliably protects the timber from rotting. The disadvantage of this situation is the possible “tearfulness” of individual structures |
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Production technology |
More difficult to process due to the large number of knots |
Easy to process, which is achieved by a small number of knots and soft wood structure |
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Strength |
Bending strength - 74 kgf/cubic. cm, load bearing capacity equal to pine material |
Higher bending strength, the value of which is 79 kgf/cubic meter. cm |
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Aesthetic parameters |
The tastes and preferences of the owner of the building are determined. Bright hues spruce and its delicate aroma are appreciated by a considerable number of lovers |
Bright color and rich pine scent suit a large number owners residential buildings and baths |
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Price |
More complex processing technology leads to a logical increase in the cost of the material |
The price of pine timber is lower than that of its analogue made from spruce |
Some conclusions
The choice of material for constructing a building from timber depends on the criteria listed above. The final decision is made by the construction customer, based on his own preferences, tastes and financial resources. In most operational and technical parameters, both species demonstrate impressive characteristics, with a slight advantage over spruce timber. However, pine is more affordable and somewhat stronger.
The aesthetic characteristics of spruce and pine timber also differ significantly. However, for each of the materials own advantages, therefore the final choice depends on the wishes of the owner of the planned building. The main thing is to find a manufacturing company capable of producing high-quality timber from the selected type of wood.