OAK WOOD

The natural strength and attractive appearance of oak wood make it suitable for many purposes. The fact that oak trees grow to such a great size means there is a particularly high yield of timber per tree. The length of the timber derived makes it perfect for jobs such as flooring or exterior cladding.

This also means work can be completed quickly as fewer individual pieces of timber will be required per job, speeding up installation. The uniformity of the oak wood colour and grain also guarantees a consistent finish for large-scale jobs without the need for treatment or staining unless desired by the customer.

As a hardwood, oak has a high level of water resistance as its dense, non–porous texture resists water absorption, making it ideal for exterior uses without the need for waterproof chemicals applied. This is one of the reasons oak barrels are still in use today for ageing alcohol as they can be reused many times without suffering water damage or tainting the liquid within. Oak is also highly resistant to shrinkage, making it ideal for door and window frames as it will not easily warp, leading to sticking or broken windowpanes as the wood twists.

Oak wood naturally contains a high proportion of tannin which makes it highly resistant to attack by insects or fungi. This is part of the reason oak trees are so long-lived and why combined with their natural water resistance, oak wood is less prone to decay and rotting.

When combined with drying processes to remove naturally occurring moisture inside the wood, the resulting timber will be extremely weatherproof and require little or no chemical treatment.