Redwood, Pine (Pinus Sylvestris)
This softwood is also referred to as European Redwood, Scots Pine and Red Deal.
The sapwood is creamy-white to yellow in colour and narrow, particularly from the more northern regions becoming wider in the southern regions. The heartwood is a pale yellowish-brown to reddish-brown in colour, resinous and usually distinct from the sapwood. The growth rings are clearly visible by the later wood. The timber quality is directly affected by conditions of growth, climate, soil, elevation more than most timbers because of its wide and varying distribution. These factors also affect the texture, density, size and knot count.
After kiln drying to between 14% & 20% for normal construction and joinery purposes redwood has a density of approximately 510 kg/m³
MET sources all redwood from well managed forests, located within the more northern regions of Europe having either FSC® or PEFC certification.
Generally redwood is sorted into a number of quality grades, has a medium density making sawing, cutting and machining relatively easy. MET machining processes convert the sawn boards into a variety of finished products including planed all round (PAR), skirting, architraves, decorative mouldings, cladding and flooring. Redwood provides an excellent base for coating, however knots present in the timber can cause imperfections so only higher grades are used providing a smooth clean finish, ideal for external cladding.
Whitewood, Spruce (Picea Abies)
This softwood is also referred to as European Whitewood, Finnish Whitewood, Scandinavian Whitewood, Russian Whitewood or Norwegian Spruce
Whitewood is straight grained with a smooth and even texture having a colour variation from white to light yellow. The wood fibre has a medium density with excellent strength properties. Kiln dried between 14% and 20% for general carpentry & joinery purposes means that sawing and machining is easy as well as gluing, jointing and assembly.
When used in the building and construction industry, whitewood products are typically structural, such as timber studs, joists & trusses. Other internal uses include flooring, stairs and door linings. Externally whitewood can be used for fascia boards & cladding. However, it is more commonly used for outdoor building construction, landscaping and fencing.
MET sources all whitewood from well managed forests, located within the more northern regions of Europe having either FSC® or PEFC certification.
Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata)
We offer cladding in Western Red Cedar No.2 Clear & Better with PEFC certification. WRC is naturally resistant to decay and insect attack and has a class 2 durability rating giving a service life of approximately 60 years untreated. When left untreated and exposed to sunlight and UV degradation, cedar will bleach to a silver-grey colour. Other properties include a low shrinkage factor which minimises any potential warping, twisting & checking making the finished product extremely stable.
WRC offers superior acoustic qualities to assist with noise reduction, its low density and high proportion of air space makes it a natural thermal insulator far superior to other building materials such as brick, concrete and steel. These properties allow WRC cladded buildings to remain cool in summer and reduce heating costs during the winter.
Siberian Larch (Larix Decidua)
MET offers slow grown Siberian Larch with FSC® certification. Siberian Larch is slightly more dense and is a straight grained material having less knots than Larch sourced from other Countries.
Siberian Larch is a very strong and robust timber, resistant to rot and fungal attack with good durability properties making it an ideal timber for exterior use such as cladding. Siberian larch is an excellent timber cladding, which over time and left untreated will change colour to a silver-grey when exposed to sunlight. Siberian Larch has a high wear resistance, is non-corrosive and doesn’t need a preservative treatment due to its durability
Thermowood
Thermowood is produced by a complex heat treating process on selected pine which changes the timber properties from a none durable timber into a class 2 durability rated BN EN 350 product. The treated timber can be sawn, machined or trimmed to length in the normal way without the need for retreating.
This system enhances the properties of the timber providing many benefits which include greater stability. The timber darkens to an attractive brown turning to a silvery grey with weathering over a period of time.
We supply two grades of Thermowood, Sawfalling Redwood and Radiata Pine (Pinus Radiata).
