7 Critical Factors that Can Damage Lumber
Lumber is one of the strongest and most durable building materials that has been used since ancient times. Modern buildings and homes are incomplete without woodwork. Whether it is your home or business, wood deterioration can ruin the charm of your property. Lumber is the most important building material that is being used in most of the home construction and commercial construction projects. Almost 80%of the lumber damage cases occurred due to a lack of lumber estimate before starting the lumber project. For the best lumber work for your home, always prefer taking lumber estimating services. Because professional estimators can do better research and provide accurate estimates for lumber construction projects.
In this article, those core factors that can damage lumber works are highlighted.
Lumber in Construction Works
Many reasons prove that lumber is the best building material of all time. Because wood is the most durable, lightweight, energy-efficient, and natural resource. Another important benefit of wood is its sustainability. Moreover, wood produces almost no carbon during production as compared to other materials production. But limber construction is not as easy as it seems. It is the most critical construction project as compared to others.
Let’s discuss the factors that cause huge damage to lumber!
1. Insect Invasion
There is a close relationship between wood and insects. Termites can deteriorate wood projects by eating wood fibers. They make holes and long tunnels into the wood. One should spray pesticides frequently on the entire wood to protect the lumber project from termites. However small wood damage can be restored through wood filling. Pest control is a crucial component for people living in lumber homes. Termite attack can be analyzed if some wood piece is falling apart or any hollow sound from the wood when you tap on it.
2. Air
Living creators need air to survive. If there are pests or insects like termites in lumber it means they are getting oxygen(Air). If you can manage to remove oxygen from the area then they won’t be able to survive. You can do this practice in areas that are airtight and closed.
3. Moisture
Moisture is a challenging factor to be controlled. Moisture can damage lumber if it is accessed to air, and moisture can also damage the plumber if there is a low moisture level in the air. The reason is that when there is an excess amount of moisture in the air then it can cause wood to swell and be damaged. Low levels of moisture can cause it to shrink and finally the lumber would be cracked.
4. Heat
Heat can also be a factor for pest control. But mostly termites can survive in almost all the environmental temperatures. Extreme heat conditions can cause pests to die. These extreme heating systems can be acquired by installing proper HVAC alongside your lumber project.
5. Lumber Flooring Health
While lumber construction, it is important to keep in mind the traffic of people on that particular wooden floor because of the kind of wood that would be installed. For example, there are different wood panels for places where mostly 10-15 people traffic walk over and different wood materials are used for places with high traffic. Perfect lumber takeoff services can protect you from significant lumber material losses during construction.
6. Wood Decay or Rot
Wood decay is another critical challenge for lumber construction. Lumber rot occurs when wood absorbs enough moisture from the environment. This mostly happens in regions with high levels of humidity in the air. Making proper rainwater gutters during construction can protect woods from seeping water. Making air tighten sections and sealing the lumber carefully are the best practices to protect the wood in humid areas.
7. Lumber Contraction and Expansion
Another environmental impact on lumber is its contraction and expansion. Contraction in lumber happens when they release moisture into the environment in the case of low humidity regions. This is to balance the moisture level. As a result, the wood shrinks and gaps are developed between wood structures. In the same way, when there is excess moisture in the environment, the wood absorbs water and begins to swell and mold, resulting in the lumber is deformed. Another important reason for lumber deformation is water leakage from water pipes. To avoid such water leakage, always take reliable plumbing takeoff services at the time of lumber construction projects.
Conclusion
In summary, lumber construction is too tricky as compared to other construction sites. Most of the lumbar problems occur due to less or no acclimating of wood to a particular environmental condition. Adopting reliable lumber estimation services would be the key.