Kiln Dried Timber and Why You Should Use It

The process 

After the trees are felled, they are brought to a timber manufacturer where the barks will be removed, and the logs will be sorted by size and species. The logs are then sawn in to boards ‘sawn boards’ and often trimmed before they are dried.

The boards are then dried by kilns, this is a process that uses circulated heated air to help remove excess moisture from the timber, this process is continuous until the wood has reached its correct moisture level for that species. After this the timber is shipped out to our timber yard where we will plane, cut or leave rough sawn to the customers preference.

 

Why should you use kiln timber and its importance 

The moisture content in timber can have a drastic effect on its performance, this means that if the timber is not dried in the correct way, the quality will not be high enough to make worktops, flooring etc.

There are many benefits to kiln drying timber such as:

• Decreased weight 
• Better insulation
• Easier to work with, glue or finish
• Increased strength

 

Ways your timber could still be affected by moisture 

Wood is a natural product that can be affected by heat and humidity. Your kiln dried timber can still gain and loose moisture in sympathy with its environment before and after it has been installed.

How to stop your timber from being affected by moisture 

There are many treatments which come in a matt or satin finish. The finishes must be coated on all edges, faces and ends of the timber to seal it from variations in humidity. 

Timbersource are a leading online timber merchant in the UK, supplying hardwood and softwood timber to the joinery, carpentry, retail and building trade at competitive prices.

Feel free to take a look at our hardwood and softwood pages for more information on the types of timber we offer.