Which timber is better for construction. Thickness of timber for a house: choosing the best option

When building your own wooden house Every person asks the question: “How to choose the optimal thickness of timber for internal and external walls”? Our article will help you understand what types and sizes of this material there are, how to correctly calculate its thickness and understand for yourself what the required thickness of timber is for a timber house in your case.

Types and sizes of wood for building houses

There are three types of timber for building houses.

  • Planed profiled and non-profiled;
  • Glued.

A round log is actually a log, from which the bark and upper layer tree.

The diameter of the log is the same along its entire length, which greatly facilitates the construction of the house.

The disadvantages include:

  • high shrinkage of the log house (up to 10%);
  • the formation of cracks is also possible, especially in the corners of the frame and joints, which is unacceptable;
  • in addition, such a log house has high ventilation;
  • very vulnerable to damage by fungus and mold;
  • due to low manufacturing accuracy and high shrinkage, additional caulking of the seams is usually required after complete drying.

It is made at the factory from wood with a residual moisture content of no more than 30%. To do this, the log is sawn to the required size.

Standard beam sections:

  • 150x150,
  • 150x200,
  • 200x200 mm.

Its undeniable advantage compared to round timber is the absence of excess wood, which means the house requires a less massive foundation. In addition, it is much more convenient and, therefore, faster to build from rectangular timber.

The disadvantages are the same as those of round timber, except for high shrinkage.

Profiled timber is distinguished by the fact that grooves are selected in it from opposite sides at the factory in such a way that during assembly the structure is assembled using the tongue-and-groove method.

This creates a very precise connection that is practically not blown by the wind. The disadvantages remain the same, except for airflow.

Glued laminated timber is already a new technology in production wooden beam for construction. It is devoid of all the disadvantages inherent in all previous types of material.

The timber is made from boards dried to a relative humidity of 2-10% and glued together under high pressure in the package. After gluing, the finished package is profiled.

Due to the layered structure it:

  • does not warp;
  • does not crack;
  • does not dry out.

Since during the gluing process the boards are treated with special antifungal compounds, laminated veneer lumber does not mold or rot. – significantly higher price.

Ready-made kits for assembly

Many factories for the production of laminated veneer lumber produce special kits wooden houses to build with your own hands. The kit includes all the necessary elements with ready-made cuts for connecting each other.

All elements must be marked. From such a kit the house is built like a construction set.

The maximum thickness of laminated veneer lumber is determined by both GOST standards and the equipment on which it is produced. Typically, material for walls is made up to 9 m long with thicknesses from 210 to 270 mm and heights up to 270 mm.

Rafters and floor beams are manufactured with a length of up to 12 m and a cross-section of up to 50x100 mm. It must be said that there are other sizes.

The kit for building a wooden house is manufactured at the factory according to individual orders.

The package may include:

  • a sealant made of a special non-woven fabric that is not subject to rotting and decay to ensure the tightness of the walls of the house;
  • or timber with wedge-shaped grooves and protrusions to ensure the tightness of the connection;
  • tie rods and brackets;
  • compression springs with a force of up to 2000 kg each, so that during operation the wood does not warp and gaps do not appear as it shrinks;
  • assembly drawings and instructions for assembling a house with your own hands;
  • specification of materials included;
  • manufacturer's warranty;
  • certificates of quality and environmental conformity;
  • 3D models of a finished house.

How to choose the optimal timber thickness for your home

According to building regulations and rules (SNiP), the thickness of the timber for a house is selected depending on the climate of the area where the house is planned to be built. However, it must be said that there are some calculations by which the exact value of this parameter can be established.

Calculation formulas

The thickness of the walls of the house is selected in this case according to two main criteria:

  • sanitary and hygienic (standardized);
  • energy saving.

The required size for walls can be calculated using the formula:

Sm = R * Kt;

where Sm is the required thickness of the material,

R – heat transfer resistance of the wall (depending on the region of residence),

Kt is the thermal conductivity coefficient of the material.

For the middle band, the heat transfer resistance of the wall is taken to be 3.0 - 3.2. Kt for wood 0.12-0.18 depending on the type of wood. For a specific region, this value can be found in the corresponding directory.

Thus, we get for a house built from pine timber:

Sm = 3.0*0.15 = 0.45m

Those. The thickness of the timber for construction should be 450 mm. In practice, material with such dimensions is not produced. To support indoors comfortable temperature It is necessary to insulate the walls from the inside. To insulate walls both inside and outside, imitation timber is used, under which a layer of insulation based on mineral wool is laid.

Advice! In practice, according to experts, with a wall beam thickness of 150 mm, 100 mm thick insulation is sufficient, and if the timber is 200 mm thick, then 50 mm of insulation is sufficient.

Wall insulation

In order to make living comfortable, imitation timber is used to insulate the walls both inside and outside. Due to the variety of shapes and sizes of this lumber, everyone can choose it to their liking.

Exterior decoration

  • Standard length of simulation is 3 and 6 m. There are also sizes 2, 2.2, 3.6, 5.4 m.
  • The thickness of the imitation timber ranges from 18 to 34 mm. The width of the lamellas is from 110 to 190 mm.
  • In practice, for exterior finishing, a material with a width of 150 mm and a thickness of 25-32 mm is used in order to achieve maximum similarity of the finish to natural material.
  • If you use a narrower imitation of timber, the wall will resemble a wall covered with clapboard, and therefore there is no point in overpaying.

In order to achieve a minimum number of joints during exterior finishing, the length of the lamellas should be selected greater than the length of the wall.

To prevent a wall finished with imitation timber from warping over time, to select the thickness of the imitation timber, you should use SNiP, which regulates the ratio of the width of the lamellas and their thickness according to the formula:

T=W/5.5,

where T is the thickness of the lamella, and W is its width.

Advice! When laying insulation outside wooden wall a vapor barrier layer should be installed on both sides of the insulation. This is necessary in order to prevent moisture from entering both inside and outside.

Interior decoration

For interior decoration premises, it is advisable to use imitation with a width of less than 110 mm. This is due to the fact that the wider the lamella, the optically smaller sizes the room being finished. In addition, the thickness of the imitation timber in this case can be significantly less than for exterior finishing, and therefore cheaper.

The product is often fastened indoors in different directions, which allows you to choose its optimal length. Usually take a length of 2 or 3 m. With such lengths, among other things, it is much more convenient to work indoors.

Particular attention should be paid to the ceiling decoration. On the ceiling, the joints of the lamellas are clearly visible. Therefore, for the ceiling lining, you should either use imitation timber for the entire length of the room or join it using the parquet method, alternating the joint of the lamellas with the middle of the next one.

Conclusion

It becomes clear that the process, with its nuances and some subtleties associated with calculations, including calculation optimal thickness material. Of course, this work is not the most difficult, but it also requires detailed consideration.

And the video in this article will help you understand some other points.

Various timber

Building a house from timber raises a lot of questions among readers. Most often they ask how to choose material for construction. There are more varieties of timber every year, which one is better to use and how to distinguish quality material. We will tell those readers who do not want to throw money away and want to purchase high-quality material how to choose timber for building a house. Which timber to choose - profiled, glued, plain, section and grade of timber in one article.

To build a house, timber is chosen from three main types: simple, profiled or glued. It is superior to brick in its heat-saving and sound-insulating qualities. The only thing it is inferior to is fire resistance. But using special processing compounds, you can reduce the rate significantly. It is environmentally friendly and outperforms brick and rounded logs in price. And with the onset of a difficult economic situation in the country, the material generally took first place in the choice of buyers. Each type has its pros and cons for construction.

Simple trim material

Rectangular beams of various sections. Produced by chamber drying and natural humidity. In terms of price category, timber with natural humidity is the cheapest. When choosing natural humidity for building your home, you need to understand that additional costs will be required for external and internal finishing, such as siding or lining. The fact is that when the material dries, it will crack and lose its aesthetically attractive appearance. Some of the heat-saving qualities will be lost when cracking, so you will have to insulate the walls with mineral wool or any other material. When choosing chamber-drying timber, you can count on minimal shrinkage of the house. But the walls will still not be attractive, since between the links they lay tape insulation. We recommend choosing a simple chamber drying for the construction of a small country house, this way you can save on material, and the structure will turn out to be environmentally friendly, and you can assemble it with your own hands. For frame construction For a residential structure, it is more profitable to purchase a simple edged look, since the walls will still have to be covered. If you still choose natural humidity for building a house, then you need to prepare for additional expenses.

Profiled view

Profiled timber is considered second in quality. It also comes in natural humidity and chamber drying. It has two technical sides with a locking connection - tongue and groove. With the help of a lock it is easy to fit and connect to each other. Houses made from it are warmer, since the walls will not be blown through. How warm the walls will be depends on the quality and type of locking connection. The warmest is considered to be the “comb”, where there are more than two thorns. A simple lock is less resistant to winds, especially in the corners of the masonry of the house. By choosing natural humidity, wall cracking cannot be avoided and can be used over the years finishing material you still have to. It will not be possible to caulk the walls a second time, since the locking connection will not allow the work to be completed efficiently. After assembling the walls, profiled chamber drying can be simply sanded and coated with antiseptic and protective compounds. No other finishing is necessary. Suitable for construction residential buildings any size, so the shrinkage will not be large, only 3-4%. The main disadvantage is the high price of chamber drying.

Glued look

Glued laminated timber is considered the most suitable for the construction of a residential building. It consists of dried lamellas that are glued together under a press. The strength of the material is higher than that of profiled or plain material, since the lamellas are connected in the opposite direction of the fibers. The more lamellas, the stronger material. The internal lamellas can be spliced ​​or solid; the second option is more expensive and better in quality. Among the main advantages of the glued type are its high thermal insulation characteristics. Thus, a cross-section of 150x150 mm is equal in thermal conductivity to edged timber 250x250 mm. It is easier to build a house from such material, since the weight of each beam is less. How to choose timber for building a glued-laminated house can be seen in the video:

Among the disadvantages, one can highlight the material’s not entirely environmentally friendly. The fact is that the adhesive composition used for gluing the lamellas is different. The safest one is expensive and domestic producers it is not used. The second and no less important drawback is the high price of the material.

Unusual timber

One of the newer types on the market is the D-shaped type. Building a D-frame house is exactly the same as building a profile house. Its difference is in the rounded front side. There is material with two rounded sides - front and inner. Externally, the house resembles a log house, but its thermal characteristics are the same as those made from laminated veneer lumber. There is no need to finish the walls and facade. The new kind materials - warm timber.

Building a house from it is called Maxhouse. Inside, the timber is filled with a layer of cellulose or urethane foam insulation. The heat-saving properties of the material are higher, but environmental friendliness decreases significantly. The main advantages - low price. External and inner side warm look may be made of expensive wood, such as larch or aspen. And the price is 3-4 times lower than for a full-fledged type.

Grade of construction lumber

When choosing construction lumber, you need to pay attention to its grade. Moreover, certain rules There is no way to determine one grade from another, so in different manufacturing companies you can find timber of the same quality, but of different grades. To build your house, we recommend using grades A or Extra, AB and B. Other lower quality grades may have unevenness, damage from bugs, and blue discoloration. You can distinguish one variety from another by knowing some character traits timber. Readers can find out more about them in the table:

Not worth it in building a house for permanent residence use timber BC and C. For garden house or frame construction, in order to save money, you can buy cheaper varieties. But first you need to look at the material from several companies at once.

Types of timber sections

Thickness construction timber they take from 100 mm, but traditionally for the construction of a residential building they use a section of 200x200 mm. To build your house, choose a timber section of 150x150 mm. If the house is being built as a country house in southern region, then you can buy a smaller one 100 mm. For a permanent residence in middle lane In Russia, you can choose glued or warm material with a cross-section of 150x150 mm or 100x150 mm, where the working side will be large. Simple and profiled are selected with a cross-section from 150x150 to 200x200 mm.

You can use a rectangular section of 150x200 mm, where big side working. If you use a simple edged beam of natural moisture and the walls will be insulated in the future, then you can use a section of 100x150 mm. Choosing the right thickness of the timber is important, because if you build a house from profiled drying chambers and do not take into account thermal conductivity, then in winter the house will be cold. As a result, the walls will have to be insulated and there is no point in purchasing profiled chamber drying. The price of the material will depend on the choice of cross-section. Let's consider the price for different sections of timber in the form of a table:

To choose the right material for building your house, it is not the cheapest, good quality, thickness from 200 mm.

Basic rules for choosing timber for building a house

From all of the above, we can conclude how to choose timber for building a house. Let's list the basic rules:

  1. For the construction of a house, timber with a thickness of 200 mm is chosen.
  2. For construction country house you can take simple natural moisture, for a residential building glued or profiled chamber drying.
  3. When choosing chamber drying, you can not be afraid of large shrinkage and cracking of the walls; taking natural humidity, you need to plan the costs of finishing the facade and interior.
  4. The shape of the material must be correct; curvature and uneven color are unacceptable. Buy grades A and AB, B.
  5. A D-shaped profile can be chosen instead of a rounded log.
  6. Warm timber is less expensive, but in appearance it is hardly distinguishable from laminated timber.

When choosing a material, you must purchase it only from trusted manufacturing companies. Don't take it suspiciously cheap material, especially if we're talking about about the glued form. This is the only way to build a house using high-quality and correct timber.

It is not difficult to choose a house made of profiled timber, the design of which was carried out by a competent specialist. The layouts of such houses are thought out and convenient. Building competent planning, built by professional builders, pleases with comfort and quality. But the construction material is also responsible for quality.

Profiled timber comes in various types of profile, cross-section, humidity, different breeds wood. Additionally, glued laminated timber is used. Each of these types of bars differs in appearance. There are straight and D-shaped beams.

For the average person, this may seem complicated and confusing, but when ordering a house made of timber, he should understand a little about the types of timber.

The difference between profiled timber and regular timber

A simple beam has a rectangular or square shape. Conventionally, it can be called a square “log”. Profiled timber has various grooves and spikes for a tighter fit of the beams. This feature is the profile of the timber.

A simple beam has one advantage. This is the price per cubic meter. Disadvantages include high ventilation of inter-crown seams, increased cracking, unaesthetic appearance and the likelihood of damage to the timber by fungus. The slight difference in size is also considered a serious drawback. This can lead to differences in the arrangement of the crowns and mixing of seams between them.

At the same time, the profiled timber has strictly specified dimensions and does not allow the seams to be blown in or mixed. Such timber has high external characteristics and does not require additional finishing of the finished structure.

It should also be noted that simple timber most often has natural moisture, just like profiled timber. But timber with a profile can also be purchased dry. The wood moisture factor primarily affects the shrinkage of the house. And if a house made of profiled timber with natural moisture settles more evenly, then construction from a simple one is more unpredictable. The development of the woodworking industry has made it possible to expand the number of types of timber with a profile.

Types of timber profiles

The production of profiled timber takes place on machines using special templates. Precision manufacturing ensures that the beams fit snugly against each other and prevents moisture from getting inside the wall. This is achieved through a profile on the beam. There are five types of profile:

  1. One chamfer.
  2. Two chamfers.
  3. Several chamfers (“comb”).
  4. Beveled chamfer.
  5. Finnish profile.

For interior walls use timber with one chamfer. This profile is suitable for summer houses, bathhouses and internal partitions. External walls require timber with two chamfers, with a “comb” or Finnish profile. Also, a different thickness of the beam section is applicable to external walls.

Section of profiled timber

The timber is made in several sizes: 100x100; 100x150; 150x150; 150x200 and 200x200. These are indicators of the height and thickness of the timber. The thickness of the timber is important for all-season structures. Summer buildings or buildings in warm places do not require a large thickness of timber; 100 mm is enough for this. This type of timber is also used for internal partitions.

Construction of buildings for use in winter period requires greater timber thickness. In this case, timber with a cross section of 150 mm or 200 mm is used.

Timber with a cross section of 150x200 and 200x200 is less often used in the construction of houses due to the increased cost of such material. This size of timber is required for construction in cold regions, with strong and prolonged subzero temperatures.

Aesthetic characteristics of timber

Ordinary timber requires additional finishing or refining of its surface to acquire a beautiful appearance. Profiled timber already has high aesthetic qualities. Buildings made of profiled timber do not require further exterior finishing and they look neat and beautiful.

Also, profiled timber can be made in two appearance options. Classic look timber with a profile allows you to get smooth smooth walls both outside the building and inside. The type of timber with a D-shape creates an imitation log house, maintaining smooth walls in the premises.

Project of a house made of profiled timber

The Terem Stroy company builds houses from various types timber. There are many available finished projects houses. Construction from profiled timber is becoming more and more widespread. The main thing is that such buildings are erected by competent specialists.