Larch is a scenic wood material. The cell structure of larch is precise and different from other tree species. Larch does not absorb moisture in the same way as, for example, pine. Larch is very resistant to mechanical wear and tear. A characteristic feature of larch is the strongly developed differences between winter and summer growths. In the core of the trunk, the reddish brown wood alternates with light brown, giving larch a unique visual structure that will caress the eyes of any lover of natural materials. When larch is exposed to the weather, it turns grey over time and changes its structure minimally over a long period of time.
Therefore, larch lumber is suitable as a cladding, not only for wooden buildings. You can use it in houses built with literally any building material. For example, because larch timber boards are attached to the house using a load-bearing grid, a ventilated gap is created between the timber cladding and the building itself. This makes a ventilated façade a safe solution for both masonry and timber houses, because even if there is an increase in humidity somewhere in the wall, it can evaporate from the building through the ventilated gap.
We will cut the larch boards for the facade according to your requirements quickly and cheaply. We buy larch raw material from the surrounding forests, so we can offer you a price that will pleasantly surprise you…
We specialize in the processing of larch. It is mainly larch lumber – both undried and dried semi-finished products for the production of solid floors, facades, terraces or decking. We also produce larch timber – battens, planks, beams, prisms, beams
Larch timber for planing is supplied in sawn thicknesses of 24mm, 29mm, 31mm, 34mm, 51mm, widths of 120mm, 158mm and lengths of 3000-5000mm in mixed ABC quality.
LARCH TIMBER – FEATURES
Slower growth than other conifers results in narrow annual rings with a distance between rings of only between 1-1.5 mm. In addition, there is a clear distinction between heartwood and sapwood and the proportion of heartwood can often be more than 90%. Heartwood is inherently durable and European larch wood is therefore often used as a substitute for pressure-impregnated wood.
Larch is left-handed throughout its growth, unlike spruce and pine, which are first left-handed and then right-handed. This means that larch twists more, which places greater demands on the fixing of the larch facade.
The knots are black-brown and pockets of resin may appear in the wood.
LARCH TIMBER – PROCESSING AND PROTECTION
Due to its high proportion of heartwood, larch has a greater durability than pine and spruce, without achieving the same durability as pressure-impregnated pine. This is particularly pronounced where the timber is in direct contact with soil or brick/concrete. In these areas, pressure-impregnated wood must be used to achieve acceptable durability.
Larch can be pressure impregnated and this should always be done if the timber will be in direct contact with soil or brick/concrete. However, pressure impregnation is only in the outer sapwood and therefore the protective effect is limited.
All timber must be protected as much as possible by ‘structural protection’, which means that you plan and build so that the timber is ventilated and water is drained away so that the material can dry out.
Wood is a natural material and will eventually turn grey. It is a good idea to protect the wood in dry conditions with suitable wood preservatives – either varnish or transparent wood preservatives. However, it is important to know that larch facades are difficult to treat with water-based wood preservatives.
WHICH LARCH TIMBER CAN WE MAKE FOR YOU DEPENDING ON THE PURPOSE?
Freshly sawn (tarred) larch sawn timber with unspecified moisture content
The disadvantage of using unprocessed lumber may be the high water content and the subsequent volume changes and deformation when drying to equilibrium moisture content. The higher water content may also be problematic in terms of increased risk of attack by wood-boring insects, moulds and fungi, but this is to a small extent in oak, as larch is resistant to such attack.
When buying raw lumber, it is a good idea to choose the right quality for the application. In general, centre sawn timber, ideally radial with no pith content, will be the strongest and most stable.
On the other hand, the incorporation of elements made of uncured wood containing pith can cause undesirable effects in the form of twisting, drying cracks, etc.
This product of basic sawmill processing does not lose its popularity in traditional carpentry constructions, where a relatively wide range of cross-section dimensions is applied – exterior constructions, larch planks in the garden, raised beds and other
We’ll be happy to advise you on the selection of suitable material…
Technically dried, planed larch timber
The profiles are made of technically dried larch lumber with guaranteed moisture content (exterior usually 15% ±3%, interior 10% ±2%). The central lumber, ideally radial without pith content, will be the strongest and most stable, and care is taken to cut the pith (centre of the log) during the primary cutting of the log. This ensures greater dimensional stability.
Four-sided planing or sanding and chamfered edges are a matter of course for self-dried boards, battens, planks or beams.
For the production of larch lumber, logs are used in the order of the first and second pieces from the bottom of the tree with fewer cut branches (knots) and minimal curvature.
We’ll be happy to advise you on the selection of suitable material…
