The experts of the GeoBuro company have prepared an article for you, where they will tell you about the technologies that give coniferous wood incredible durability and impeccable aesthetics.
The world of things around us is filled with imitations of natural materials. Imitation of texture, structure, color or volume. Any imitation is due to the need to improve some consumer characteristics of the material: extend the service life, reduce weight, reduce cost, facilitate installation. Wood, a living material with excellent aesthetics and versatility, but at the same time low performance indicators and requirements for regular maintenance, has suffered the most in this regard. What is not made of imitation wood today: various types of plastics, fiber cement, metal-based composites, ceramics. But imitation, even believable, still remains imitation, and the modern demanding consumer is sometimes not ready to compromise. He wants to use only natural wood in construction. At the moment, there are a number of technologies, including historical ones, that not only significantly extend the life of wood, but also preserve its original aesthetics for many years. It is enough to recall staining or the traditional Japanese technology of deep burning, as well as more modern impregnation, which is available in factory conditions.
Today we will tell you about a unique product – “stone tree”, and about a technology that increases the service life of wood to 50-100 years without additional care. The best material for making STONE WOOD is Ural pine.
And here we are talking not only about a structural material, reliably protected by cladding, but also about wooden products that experience constant operational loads: picket fence, planken, terrace and deck boards made of pine. Why pine? The fact is that this type of wood is best impregnated with an antiseptic, which is very important for further use in an aggressive outdoor environment.
During the production process, wood goes through several successive processing stages, each of which increases its resistance to negative environmental factors.
- After circular sawing, the lumber is dried in a special chamber. The drying process occurs in several stages: heating, drying and cooling.
- Next, the dried wood is planed, during which the chips are mechanically removed from the surface layer. As a result, the board gets an ideal surface quality and geometry.
So far, the stages listed above are fully consistent with the technology of producing dry planed boards. But here is the whole essence of the “stone tree” technology:
- Heat treatment. Let’s remember the Japanese firing technology. At this stage, the prepared wood is placed in a special chamber, where it is fired under the influence of an open fire.
- Brushing. During the brushing process, special brushes remove burnt soft fibers, resulting in a surface with a pronounced structure.
- High-pressure washing. At this stage, excess soot is removed from the surface of the board.
- Vacuuming. The board is loaded into a special autoclave chamber, from which air is pumped out, creating a vacuum, and residual moisture and air are removed from the pores of the wood.
- High-pressure impregnation.
The autoclave is filled with an antiseptic. Then excess pressure is created, under the influence of which the antiseptic penetrates deep into the structure of the wood. Penetrating into the wood pores, the antiseptic enters into a chemical reaction with lignin and cellulose, resulting in the polymerization process. As a result, the wood acquires a non-washable protective layer.
When impregnating, it is important to use a high-quality antiseptic. To create “stone wood”, an antiseptic is used in accordance with the STATE QUALITY STANDARD (in Russia it has the abbreviation GOST 20022.0-2016), unlike well-known European analogues, this antiseptic is not washed out after 5-10 years and does not cause corrosion of fasteners.
- Repeated vacuuming. Excess antiseptic is removed from the wood.
- Final drying. Accelerates the crystallization process of the antiseptic in the wood.
Such technology, combining firing and impregnation, determines the following set of advantages of “stone wood”:
- Service life from 50 to 100 years;
- Fire protection. Does not ignite and does not support combustion;
- Protection from mold, fungus and wood-boring insects;
- Harmless to humans and animals;
- Protection from adverse environmental factors. Does not require maintenance to maintain the aesthetic appearance and retains a natural dark brown color with a pronounced wood structure;
- Increased strength characteristics. After the polymerization process is complete, the wood becomes stronger and acquires an unchanged geometry. After installation, it does not warp or twist.
Stone wood is a popular material for building fences, terraces, piers and moorings, facade cladding, due to its high performance properties in a variety of environmental conditions and the possibility of using it on a variety of construction sites, from private homes to commercial projects.
Picket fences, decking and facade boards made of stone wood are highly durable and long-lasting, making them an ideal choice for construction in any region of Russia, taking into account climatic features and exposure to external factors. For example, stone wood has become a favorite among residents of Kamchatka and Kaliningrad, where the maritime climate has a great influence on materials, as well as residents of the south of our country, where there is active sun and wood-boring beetles, or northern regions, where there are harsh winters and temperature changes. Despite the specifics of each region, stone wood has proven itself as a reliable material.
Stone wood has proven itself very well in countries where there are termites, where there is humid or salty glymate in tropical forests and on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
At the end of August 2024, stone board retails for $30 per linear meter.
The article was prepared by one of the founders of the “GeoBuro” company Andrey Kichaev August 30, 2024.