Glued beams: flaws and advantages

It has always been believed that wood is the most suitable material for construction. It's all about its environmental friendliness, low thermal conductivity, naturalness and, of course, natural beauty. The drawbacks of this building material are quite small, and even with those that are, people have learned to fight effectively.

Material of the new generation - glued beam

Most people, especially the population of megacities, dream of an ecological cleanliness of housing and better living conditions. To date, traditions from the depths of centuries, coupled with the latest technological processes, allow to build wooden houses of excellent quality. The most popular and popular in the construction of houses glued timber, because it is natural, durable and aesthetic. Such buildings practically do not shrink, have a long service life and are ready for operation and finish right after the completion of installation work.

Production features

The construction material considered by us is done as follows: logs are radially sawed on boards, which are then dried well (taking into account the tree species), up to about 10-12% moisture, and mechanically processed, as a result of which all possible defects are removed. After high-quality drying, the wood passes a visual check for the detection and removal of areas with dead knots, resin pockets and fungal lesions.

Then boards (in other words they are called lamellas) are glued together with special compounds and according to the technology defined for such material. In the finished beam they can be several, the length of the blanks can reach up to 18 meters. Further, the wooden beams are dried, and only after that the glued beam is calibrated, that is, it acquires the usual rectangular shape.

Materials for laminated veneer lumber

For the production and manufacture of glued timber, coniferous species have long been used, mainly spruce, pine, cedar and larch. The use of valuable and, accordingly, more expensive types of wood - a phenomenon quite rare. The reason is a high price. Such a cost is practically not available for builders of a private home. Although such materials find their customers, and it happens quite often.

Advantages of glued beams

Like any building material, has glued beams advantages and disadvantages. First, let's look at its advantages:

1. Houses made of laminated veneer lumber are easy to assemble and to be assembled, and shrinkage and shrinkage are minimized.

2. The material is practically not deformed and does not change its shape.

3. During operation, it is not covered by cracks. Its surface is smooth and smooth, not requiring additional processing and labor-consuming and expensive finishing works.

4. The glued bar has the optimum humidity, which prevents rotting and the appearance in it of fungal microorganisms and harmful bacteria.

5. This material can be used to implement very complex projects.

Minuses

However, we can not say that only positive characteristics are the glued beam. Disadvantages also have a place to be, here are some of them:

1. The high price of glued material. Such a house will cost 2 times more expensive than buildings from unprofiled logs.

2. Due to the fact that the manufacturing technology is quite new, data on the behavior of this material at large intervals (for example, after 30-50 years) are not yet available, since its properties have not yet been studied.

3. Use in the process of production of glue. In spite of the fact that the adhesive compounds comply with the regulations, for ecological compatibility the glued beam will lose to the ordinary profiled beam or log, since they are completely free of similar substances. The use of glue worsens some characteristics, in any case, air exchange and moisture circulation do not occur to the full. In addition, the microclimate inside the premises is also violated.

What is the reason for the high price of building materials?

Despite the fact that the desire to live in a house of natural materials is very large, many are deterred by their cost. Indeed, the glued beam, the shortcomings of which were considered a little higher, are more expensive than all the usual analogues of wood - logs, logs, etc.

The high cost of this material is undoubtedly influenced by the rather complex process of its production. Increased production costs, cycles, consumption of wood and resources, which can not but affect the cost.

The quality glued scantlings, of course, have disadvantages, and all of them lie where there is unscrupulous production, irresponsibility, inattention, negligence in choosing equipment and raw materials, etc. Some use in their work not very good materials, trying to save money and Simplify the manufacturing process. However, soon the landlord will regret it, as his house will literally fall apart and crumble. On the other hand, this glued bar is practically not subject to the deformation process, it is more durable compared to other sawn timber. It turns out that the inflated price is fully justified. But low cost, on the contrary, should alert.

Is the glued beam secure?

Quite often there are disagreements about the safety for humans and the environment of such material as glued beams. The reason for these disputes is the use of glue in the production process.

It should be borne in mind that the substances used in the manufacture of such a bar consist of materials on a natural basis. In some ways, glue can be compared to a stronger and resistant to various effects of wood tar. But since the glued beam, the advantages and disadvantages of which we have already considered, consists of several boards glued together, there is no need to speak about the good movement of moisture and air. Accordingly, we can draw the following conclusion: it is not as useful as solid wood, but it can not be harmful, since all materials used for its production are necessarily certified.

According to statistics, many ordinary homeowners and construction companies choose the glued beam. Disadvantages (feedback on the use of this material is confirmed), of course, affect some properties of wood, but this is not critical.

Varieties

Allocate different types of this material. Depending on the design and purpose, they can be divided into 2 groups:

1. Building materials for the erection of walls (for this use a warmed or ordinary glued beam).

2. Materials for the erection of individual structures (curved glued and window beam, joists , etc.). The most popular are Finnish and German species. Scandinavian glued beam, the drawbacks of which are only that it requires an additional seal for it (and in general this is a normal profile type), differs from the others by the presence of two lateral spikes and special grooves. Such products are connected by a strong lock, and in the middle there is a place for packing the seal. The German profile is recognized by combining as a comb. It provides maximum density without the use of sealing material.

Construction of a house made of laminated veneer lumber

The erection of any building begins with a foundation, so under the glued beam it is necessary to first lay the appropriate foundation. This material perfectly combines all the physical and technical properties and qualities inherent in natural wood. The construction of a house made of laminated veneer lumber is an easy and quick process. In addition, a distinctive feature of such buildings is a good heat and sound insulation. A special technology for the production of building material and the specific construction of the structure provide this result.

After laying the foundation, a formwork is installed, and then you can proceed to laying the waterproofing. Next comes the assembly itself. Collecting a house from glued beams, the shortcomings of which do not affect the speed or quality of construction work, is very simple, thanks to the drawings made at the factory and convenient marking.

After the walls are assembled, the board is sanded and processed with antiseptic and fire retardants. This must be done in order to protect the material from rot, the appearance of harmful insects, etc.

Next, rafters are installed for the roof. After the roof is erected, you can proceed to finishing works - painting, pasting, etc.

The final construction process is the end of the exterior and interior finishes. The glued beam is built under the key in different ways. Everything depends on the complexity of the project. For example, a house with an area of 50 to 120 square meters. M is going to in a few weeks, and this is subject to a ready foundation. Build these houses can be year-round, as the building material is resistant to various kinds of environmental influences.

A house made of wood is an excellent place for permanent living and rest. A special atmosphere inside the room and the beauty of the natural material will accompany the household throughout the whole life. It is up to you to build a country house from glued beams or from other woods, but you should first study all the advantages and disadvantages of the material with which you plan to work.