Recommended Construction Timbers

Recycled Timber 1. (Secondhand timber for framing and construction should be graded by the merchant or approved by a building-surveyor and /or the local council).

Seasoned Radiata Pine and other pines. (Should be fully protected from the weather and well ventilated. Radiata Pine is appropriate for wall-framing and can be used in roof-framing. It is not suited for use in the strength-bearing parts of the frame, such as beams, lintels, joists and bearers).

Plantation Hardwood 2

Plantation-grown Oregon (New Zealand).

Composite beams 3, such as: LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), Glulam (Glue-Laminated Beams), Gangnailed timber or composite beams, composite timber-plus-steel truss systems.

In situations where large beams are desired, or where large roof-spans need to be covered, joined timbers such as glue-laminated beams, plated hardwood beams, gangnailed timbers and LVL, are preferable to the use of large, cross-section beams obtained from old, very large trees.

Inground

Durable Recycled Timber

Durable Plantation Hardwood

Stumps

Durable Recycled Timber - (old wharf pilings, etc)

Less durable Recycled Timber - combined with steel brackets and concrete pads to keep the stump above-ground.

Durable Plantation Hardwood

Concrete 4 - very durable, but use only where timber may not be viable.

Brick 5 and Steel 6 - recycled if possible - are other options.

Floor Bearers & Joists

Durable Recycled Timber

Engineered floor truss systems

Radially Sawn Hardwood 7 (ground floor)

Composite Joists or Plywood Webbed Joists (long span)

Concrete Formwork

A large proportion of concrete formwork is made from tropical timber. Please don't use it! Choose only formwork made from Australian Plantation Pines - preferably Radiata Pine or Slash Pine (Hoop Pine is too good a timber for this low-grade type of application!).

Re-use formwork whenever possible.

Bracing

Recycled Timber

HoopPine Plywood (make sure it is not imported plywood, which often has a clear grain)

Radiata Pine Plywood

Steel Angle Bracing8

Wall Framing

Hoop/Radiata/Slash Pine

Recycled Hardwood

Structural Beams & Lintels

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)

Glulam Wood-based Composite Building Material - made of plantation Radiata Pine or Oregon

Composite/Gang Nailed Plantation Hardwood

Rafters

Recycled Timber

LVL (superior in quality to hardwoods)

Plantation Hardwood

Roof Framing

Radiata Pine Trusses

Plantation Hardwood or Plantation Oregon Trusses (exposed framing)

EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS

Landscaping

Durable Recycled &/or Salvaged Timber

Plantation Hardwood

Recycled Plastic 9

Recycled Bricks

Stone

Fencing

Durable Recycled Timber

Durable Plantation Hardwood

Hoop, Radiata Pine or Oregon (may not have to be treated if constructed and sealed properly).

Radially Sawn Hardwood

Exposed Decking & Chairs

Durable Recycled Timber

Durable Plantation Hardwood

Trafficable Sills

Durable Recycled Timber

Durable Plantation Hardwood

Window & Door Frames

Durable recycled timber

Borax-treated and painted plantation Hoop Pine

Borax-treated and painted exotic plantation Pine

Window Sills

Recycled Timber (must be durable if exposed to weather)

Recycled Doors

Durable Hardwood from Plantation or Well Managed Forest10

External Doors

Recycled Doors

Solid Core, with Non-Rainforest Ply Veneer

Plantation Hardwood Panel Doors, with Plantation Hardwood Veneered Ply Panels

Cladding

Durable recycled timber

Plantation Hardwood (/thinnings)

Borax-treated and painted Camphor Laurel 11 (limited supplies only at this stage)

Borax-treated and painted exterior-grade plywood 12

INTERNAL APPLICATIONS

Floors

Recycled Timber

Seasoned Plantation Hoop, Radiata, Slash Pine, etc ( can be stained to any colour).

Plantation Hardwood

Pine Particle Board

Structural Plywood (Plantation Hoop Pine, etc).

Rammed Earth 13 (good for heat storing capacity).

'Sawment' 14, Recycled Brick, Concrete

Mouldings

Recycled Timber

Clear Hoop or Radiata Pine

Reconstituted Timber Products 15, including: 'MDF' (Medium Density Fibreboard), Craftwood, Customwood

Window & Door Frames

Recycled Timber

Plantation Hoop, Radiata, Slash Pine (- no treatment required if constructed according to minimum termite-risk standards).

Internal Doors

Secondhand Doors (if painted, check lead levels)

Hollow-core, with non-rainforest Plywood or high density MDF

Fibreboard

Hoop, Slash, Radiata Pine

Joinery, Shelving, Benchtops

Recycled Timber

Radiata or Clear Radiata Pine

Plantation Oregon or Hoop Pine, Poplar

Camphor Laurel (benchtops)

Marble or granite (recycled; polished on top and sealed underneath to minimise radiation)

Panelling & Lining

Recycled Timber

Hoop Pine, Radiata Pine, Poplar

Pine-veneer Plywood

Plasterboard

Internal Stairs

Recycled Timber

Glue-Laminated Timber (Glulam)

Plantation Pines (not for treads).

Particle Board

Medium Density Fibreboard (painted), eg: Craftwood, Customwood

Salvaged Timbers

Furniture

Secondhand and Reconditioned Furniture

Recycled Timber or a Non Timber Material (Bamboo)

Salvaged Timber

Hoop, Radiata Pine

Coconut Palm Wood/Rubberwood 16

Particle Board, Laminated Veneer Lumber, Plywood (made from plantation-timber), MDF.

Picture Frames

Take care, Rainforest Timbers are commonly used.

Clear Radiata Pine

Hoop Pine

Decorative Veneers

Check, when choosing decorative veneers 17 that they are made from Plantation timber, (Radiata, Hoop, Slash, Poplar, etc).

Out of Sight, but . . .

For all kinds of construction and landscaping, and where you have decided that timber is the ONLY viable option, please ensure that recycled or plantation timber is used. Pay special attention to hidden areas, such as:

Floor Bearers and Joists

Plywood Bracing

Roof Frames

Ceilings

Upper-storey Joists

Standard Specification Clause to be Included in 'Concrete' 18 Section of Building Works Specification, under "FORMWORK"

Formwork: Plywood face-veneer to surfaces of all class 3, class 4 and class 5 formwork shall be of the approved Australian Plantation species and have no imported rainforest timber content.

Class 3 Formwork: For all concrete surfaces of good visual quality, when viewed as a whole, eg. carports, basements, bridge-piers or surfaces to be painted.

Class 4 Formwork: For all concrete surfaces to be concealed from general view, eg. surfaces to be rendered, tiled or concealed by other finishes, and all concrete surfaces permanently concealed in ducts, shafts and above false-ceilings.

Class 5 Formwork: For all concrete surfaces totally concealed in all areas, eg. for all footings, concrete surfaces in the ground, and rear surfaces of retaining walls.

1. See Recycled Timber - the Number One Choice.

2. See Australian Grown Plantation Species.

3. See Wood-based Composite Building Materials, and Composite Beams and Trusses in the Directory.

4. See also Biocement, Cement, and Concrete in Non Timber Building Materials.

5. See under Brick in Non Timber Building Materials

6. Refer to the article Environmental Impacts of Building Materials, and see under Steel in Non Timber Building Materials

7. See Radial Timber Milling

8. See under Steel in Non Timber Building Materials

9. See under Plastic in Non Timber Building Materials in the Guide, and Non Timber Building Materials, Misc, in the Directory.

10. Consumers must make an informed decision about local suppliers and sources, if documented certification is not available. See Timber Recommendations for Australian Users.

11. See Salvaged Timber/Camphor Laurel in the Directory.

12. See under Wood Based Composite Materials in the Guide, and Plantation Pine Plywood Producers in the Directory.

13. See Builders - Earth, Adobe, Mudbrick, Cob, in the Directory.

14. See Builders - Sawment, in the Directory.

15. See Plantation Pine Fibreboard, Particleboard in the Directory.

16. See Tropical Plantation Timbers.

17. See Timber Veneer Suppliers, in the Directory.

18. As for (4), above.

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