Hardwood timber is a material that is used for a wide variety of things – around the house you will find hardwood being used from the top, in the roof, to the kitchen cabinets at the bottom as well as all sorts of other uses. Hardwood is strong and versatile, and something that is always in demand from timber merchants like this timber merchants Portsmouth based company www.timbco.co.uk/timber-merchants-portsmouth
There are a range of different hardwoods, with different qualities – from oak to maple and it comes from trees that are deciduous whereas the softwoods come from coniferous trees like pine.
The biggest use of hardwood is likely in the construction industry, especially nowadays with demand for sustainable materials being higher. However, this is not the only use of furniture, instruments and even boats, so there are lots of ways that this type of wood can be used and of course different species of tree are useful for different things.
Another thing that often causes confusion are the names hardwood and softwood – although most hardwoods do tend to be stronger than softwoods this is not always the case as various types of woods have their own qualities and in the cases of trees like Yew – technically a softwood – the wood is harder than most of the hardwoods out there, so it is not always a case of it being one way or another.
Although most hardwoods are used for their strength this can sometimes work against them and this is where softwoods will be used – for example, softwoods like pine are easier to bend and nail without the risk of them splitting apart.
Cost is also a big difference between the two – hardwoods by their nature take longer to grow so therefore are not as readily available as softwoods are. This means that it is also worth taking this isn’t the equation when pricing up a job when you are requiring hardwood – of course the price varies between different types of wood as well.
Whenever you are buying wood, you should always consider the environment and opt for wood that has come from forests that are sustainably managed and have the certifications to back this up so that you are not contributing to unethical deforestation that is harming the environment.