Standard sizes of timber for construction. Wooden floor beams for large spans

Before starting construction wooden house, you need to decide on the type building material, understand what is required for good result... In this article, we will consider the dimensional characteristics of several types of timber, or rather, the dimensions of the timber for building a house.

The information will help you solve any problems related to the design and construction of a house on your own.

Brus - the choice of private developers

From the family of sawn timber, the most demanded in construction and furniture production is timber. This material is used in several areas of construction and repair, the manufacture of cabinet and upholstered furniture.

However, it is precisely as a material used by private developers that it has become so popular. This is due to its performance characteristics and advantages over other building materials.

The most important advantage wooden products- environmental safety, which gives your home the noble scent of wood and allows the walls to "breathe" freely.

The timber is produced in a wide range:

In terms of raw materials:
- Pines.
- Larch trees.
- Lindens.
According to the degree of humidity:
- Dry forest.
- With natural moisture.
In the ratio of linear dimensions.
Manufacturing technology:
- Solid (array).
- Glued.

According to these characteristics, the use of a bar varies in one case or another. Naturally, a certain size of bar is used for each individual process.

Size range

What do we mean by the dimensions of the bar?

Of course, these are the usual three components:

Width.
Height.
Length.

The cross-section of the timber, depending on the manufacturing method, can have the following configuration:

Rectangular.
Square.
Multifaceted (profiled timber).

For square lumber, the first two linear dimensions are often called thickness for simplicity, since its width is equal to its height.

For each specific case, an individual approach is required with the calculation of the optimal dimensions of the timber, depending on the intended purpose of the material.

The optimal size of lumber for the house, for permanent residence people are equal to 200x200 mm. The option is optimal for many reasons, firstly, the material is durable, secondly, it has sufficient thermal insulation, and thirdly, furniture (wall cabinets) can be safely attached to such a beam.
For building walls wooden cottage, outbuildings not designed for a long stay of a person, 100x100 or 150x150 mm is enough. The same dimensions are relevant for interior walls, interior partitions.

Sizes of bars 40x40, 50x50 make this lumber an invincible leader for a wide variety of purposes.

Instructions for using the most popular bar:

Houses from a bar - constructions:
- Roofs (purlins for covering).
- Polov (lags).
- Ceilings (frame for filing with a variety of materials).
- Frame sheathing partitions (frame, sometimes, as cladding -)
Repair and finishing works.
- Frames for insulation, subsequent cladding.
- Arrangement of strips and niches for engineering communications.
- Manufacturing of stairs and scaffolds.
Furniture manufacture.
- Frameworks for soft and body units and sets.
- The main material for creating kitchen and garden furniture.
Architectural small forms for adjoining playgrounds, parks and squares.
Container production.

Length - the size of the bar for building a house or other purposes is not so critical compared to the cross-section. One of the requirements for the length is the integrity (without joints) of the timber for tying the walls in front of the roofing device or overlapping the next floor, attic.

It is also desirable that the walls of the log house contain at least a few solid bars along the entire length of one wall. Lumber manufacturers, for the most part, have a rather flexible policy regarding the individuality of orders with regard to the length of the product.

Note!
The standard length is considered to be 6, 2 and 3 meters, when, as with individual order you can easily purchase (by paying extra for the work) and 8-10 meter bars.

Now more about characteristic features various timber.

Solid wood beams

The most demanded ordinary timber is made from logs of trees of different species.

By the way of processing it is subdivided into:

Planed.
Unshaped.

Unshaved timber is used in places where surface treatment does not matter.

Depending on the size of the section, it is called a bar with a thickness of up to 100 mm, and a bar with sizes from 100 and above. The range of parameters of sections and lengths is the widest for this type of sawn timber and is limited only by the dimensions of the raw material.

For your information! More often there are sections up to 250 mm, manufacturers try to make more bulky products for specific purposes or for individual orders.

Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber has a kind of reinforcement, as it is glued with alternating direction of fibers at the next board, which gives the material special strength. The next advantage of this lumber is the fact that glued laminated timber is practically not subject to shrinkage, due to its manufacture from well-dried wood.

Therefore, when choosing the dimensions of laminated veneer lumber for your construction site, you can firmly rely on the specified parameters. They will remain unchanged.

For your information!
If it seems to someone by ear that glued laminated timber is somewhat worse than solid wood, we will try to dispel these doubts.
The glued analogue is made by gluing several boards (up to five pieces) exclusively from dry raw materials, using non-toxic adhesives.
This allows you to achieve excellent performance of the product, without losing the ability wood materials"breathe"

Different manufacturers of laminated veneer lumber will provide you with lumber with different sections, such as 150 mm, 210 mm, 270 mm and many others. The decision on the thickness of the purchased timber is only for you, do not forget - an unjustified increase in the thickness of the timber will negatively affect the cost of construction, because the price for this type of product is the highest.

Advice!
Try to find a balance of properties depending on the thickness of the lumber: heat engineering (for the construction of buildings of different nature) and the aesthetics of the general appearance of the building from the outside.

Glued laminated timber for a rectangular house is produced, depending on the purpose, in the following range:

Wall - 140 × 160, 170 × 160, 140 × 200, 170 × 200, 140 × 240, 170 × 240, 140 × 280, 170 × 280 mm.
Floor beams - from 85 to 1120 mm in height, from 95 to 260 mm in width.
Window - 82x86, 82x115 mm.

Profiled timber

Know-how in the production of lumber - profiled timber is produced from solid wood or prefabricated sections (glued) with different profile geometries:

Comb.
Finnish.
Double, triple and others.

It is the giving of such a configuration to the timber that makes it more interesting in the construction wooden houses... A log house made of profiled timber does not need subsequent finishing works ah outside, because in addition to a good aesthetic appearance, it is protected from the penetration of cold and moisture.

The dimensions of the profiled bar are presented in the standard range of 100x100, 100x150, 150x150, 150x200, 200x200 mm. But the manufacturer will always meet the order with individual parameters, again, the cost of the product will increase significantly with this service.

According to the thickness, the profiled bar is used in this way:

100 mm - lightweight wooden structures (verandas, gazebos, baths, outbuildings, etc.). Such a profile is also suitable for the construction of a summer house, which is used exclusively in the summer season. The profile of this thickness is two grooves, two spikes. In a cubic meter of lumber with a section of 100x150-11 pcs., 100x200-8 pcs.
150 mm - building a house in regions with a mild climate. The profile of this lumber is a comb that will protect the enclosing structures from freezing. A cubic meter of a profiled bar 150x150 holds 7.4 pieces, 150x200 - 5.5 pieces.
200 mm - the classic thickness of the timber for the construction of a dwelling. Such a bar is more expensive, but its thermal characteristics allow building reliable log cabins without additional insulation. For these purposes, a profiled bar with a section of 200x150, 200x200 mm is used. The number of units in a cubic meter 200x150-5.5 pcs., 200x200-4 pcs.

Important!
To achieve the best performance in terms of thermal insulation, it is required to use a sealant, for example, jute felt.
It must be placed between the grooves to avoid possible gaps.
The advantage of such a sealant is that it will take the form that will be needed.

Profiled beams with a length of 6 meters are produced as standard. But just as in the case of the configuration and parameters of the profile section, the manufacturer will take into account your wishes regarding the length.

Features regarding construction

Finally, we will indicate a few important points that an ordinary builder may not know about:

Second, all lumber should be treated with antiseptics and other protective agents to increase insect protection and reduce the risk of accidental fire.

Thirdly, the process of laying the timber is quite simple, but it still requires certain knowledge in this matter, if you have never encountered such an action, it is better to entrust the work to specialists.

When choosing wood for building a house, the question of which timber is best for construction interests any user. The number of sawn timber buildings is increasing, and, consequently, the demand for materials is growing, which allows manufacturers to offer more and more new products with a wide variety of quality and practical characteristics. As a result, the owner of the construction site is given a good choice, which must be carefully sorted out so as not to be mistaken with the purchase of materials.

Types and types of timber

Assuming to build log house for permanent residence, it is worth remembering that wooden lumber looks like a long beam with a rectangular cross-section measuring 6 meters long and 100-300 mm thick. This is a standard size, considered the most optimal for the construction of buildings.

Advice! If this length of timber is not enough, you should pay attention to the elite Finnish timber: manufacturers offer elements up to 12 meters in length.

Materials differ according to various indicators, for example, according to the degree of processing, there are the following types of timber:

Untreated edged / sawn;
Planed;
Sanded;
Profiled.

According to the manufacturing method, lumber is distinguished into:

whole;
glued;
hollow, supplemented with heat-insulating materials as a filler.

Now a little more about the types of timber for building a house, modifications and characteristic features.

Edged timber

Considered a classic material, it is an element obtained in the process of sawing the body of a tree. In the course of processing, the whole log is freed from the edges, the result is a building material in the form of a square beam, which has smooth rough rough planes on all four sides.

The product has natural moisture, therefore it is possible to inspect the material for distortions arising from improper storage. Section sizes: 250 * 250; 150 * 200; 150 * 150; 100 * 150; 100 * 100 mm. A large range of sizes allows you to choose the optimal batch of lumber to build on your own.

Affordable price, high quality and practicality of the material are advantages, but among the disadvantages it is necessary to note the obligatory use of sealing material. It is mounted between the crowns so that precipitation does not fall into the cracks, leading to the destruction of the building. In addition, there is a possibility that the lamellas will lose their shape when the natural drying process takes place.

Sliced, polished timber

It is an edged product made from wood that undergoes a grinding process during processing. The result is lumber with smooth planes (on one, two or all sides), sometimes with a bevelled corner, which gives an aesthetic appearance and facilitates the construction process.

Advice! Dishonest manufacturers often pass off a planed bar as a sanded one, so you need to be especially careful: the price of a sanded bar is higher than a planed one. The differences are obvious: the planed material does not have the smoothness of the sanded material.

Profiled wood building material

It is considered the most progressive and practical for building a house. Each element is equipped with a lock connection, and, therefore, the crowns are adjacent with maximum density. In addition, the smoothness of both sides, the presence of fasteners make it possible to build a warm and strong structure, so the increased price of the product does not frighten consumers.

Advice! There are two profile options on the market: grooved (German) and bowl (Finnish). The choice depends on the construction technology and the preferences of the developer.

Glued laminated timber

The material consists of several separate lamellas obtained by sawing the body of a tree, glued together. Thanks to preliminary drying and gluing taking into account the direction of the fibers, the product is considered one of the most reliable and high-quality products for building a house. High-tech glued laminated timber does not shrink, does not require additional processing of wall panels and has high energy saving rates. Developers consider the lack of deformation and resistance to moisture as one of the main advantages of the material. The high cost of the material is due to its practicality and quality.

Advice! The material under the LVL marking is also glued laminated timber, but having ordinary veneer as its components. This results in hardness on the outside, but softness in the core. It is considered the most expensive and high quality wood material. Due to the increased strength, elasticity and moisture-repellent properties, the timber is not subject to corrosion, does not rot, the assortment range has a different set of lengths, which makes it possible to call the piece goods universal for building a house.

Finnish timber

Elite wood with the following characteristics:

annual rings in lamellas have a unique opposite direction from each other, that is, they "look" at the center of the section.
Strength and flexibility are also due to the vertical splicing of the component parts every 4-6 meters.
To obtain a finished product, thick elements are spliced, so the question is: which timber thickness pick up is essential. Standard technology recommends impregnating the elements with an adhesive composition of at least 2 cm, due to which the material is not completely impregnated, but only in the upper layers.

Important! Glued Finnish timber has a price 2-2.5 times higher than its Russian counterpart.

Composite lumber materials

The packaged and hollow types of timber that have appeared on the market are also suitable for the construction of houses and buildings for various purposes. Introducing the hollow inside wood block, the structure consists of a pair of planks equipped with end elements and lintels.

The differences are:

Batch material has internal filling insulation based on mineral wool or foam glass.
Hollow timber has no filling.

The main feature is an increased energy-saving characteristic, which allows you to build a house with high energy-efficient indicators. At the expense of its technological features, composite beams are extremely affordable, however, they are superior in quality to foam blocks, and experts say: a piece composite product from a beam retains heat 2 times better than masonry made of bricks, gas blocks and other standard materials.

Advice! For areas with high temperature fluctuations, the latest development is suitable - thermobeam. It is also a composite material consisting of hollow beams filled with polyurethane foam. Price category finished house is comparable to the cost of a house made of glued solid timber, however, when deciding what thickness to take a timber, choosing a glued one, you will have to make a wall of 390 mm, an alternative thermal beam can be taken in 160 mm. And this means that at the same cost and energy saving indicators, wall panels made of composite thermobeam will be thinner.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of lumber, you should pay attention to the optimal moisture content. This figure should be approximately 15-20%. The quality is achieved by drying in special chambers. The process should be carried out immediately after cutting the body of the log, and only then, the dried lamellas are processed, polished, and so on.

Choosing the thickness of the timber for building a house

Everything is quite simple here: a standard timber for construction is of a square or rectangular section with side dimensions of 100, 150, 200 mm. Some manufacturers offer custom-made sides with dimensions of 250 mm, but here you will need to focus on the price of lumber. It turns out that Wall panel, given by the dimensions of the timber, can be 100-250 mm thick. And the parameter is selected depending on the needs of the owner: the thicker the timber, the higher the indicator of the rigidity of the structure. In addition, the wall must provide protection from the cold.

Important! The strength of wall structures is based not only on the thickness of the timber. When building a house, the presence and number of openings, the configuration of the walls and other indicators are taken into account, assembly, or rather, its quality should also be taken into account.

Experienced developers advise choosing a beam with a thickness of 100-150 mm for a one-story building, but parameters of 150-200 mm are better for building a house from 2 or more floors. It is also important to understand that when erecting an all-season heated building, it is necessary to insulate the walls from the outside, without this element everything modern houses will not meet the accepted energy saving standards.

If we compare wall structures made of timber of different thicknesses, then a weak dependence of the resistance to thermal effects is noticeable, determined by the thickness of the elements. For example, an insulated wall made of a bar of 150 mm is only 12-15% "warmer" than a wall of 100 mm thick. Conclusion: with high-quality insulation and careful waterproofing, it is enough to choose a good timber, as well as insulation. The calculation is approximately the following: for walls made of timber of 100 mm (100 * 150-200 mm), purchase insulation on a mineral wool basis of the same thickness (100-150 mm). This will be enough to maintain the high energy savings of the building.

But, nevertheless, when choosing what thickness of lumber to buy, it is worth remembering that a building made of thick timber has a lot of other advantages, in particular, the structure will have less ability to warp upon drying, greater strength and heat capacity.

Advice! There is no need to sheathe houses for seasonal living, baths and outbuildings with heat-insulating material, but it all depends on what size of timber is chosen. Experts recommend not to get cheap, but to build a bathhouse or summer cottage from sawn timber with a thickness of 150 mm or more. The accumulation of heat is higher, which means that during warming up, the optimal temperature will be maintained longer.

Types of timber connection

The technology for building walls from a bar is different, but it is important to know the types of joining a bar. Today, developers offer the following typical connections:

Corner. It happens with the remainder (in the bowl) and without the remainder (in the paw). With the remainder - a type representing the protruding ends of the log house at a distance of about 0.5 meters. Expensive, but heat loss decreases and the strength of the building increases. No remainder - the type when the end of the frame ends at the level of the wall. The connection takes place by means of staples or studded plates with nails.
Longitudinal connection is used when the length of the bar is insufficient. The increase in size occurs by connecting two elements. There are several ways:

a spike with a key;
in half a tree;
root thorn.

The connection is T-shaped. It is used when it is necessary to fasten the outer and inner wall... The options are as follows:

by creating a trapezoidal symmetrical thorn in the log house;
creating a triangular thorn in the frame;
a locking groove on a plug-in thorn;
a straight groove on the root spine.

Despite the variety of connection types, there are some general guidelines:

rounding of the timber is done from the outside in order to minimize the threat of water accumulation in the grooves;
the place where the fellings are in contact must be flat and carefully polished.

It is good to give the elements additional tightness by smearing the joints with a resin and sand compound.

Building a house from a bar is a great opportunity to live in an environmentally friendly building, enjoying the silence. This aspect is especially important for a city dweller tired of street noise and polluted air. It is good that it is quite possible to choose a timber option suitable for yourself among the variety of goods. You just need to know the characteristics of each type of beams and compare your desires with financial capabilities. Here we have to consider these issues in more detail and determine which timber is right for you.

What types are there?

Since the choice of timber for building a house requires a competent approach, we will try to simplify the task, while understanding the essence of the issue thoroughly. Let's start with the fact that in local markets and hypermarkets you can find three main types of timber - planed, profiled and glued.

Each type must be considered separately, highlighting its main characteristics.

Planed timber

Such a bar is obtained by trimming a log - as a result, a bar with a section in the form of a rectangle or square is obtained. He has undeniable advantage- a low price, which will certainly appeal to people with small incomes and those who are looking for ways to save money during construction. It is much easier to assemble a log house from such beams than from logs. And it is much easier to make a foundation from it than from brick.

You have to pay for a low price - planed timber is made from wood of natural moisture. And this means that its level will gradually decrease over time, that is, the tree will simply begin to dry out, and there will be some problems here:

Deformation - the wooden beam will begin to warp and can bend in the most incredible way.
Cracks - if they only affected appearance material, it is still half the trouble. In addition, performance will suffer.
Rot, blue and mildew will no doubt appear where there is high humidity and ventilation problems. And this also applies to the material lying in storage in piles.
Shrinkage is one of the most important factors to consider when building a home. After all, the tree will lose moisture, which means that the bars will lose in size. The degree of shrinkage depends on the level of the initial moisture content of the material and the conditions prevailing around.

In order to avoid significant problems with shrinkage of the material, a fresh planed timber blockhouse after erection must be left alone for several months, preferably under a roof. During this time, he will stand up and take more or less final view... If this is not done, serious problems may arise, because we are not talking about a few centimeters of shrinkage, but about more serious values. It so happens that the owners of the house begin to think about the missed opportunity only when the door and window openings and in case of damage to the wall decoration outside and inside.

Slots are also quite common when using planed timber, which is not a standard for absolute dimensional accuracy. The gaps between the crowns can only intensify when the wood dries, therefore, sealing materials are usually laid between the crowns, and the walls themselves are caulked to avoid negative impact humidity and cold.

Sliced timber is more accessible than all others and is the most simple option timber for construction

The planed timber has dimensions of 100x100mm, 100x150mm, 150x200mm and 200x200mm in cross-section and is from 2 to 6 meters in length, so choosing the right size is not difficult. It is important to know that the moisture content of the finished timber should be in the range from 20 to 22%. If this figure is higher, the material is considered to be of low quality. Also, modern planed timber goes on sale after being processed various compositions, significantly extending the life of the tree and increasing its moisture-resistant characteristics. But raw material is also common.

Profiled

The profiled beam is devoid of some of the planed drawbacks, so its purchase is more profitable. It also differs externally - smooth front sides and a comb / thorn-groove on the workers. When choosing which timber is better, it is worth focusing on the moisture content of the material, and not on personal preferences.

When using a thorn-groove connection, a heater is used, which is laid out between the crowns in the grooves. Even if the material dries out, the insulation will not allow the wind to blow through the walls.

Differences in "Comb" and "Thorn-groove" connections

The comb, in contrast to the tenon groove, does not require a seal, since the protrusions completely adhere to each other as tightly as possible. However, this quality will remain unchanged only in dry bars. As the humidity changes, the parameters of the protrusions may change.

The advantage of a profiled bar is laid in the process of its manufacture - first it is dried to a moisture content of 22% or less, and only then is milled on a tetrahedral machine. If the humidity is higher during processing, the quality of the material will suffer. A high-quality profiled beam does not shrink as much as a planed one.

Often products are made with already cut "cups" for joints and corner joints... With this approach, you just have to assemble the house as the children's designer.

And yet, profiled timber cannot do without cracks and shrinkage, therefore, after assembling the log house, it will also be necessary to leave it alone for a while.

The profiled bar has protrusions that allow the bars to fit together with maximum density

The dimensions of the profiled bar are the same as for the planed one. Its thermal conductivity is 0.1-0.36 W / m * deg, and the thicker the timber, the lower this value. With an increase in the moisture content of the material, the indicator increases. Profiled beams require additional processing, as well as planed ones.

Glued

This type of bar has the most best performance and at the same time a high price. Low humidity is the main ridge of laminated veneer lumber, which means there are no problems associated with material shrinkage. It turns out that it is possible to build a house from it in just a season, without making technological breaks.

Glued laminated timber has low moisture content and does not require shrinkage time

Manufacturing technology of laminated veneer lumber allows you to get a product of the highest quality, which is devoid of all the disadvantages of raw wood and has taken all the best from the wood. This timber already has an impregnation that prevents rotting and burning, so it does not require additional processing.

Glued laminated timber can also be made to order, as well as profiled. Some manufacturers have gone even further and offer ready-made kits with assembly instructions.

A novelty in the construction market is a D-shaped glued beam, which outwardly resembles a rounded log.

Externally, the D-shaped beam looks like a rounded log, which makes it even more attractive

Thermal conductivity of laminated veneer lumber is 0.1 W / m * deg. This is simply an amazing indicator - a 20 cm thick wall of glued laminated timber is equivalent to brick wall thickness 1.6m. With such characteristics, comfortable conditions are provided at any time of the year: in the winter the house is kept warm, and in the summer it is cool. In addition, glued laminated timber is good for both facade work and the construction of internal partitions.

What to choose for building a house?

Of course, glued laminated timber surpasses all other options in terms of its characteristics. But not everyone has the opportunity to purchase it. In addition, lovers of an environmentally friendly approach may oppose the presence of polymeric substances in the composition of glued beams. In this case, it is better to use planed or profiled. However, such a choice presupposes a rather long wait for housewarming, since it will take a lot of time to wait for shrinkage. And here glued laminated timber will help out.

Comparative table of three types of timber

	Planed	Profiled	Glued
Environmental friendliness	Eco-friendly, as it retains all the properties of natural wood.	Eco-friendly.	When gluing, resins are used that release toxic substances.
Strength	The tree may dry out, as a result of which the timber will begin to deform, targets and cracks may appear.	The appearance of cracks and cracks is possible, as in the case of using a planed bar.	The material practically does not deform over time.
Thermal insulation	Additional wall insulation is required.	When using a thorn-groove connection, a heater is used. The "comb" does not require insulation, however, if the tree begins to dry out and cracks appear, additional measures will need to be taken.	No thermal insulation required.
Fire hazard	High fire hazard.	High fire hazard.	The fire hazard is lower, however, if the material is not processed, then the likelihood of fire will be the same as that of profiled or planed timber.
Profitability	Low price.	The price is slightly higher than that of a planed one.	Adequately high cost.

How to choose a quality material?

In order not to get into a mess, it is important to visually check the product for quality even during the purchase process. To do this, the timber is placed with all sides in turn on a flat surface, checking it for curvature and twisting. Growth rings visible on the end cut are also important. There should be an equal distance between them - this is a guarantee that over time the bar will not begin to bend.

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