Where projects are undertaken with long term durability and beauty in mind - it is well worth considering Western Red Cedar which is long lasting, has excellent dimensional stability and endurance and contains natural oils that protect the timber form insect attack and decay.  It smells good too, Western red Cedar is probably well known its distinctive aroma.  Over time the wood remains subtly aromatic and the characteristic fragrance adds another dimension to its universal appeal. 

The majority of outside projects using timber, such as claddings to buildings and the construction of decking areas more often than not see the use of European Pressure Treated Softwoods, predominantly through ease and of course price.

Where projects are undertaken with long term durability and beauty in mind - it is well worth considering Western Red Cedar which is long lasting, has excellent dimensional stability and endurance and contains natural oils that protect the timber form insect attack and decay.  It smells good too, Western red Cedar is probably well known its distinctive aroma.  Over time the wood remains subtly aromatic and the characteristic fragrance adds another dimension to its universal appeal.

Western red Cedar grows mainly in the wet belt areas of the North American West Coast, from Norther Oregon, through Washington, British Columbia into the Alaskan Pan Handle.  Western Red Cedar had many practical applications for the North West Coast Indians from constructing walls and roofs of lodges, to totem poles, canoes  and utensils.  Whilst today using modern manufacturing technqiues and high quality moulding machines we are able to use this wonderful natural material to produce a variety of cladding profiles and deck timbers.

Western Red Cedar comes in long lengths with a true straight grain and is of course light and easy to handle making it easy to work with.  It is highly resistant to splitting when nailed so it is always advisable to use stainless steel, aluminium or galvanized screws or nails.  Fixings with iron in them should be avoided as Cedar is prone to stain if in contact with such items.

Western Red Cedar will last between 15 and 25 years without any treatment.  It will of course turn a natural grey colour as time goes by and many people enjoy this weathered look.  There are some however that prefer to preserve the natural appearance of mellow ambers and reddish cinnamons and there is no easy way to achieve this without regular maintenance.  High quality marine varnishes will not last for more than a year or two and will quite often require extensive surface preparation before they can be refinished.  Likewise oils such as linseed and water repellent preservatives will protect the Cedar but again only for a period of one to two years.  The finish of choice for Western Red Cedar is a solvent bourne oil based semi transparent stain.  These penetrating Cedar stains are formulated so that the solvent carries the stain into the Cedar surface so that no film is formed.  These stains contain pigments which provide colour and greatly increase the durability of the finish by protecting the Cedar surface from the effect of ultra violet rays from sunlight.  When applying such stains, stain lifetimes may vary from three to six years.

Here at timberclick.com with our experienced range of contacts we would be pleased to help you with any further questions you may have regarding this product, and of course should you decide to use it in any of your projects meet you ideal specification as economically as possible.