Know Your Timber

Brush Box is an Australian hardwood. It is a dense, pinkish grey to reddish brown timber with a natural waxiness. Most commonly used for interior flooring, furniture, cladding and fences.

Cypress Pine is an Australian softwood, despite its apparent hardness. It varies in colour from pale yellow to variegated browns in colour. Although Cypress Pine has a fine even texture, knots are very common and it tends to be brittle and prone to fine surface checking. Cypress Pine can be worked to a very high polish and takes most finishes well after de-oiling. It is commonly used for structures, poles, flooring, panelling and decking.

Jarrah is an Australian hardwood. It is heavy, tough with a distinctive dark red colouration. Jarrah can be highly polished and accepts most finishes well. It is commonly found on flooring, panelling, joinery, decking and furniture.

Merbau is a South East Asian rainforest hardwood that is also known as Kwila. It is a durable, dark reddish brown timber that is high in tannin content. Merbau may require repeat applications of Intergrain Reviva prior to coating. It is commonly used for decking, fences, flooring and panelling.

Oregon is a North American softwood that is also grown in New Zealand. It varies from yellow brown to pale reddish brown in colour, and has a high resin content that can crystalise on the surface. Scrape off crystals before coating. Oregon is commonly found on Pergolas and structural framing.

Radiata Pine, a common plantation softwood is a pale yellow wood that is suitable for interior use only - unless preservative treated (ie. Treated Pine). It is ideal for staining, particularly liming colours. Radiata Pine is used widely for furniture, wall or ceiling lining boards, plywood, particle board and general construction.

Spotted Gum is a very dense, oily Australian hardwood that ranges from pale to dark brown. It is essential to weather and clean Spotted Gum with Intergrain Reviva (as per label instructions). Note: Spotted Gum is often present in decking timber sold as ‘mixed hardwood’. Spotted Gum is commonly used on flooring, cladding, decking, fencing, landscaping, retaining walls and as structural timber.

Teak is a golden brown Asian hardwood with a waxy or greasy feel. It is commonly used on furniture, veneers and ship’s decking,

Treated Pine is Radiata Pine that has been pressure treated to resist decay, termites and fungi. This treatment involves saturating the timber, so it is essential to leave Treated Pine to dry properly before staining. Treated Pine is commonly found on decks, pergolas and fences.

Victorian Ash, an Australian hardwood, is not actually a species in its own right. Victorian Ash is the trade name for a blend of Mountain Ash and Alpine Ash. Another trade name for this blend is Tasmanian Oak. Colour varies from pale pink to pale yellow. Victorian Ash is commonly used for interior applications like flooring, kitchen cupboards, wall panelling and furniture.

Western Red Cedar is a North American softwood. It is a pale to dark brown wood that is easy to work with. Red Cedar readily accepts stains and coatings. The uncoated surface will weather (go grey) more dramatically than any other external timber. To stop premature surface failure and aid coating adhesion, Western Red Cedar should be cleaned and coated upon delivery with one coat of product. Western Red Cedar is commonly found on window frames, garage doors and cladding.