Timber is an extremely popular building material thanks to its versatility, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and environmental advantages. However, there are many different types of timber products, making it difficult to know where to start when trying to decide what type to use in your project.
It’s not just the type of project you’re undertaking that will affect your choice either, budget and aesthetics will also influence which type of timber you choose.
To make it easier to determine which timber species and product would best suit your project, we look at two free tools available to help you.
AFTA website
The Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA) has launched a new website to help consumers with all aspects of timber flooring. The website, www.floorchoices.com.au, also features ideas for flooring inspiration and tips about who to speak to in order to get the correct advice.
The AFTA says when choosing a professional contractor look for indoor or outdoor specialists depending on the job and if it’s an intricate job, find someone who specialises in that area or who has worked with the type of product before.
The AFTA also advises consumers to get multiple quotes and to remember that cheapest isn’t always the best option. Always compare fairly between contractors by checking what is and isn’t included.
WoodSolutions Species App
The WoodSolutions Species App has been designed to support professionals in the design and build industry, as well as their customers, to choose and specify the best timber species and products for structural, exterior and interior applications.
It covers a broad range of hardwood and softwood species, lists suppliers for each of the species and details applications types and available engineered wood products. There is a comprehensive list of more than 100 Australian and imported timber species that can be filtered by wood type, colour group, Bushfire Attack Level (BAL), durability and strength ratings.
“Our objective was to take all that wealth of resources and information available on wood species and deliver it into a convenient, easy to use tool that is available on the go. The app has the potential to make the decision process so much easier and faster,” says WoodSolutions national marketing and communications manager Eileen Newbury.
The WoodSolutions Species App is available on both Apple and Android devices.
