SAve, BEautify and Love Your Trees: Tree CAre Tips

Before you visit the lumberyard to get timber you need for that new outdoor deck, for building your own cabinets, or for a retaining wall, you might want to familiarize yourself with some common timber terms, or words and phrases used to describe timber. This will ensure you get the right pieces for the job and aren't overwhelmed with all the choices you'll see.

Dressed Timber 

This is timber that has been smoothed on one or more sides. This type of timber is used for when it will be exposed, such as for an outdoor deck or for floorboards. DAR refers to dressed all round, or smoothed on all four sides. This type of timber is usually the most expensive of all dressed timber, so be sure you opt for it only when all sides of the timber will be showing.

Clear Timber

This is timber that is free of any imperfections, including knots, twists, cracks, splits, and the like. This type of timber is best for jobs where appearance will be important, such as furniture or cabinetry.

Face

This refers to the side of the timber that would be shown once installed. It's often used to describe timber that has a veneer, or a side that may include a more expensive or desirable type of timber glued to a less expensive piece of plywood or composite. The face would be made of cherry, mahogany, and the like, whereas the underside would be a cheaper type of wood.

Rough Sawn

This is timber that was sawn or cut to a particular size but not finished, planed, sanded, and the like after it was sawn. The ends would then be rough; this timber is good for beams and studs where you don't need to plane or sand down those end parts.

Seasoned Timber

Because timber absorbs moisture as it grows, it needs to be dried so that it can shrink slightly before it's used in any project. Seasoned timber refers to timber that has been dried before sold, to a stable moisture content. This makes it better to use on projects where it may need to support weight, so you know it won't shrink and shift over time.

Truewood

This is the opposite of seasoned timber; truewood is freshly cut and has not yet been dried. You might select truewood if you want to dry the timber yourself to a  particular moisture content, or to save money on the cost of seasoned timber so you can dry the timber yourself.