facts – Page 2 – Wood Questions

Wood is widely available in many forms and has numerous uses in our lives but some of the lesser known facts about it is what makes this material so incredibly interesting. Here are 11 amazing facts about wood that you may not be aware of. What is the scientific name of wood? The scientific name of wood is xylem. Xylem is tissue found in living things like trees and plants whose function is to transport water and nutrients throughout the organism. Wood is the vernacular or generally used name for what is actually referred to as secondary xylem. While bark and wood together comprise the body of a tree, xylem serves a very important purpose in trees and plants: It transports water and nutrients from the roots throughout, to the stems and leaves. The word xylem is Greek in origin and is derived from the word ξύλον or xylon. While wood is the best known form of xylem, it also occurs in moss, ferns, horsetails, flowering plants and plants with seeds. What is the most expensive type of wood? African blackwood is an increasingly rare wood that has been known to fetch $13,000 per cubic square meter and a log may sell for as much as $9,000 alone. Found in 26 countries throughout central and southern Africa, it has become increasingly rare due largely to the fact that it has a low yield along with over harvesting and poor conservation planning. African blackwood is a very hard and dense wood that is often completely black with little to no noticeable grain. Due to its natural design, it is difficult to work with and is often used to make things requiring use of a machine normally used for metals due to the wood's hardness. African blackwood is a popular material used to make instruments such as guitars, oboes and clarinets. What is the most common wood used in furniture? Less expensive furniture is made with spruce, ash, pine, gum, fir and others whereas higher end furniture may use walnut, oak, maple, beech, mahogany, teak, or rosewood. It's difficult to pick the most common wood used in furniture because it often depends on where you live. Some countries have greater availability of some woods than others and thus cost is different. Plus personal taste also comes in play as does exactly what local conditions the wood will be required to withstand. Pine is the most abundant type in wood grown in North America and there are many different kinds to choose from including eastern white pine, western white pine, jack pine, pitch pine and red pine to name a few. What's the difference between solid wood and manufactured wood? Solid wood refers to both hardwoods and softwoods that are made from lumber and are thus products that come directly from a tree. Manufactured wood or engineered wood refers to wood that is made from real wood and synthetic materials combined. While solid wood and manufactured wood look very similar, the design is different. Solid wood is just that: It's natural wood. Manufactured wood looks very similar to hardwood when installed but when compared side by side, you'll see that it has a thin layer of hardwood veneer that is bonded to a layer of high quality plywood on the bottom for stability. One of the problems with wood in general is when it is exposed to water. Ask anyone who has ever laid hardwood and then experienced a flood which resulted in buckling of their flooring. When wood comes into contact with large amounts of moisture, it is absorbed and the wood expands, resulting in the flooring popping up and out of place. As a result, engineering hardwood is often used as it is more resistant to moisture and humidity than regular hardwood. That's not to say that manufactured wood won't buckle or shift because it can. It just tends to stand up to moisture better than hardwood. What's the difference between hardwood and softwood? Hardwoods: Tend to grow longer than softwoods so they end up being denser. Hardwoods come from trees that shed their leaves each year such as oak, maple, ash, hickory and beech. Softwoods: Tend to grow quicker than hardwoods so they end up being less dense as a result. Softwoods come from trees with needles such as fir, pine, cherry, birch and cedar. The top quality furniture types almost always come from hardwoods. Hardwoods tend to have a classic look on their own or with stain whereas softwoods can be painted. Softwood is also cheaper and lighter which also means it's easier to cut. Is wood recyclable? Wood generally can't be recycled in curbside pickup recycling. Large amounts of wood generally gets put in a landfill but you can of course also repurpose wood for crafts or projects around the house. Some amounts of sawdust can be added to your compost as long as you balance it out with organic waste like food scraps, etc. Be careful not to add lumber that was treated with chemicals however that shouldn't go in your soil and garden. Plus, some green bin pick ups will allow you to add small amounts of sawdust and even small pieces of wood depending on where you live. Be careful about putting sawdust close to the house however given the risk that it could attract insects like termites. What woods shouldn't be burned in a fireplace? Some wood can also be used to burn but you do need to be careful to understand which wood should and shouldn't be added to a fireplace. Commonly, green wood that is not yet dried and unseasoned shouldn't be burned nor should wood with sap as it will overheat and start crackling. Driftwood and Christmas trees should also be avoided as should plywood, particle board and chipboard. Any painted or stained wood should also be avoided since many coatings have toxins that will be released in the home and among the air you breathe. Pressure treated lumber should also be avoided and not put in your fireplace since it also contains toxic chemicals that can be released in the air. What is the most common alternative for plywood? A popular alternative for regular plywood is marine board. Marine board (also known as marine-grade plywood or just marine plywood) as the name would suggest is a good option for marine and other outdoor applications where wood is required but also requires protection against the elements. It can also be used as a subfloor or floor due to its ability to resist rotting, warping, humidity, steam, and shrinkage. It should be noted that marine board is not treated with chemicals so its ability to resist rotting and water damage is not absolute on its own. Some furniture companies will use it to make outdoor furniture but will typically treat it or use some sort of protective finish. Ordinary plywood is not recommended for outdoor usage as a result and marine plywood is preferred. Whereas normal plywood has three layers, marine board plywood has five or more layers that are bound together with a waterproof adhesive. As a result you can use a thinner piece of marine plywood and have more strength than a thicker piece of regular plywood. Marine-grade plywood may last 10 - 25 years depending on the grade and specific application. How can you prevent termite infestation? Termite insecticides and termite baits are used to control and kill termite infestations. Termites are small insects that eat wood in the form of dead, rotting trees as well as plants, grass, leaves, plastic, paper, drywall and pretty much anything containing cellulose. They enter your home through cracks and openings in your foundation and tend to be drawn to moisture and dead wood. The two main ways to control and prevent termites with chemicals are termite insecticides for barrier control and termite baits which are put into the soil to attract them and move them away from your home or other wood. While termite insecticides can be used to form a barrier around your home to protect against termites, you can also use a bait that is set up underground to draw them away from your home. They eat the bait and die, up to the point of potentially killing the entire nest. Termite infestation is a major problem that results in over $5 billion in damage to homes each year and according to pest company Orkin the average homeowner with termites spends around $3,000 with over 600,000 homes affected each year. Termite damage tends to occur very slowly and can take place over a number of years so it isn't necessarily quickly noticeable. You can do yourself a favor and reduce the chance of termite problems by doing a number of things around the house. If you store wood such as firewood, store it off the ground and well away from your home. If you have cracks leading into your home or open pipes and things of that nature, seal them off to prevent infestation. Why does wood float on water? Wood is less dense than water so no matter how big the big the piece of wood, it will float. The particles in wood are not densely packed like other substances which lowers the density and enables it to float naturally. Looking at it another way, wood is made of individual fibers and there is space between the fibers. If wood absorbs enough water and becomes water logged it will eventually sink, however. Are wood burning stoves safe? Is it known that even tightly closed wood burning stoves will release a certain amount of contaminants into the air inside your home. Research has shown that wood burning stoves triple the indoor pollution inside the home and not just in the room that the fireplace is located in. At some point a wood stove has to be opened to add wood or to be adjusted and even for a few seconds of the door being ajar, burned ash and particles can and will be released inside the home. If you make the mistake of burning the wrong wood that contains toxins or other harmful substances, the health hazards can increase. Then there is the issue of the safety of an open fire within the home. Your insurance company always wants to know about any fireplace within the home whether wood or gas powered as they increase the risk of fire and thus the risk of an insurance claim.