Reclaimed Wood Division

HAND HEWN TIMBER GRADING RULES

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General Specifications

• Hand hewn all four faces.
• Pressure washed, end trimmed and any protruding nails removed.
• Structurally sound and visually appealing.
• Minimum of three premium faces.
• Maintains fairly consistent sizing throughout the length of beam, although some tapering is allowable.

The following features are in no way an exhaustive list of what to expect in our Colonial grade timbers, but rather provides a listing of allowable features that will be present from time to time.

Mortise Pockets/Hardware Holes

• May have some holes left from hardware which has been removed.
• Likely to have some mortise pockets/notches which may affect more than one face.
• May be a rafter plate providing it has no other defective areas.
• May have through mortises.

Rot

• May have small amounts of surface rot which after being pressure washed leaves a sound surface with no loose wood.
• Rot will not take away from the overall visual appeal of the timber.

Repairs

• Minor repairs may have been performed to the timber to ameliorate a minor flaw in an otherwise premium timber.

Wane

• Some wane, or rounding of the edges, is allowable.
• Allowable wane increases with the dimension of the timber.

Nails

• All protruding nails have been removed from the surface of the beams.
• Some nails may remain at or below the surface of the beam.

Checking/Cracking/worm holing

• Beams may have some checking and cracking.
• More checking and cracking is permissible in a hardwood timber.
• Minimal worm holes are allowable, but not to an extent that it takes away from the overall appearance of the beam colour.
• Colour will vary from timber to timber and even within species.

BOARD PRODUCTS

Grey Board

• Grey board is the weathered grey siding typically seen on old barns. It is typically a softwood species, such as pine, hemlock, or spruce.
• There is a wide spectrum of colours available within out grey board category.
• Grey board is typically used for non-structural purposes, such as wall sheathing. As such, more checking/cracks, knot holing, thinness, edge difficulties, cupping and other potential structural defects are allowable in this board than any other type of product we carry. Thickness varies from approximately 3/4" to 1".
• Grey board is largely nail free.

Brown Board

• Brown board will come in a variety of shades, but will have a distinctive patina (rough and unfinished). It is typically softwood.
• It only has to have one good face, and the other side can have paint or white wash.
• A typical use for brown board is in flooring applications. As a result, thickness will be 7/8" to 1".
• Structural defects such as checking/cracks, knot holes, and cupping are minimal.
• Minimal end cracks are permitted.

Dust Board

• Dust board is thin brown board.
• In general terms dust board is a reclaimed board which is too thin to qualify for any of the other board categories, and does not have the weathered look of grey board.

Painted Board

• Painted board is a painted grey board, usually red or black.
• Painted board is sorted for mild and dark board. Mild painted board has very little paint on it and in some cases almost none. The patina on the surface of the board is distinguishable. Dark painted board has a thick coat of paint on it, and the patina is usually hidden because of it.

Sheathing Board

• These are boards with too many nails to be worthwhile for de-nailing.
• A minimal amount of surface rot is acceptable.
• Normal thicknesses will vary from 3/4" to 1".

Threshing Floor

• Threshing floor is 1 7/8" thick and thicker. A certain amount of checking and cracking is allowed.
• It usually has a worn and rough patina.
• A minimal amount of rot is allowable on the surface.
• It is usually softwood.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE GRADING RULES HAVE BEEN USED BY US FOR SORTING PURPOSES. WE CAN, HOWEVER, SORT TO YOUR OWN SPECIFICATIONS. LET US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR REQUIREMENTS ARE AND WE WILL DETERMINE IF WE CAN MEET THEM AND, IF SO, WHAT THE SURCHARGE WILL BE FOR DOING SO.