Just like any other wood, lumber needs to be taken care of as well. If it is not carefully used and maintained, you would have to deal with abrasion, scratches, and wear and tear quite often. Therefore, if you are using lumber to add beauty to your home it is important to learn to take care of it well. Here are the top 5 tips that would help you take care of lumber;
- Store lumber in a favorable environment
- Place lumber horizontally off the ground
- Give lumber boards some space to breath
- Avoid exposure to sun and other outside elements
- Do not let the dirt build-up
Store lumber in a favorable environment
Do you know why most of us think taking care of lumber is the hardest? It’s because we do not know how to store lumber properly. Keeping it in an unfavorable environment makes it harder to maintain. All the efforts you make to maintain it go in vain. Therefore, you have to know where to store lumber. The lumber does not do well in moisture and heat. The experts suggest storing lumber in a cool and dry place. If it is overexposed to moisture, it begins to warp and in excessive heat, hardwood lumber begins to lose color and vibrancy.
Place lumber horizontally off the ground
Stacking the lumber properly is also important to keep the lumber in a good condition. To maintain it well, the lumber has to be positioned horizontally. Stacking horizontally would let it breathe, and prevent bowing and unwanted movement. It should be kept off the ground to prevent water damage. Therefore, stock up in a cool, dry, and up high place.
Give lumber boards some space to breathe
Lumber, just like every wood, needs to breathe.
Therefore, the place where you store lumber, should not be overcrowded. If the place is overcrowded, the lumber would not be able to breathe and start to rot. Position it in a way that there is some space between each piece.
Avoid exposure to sun and other outside elements
Renewable and sustainable wood called lumber does not do well in extreme weather conditions; especially in the sun. Do not let the lumber soak up the sun and other harmful outside elements for a long time otherwise the money you have invested in the wood would go waste.
Do not let the dirt build-up
Placing the lumber horizontally, giving cool dry space to breathe, and protecting it from harmful elements is not all you need to keep the lumber in a good condition. The stored lumber should be thoroughly checked from time to time as well. It should be rotated and the dirt must be dusted off as well.
In brief, the lumber more or less needs the same care as the other types of wood do. If you have to keep the lumber in good condition, there are a few things that you need to do and avoid at all costs. Store lumber horizontally in a cool dry place, leave some space between each piece for the wood to breathe, avoid overexposure to the sun and keep dusting off the dirt as frequently as possible.
