What is Wooden Beam and How is it Useful in Construction?

1. What is Wooden Beam and How is it Useful in Construction? If you have heard and are interested in the innovative method of lightweight yet durable and reliable construction with unusual beams, then this article is for you! Wood beams​, which have long been used abroad, are still a novelty in the domestic market, although they have much more advantages than any other material. The fact is that the true Canadian soul of the master is accustomed to working with strong and reliable materials: massive, which are difficult to lift and which inspire respect by their mere appearance. The ceiling has long been accustomed to build from strong large and heavy wooden beams or even solid logs, but certainly not from "cunning" innovative structures with a thin partition. And until now, most Canadian developers are ready to make floor beams even from metal rather than from two planks and OSB. Let's take a look at all the advantages of wooden beams as a floor construction material: Advantage #1​: ​Amazing Durability Due to such an ingeniously thought-out design, rather fragile-looking beams are many times stronger and more reliable than conventional ones. The upper part of the beam works in bending, and the lower part in tension. Those. here we are already talking not about one monolithic element, which has to take on both types of load at the same time.

2. Advantage #2: Exact Geometry The second very important point: the ideal geometry of the beams themselves. Even over time, they do not bend, twist, dry out and do not change their parameters. According to manufacturers, even after 100 years, such beams will behave in the same way as a year after construction. What does it do? To begin with - a perfectly flat floor, on which any flooring, especially parquet and laminate, is easy to install. The fact is that when you are dealing with beams and ordinary wooden beams, you should know that according to the standards, their deflection can reach 3 cm! And, believe me, even this is already perceptible: the floor will simply "walk" under your feet. And this will definitely not have a good effect on any flooring (except for cheap linoleum, perhaps). And this is normal: natural wood is a living material, and it tends to shrink, dry out, or, conversely, absorb moisture. But wooden beams are already made of glued wood, using a particularly strong connecting compound, and they do not change their size. Advantage #3: Comfortable Weight Another important aspect: wooden beams are light enough to lift one of them on their own, and therefore two ordinary workers can cope with such work without problems. What does it do? First, you don't need heavy machinery to lift ordinary wooden or metal beams. Secondly, work at height will become safer, because too heavy a beam will not fall on anyone's head. Thirdly, the use of wooden beams will save a lot on the foundation, because the load on it will already be an order of magnitude less. And, if we take into account that up to 50% of the construction budget usually goes to a reliable, strong foundation that will withstand not only walls, but also no less heavy beams, then the savings are significant. Advantage #4: Practicality in Insulation And, finally, the last pleasant moment: wooden beams are especially convenient for insulating the interfloor overlap and subsequent finishing of the ceiling: The only unpleasant moment is that in Canada high-quality wooden beams are supplied by a few companies, and if they are to be purchased, then it is important to be able to correctly consider all the technological flaws. We are talking about the future overlap!