Every summer we get questions about the quality of the wood. Why are there cracks or crevices in my self-placed log cabin, decking, garden house, etc.? As you’ve probably guessed, this problem is not due to the quality of our wood. The entire wood industry has been getting these questions for years. That is why we explain to you why cracks and splits form in your wood. 

Organic product

You already knew it, of course, but wood is an organic product. This means that the wood adapts to the environment it is in. A freshly felled tree can consist of more than half its weight of water! When the wood dries, it shrinks. If it gets wet again, turn the wood off. Wood lives and works (expansion and contraction) and no one can escape that! 

Cracks form in your wood due to the increasing stresses during the drying process. The core of the wood dries less quickly than the outside of the wood. When the wood is as dry as the ambient air, almost all crevices will disappear. Wood is alive and adapts to its environment, so consider the cracks as a beautiful natural by-product of your wood!    

Indoor or outdoor use?

By far the most important question is whether you use the wood for indoor or outdoor use. Do you want to use the wood indoors for furniture or a floor? Then choose dried wood and let the wood acclimatize for a day or two in the room where it will be used.

For example, do you want to lay a decking of Douglas planks? Dried planks are then superfluous since a decking in the Netherlands regularly rains wet. In addition, dried wood must first soak in the drying room, which logically causes the price of the wood to rise. Make sure that you leave enough space between the planks when you want to construct a deck, so that the wood can work and ventilate! 

Reduce cracking

• Pre-drilling: Pre-drilling reduces the tension between the contraction and expansion of your wood and reduces the risk of cracks! 
• Quality material: By using good quality screws you reduce the chance that your screw will break due to the action of the wood. 
• Enough space: When constructing a decking, you provide enough space so that the planks can work and also ventilate!