All You Need To Know Before Choosing Oak Beams for Your Home Improvement
When it comes to home improvement, there are things to put into consideration. One important thing you need to put into consideration is the materials you will use. If your project includes using timber, oak beams are the perfect choice for a homeowner. Whatever the size you need for your projects, they are a fantastic option, especially where durability and quality in the focus of the projects. Oak is an incredible wood. It has been used for centuries in home improvement because it is the strongest hardwood used for home improvement. Here are some things you need to know about oak beams:
Types or oak beams
There are two types of Oak beams available. The air-dried and green oak. Many people believe these two are interchangeable. To a certain extent, this is true. A homeowner can use air-dried oaks for applications that require green oak. However, you cannot use green oak in place for air-dried oak.
The difference between air-dried and green oak
It’s easier to not the difference between air-dried oak and the green oak. If an oak beam has cracks, it qualifies to be an air-dried oak. Green oaks are best when used for internal home improvement projects.
Factors to consider before choosing the perfect oak beam
The type
Before choosing the oak beam to use, knowing the best option for your project is crucial. For example, green oak for places like the kitchen is not a good idea. Green oak tends to split, shrink and twist when used in a place where there is heat. The better option for kitchen improvement is air-dried oak.
Consider the size
Size is an important aspect when choosing your oak beam. The size of the oak will affect where you use and how. Large air-dried oak beams look unsightly while green oaks might look better. A large air-dried oak has a large number of crack while smaller size air-dried oaks have fewer cracks. Large cater for heavy construction projects while smaller used for lighter construction.
Know the grade
Another important aspect of choosing an oak beam for your home improvement is knowing the grade. Oak beams come in various grades. QP1 is the highest quality available. The grade has mall knots, straight grain, and fewer cracks. QP1 also provide homeowners with the best aesthetics, which, depending on how you use them can be very important.
Appearance
As stated above, air dried oak beams have an unsightly appearance. They have cracks which are their eye-catching characteristics. Although most air-dried beams can be used, square beams like a 6”X6” can be cut from the heart and has more cracks than smaller beans like 6”X4” beams. Another common feature in oak beams is the knots. The knots vary in color and size depending on the oak size.
Fitting
Fitting is the final factor to look when choosing a beam. Where you are going to fit the oak beams matters. Oak beams are suitable for kitchen, fireplace finishing, and other home improvement projects. For example, you can use a concealed bracket option for affixing you oaks beam to a stone, brick, blocks or all stands.
Pros and cons of an oak beam
Pro
Oak beams offer homeowners many positive benefits. Some of the benefits of an oak beam include:
• Great for a variety of uses
• Oak beams give your home a cozy, traditional look at the same time retain a contemporary feel.
• Strong, very dense, heavy and durable, they just don’t break
• Oaks doesn’t need finishing
Potential cons
Oaks have just a few caveats when compared to the benefits. The potential cons are:
• Fairly expensive when compared to other beams
• Not a preferable wood where weight is an issue
• Shrinkage is a factor when dealing with green oak
Oak finishing and treatment
Oak beams are a special type of beams. Finishing after installation is not a requirement. Cracks and knots are part of the appeal, externally oaks beams have a silver-gray color and the green oak has a rich green that most homeowners prefer to retain. Retaining oak natural color is a labor of love for many people.
When it comes to treatment, you can use wax or sickens to maintain the original color of your oak beams. However, once you start with the treatment, you need to repeat the process annually. Over time, the external oak will become silver-gray because of the sun and the internal oak will be honeyed because of oxidation.
Conclusion
Each project has its own needs. How improvement project using oak beams has its own needs too. A homeowner should always consider choosing the oak beams to use depending on the use case basis. Once the beams are installed, it's you to consider whether to finish or treat them.
