Is Beech good for flooring?

Beech Flooring. As one of the hardest timber species available, beech is ideally suited to flooring. Its strength and durability are unmatched – a solid beech floor lasts a lifetime.

What does spalted Beech mean?

Spalting is a term used to describe the process by which certain fungi grow on dead or fallen trees and after colonizing the wood via travelling up the wood cells from the ends or from broken off branches, leave a most attractive pattern.

Is spalted Beech A hardwood?

Spalted Beech Beech is an undervalued hardwood in the UK. Mainly used in the eighties for furniture in High Wycombe especially, being the centre of the UK furniture industry, remains plentiful to this day.

What causes spalted Beech?

Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. Although primarily found in dead trees, spalting can also occur in living trees under stress. Although spalting can cause weight loss and strength loss in the wood, the unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are sought by woodworkers.

Is beech better than birch?

Beech is not free from defects, either, but beech lumber is graded more stringently than birch, resulting in only the best lumber making it to market. Inferior-quality beech is often used as a wood byproduct. This is due in part to problems with warping and twisting of beech lumber.

Which is harder birch or beech?

The density difference between the two woods is almost imperceptible: On the Janka scale, which rates wood for density, beech scores 1,300 and the most common variety of birch scores 1,260. …

Is spalted Beech Food Safe?

Personally I would avoid using spalted wood for most food items and as the spalted part is usually a lot softer I would certainly avoid using it for something that will take as much abuse as a chopping board. A lot of people may say that woods that are spalted are OK but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Can any wood be spalted?

All wood can decay, therefore all wood can spalt. There are no ‘ideal’ woods for spalting, but all wood species spalt differently, and some fungi prefer some wood species to others.

Is beech wood good quality?

Please note: Beechwood is excellent for structural woodwork and wears well. However, this does not mean durable: once cut, beech cannot resist outdoor elements or changes in moisture. This makes it unsuitable for outdoor and external use.

What wood is closest to beech?

Maple would be another choice. A lot of it depends on how your beech looks. Some of it is has lots of open pores, which alters the look quite a bit.

Is birch better than beech?

The straight grain of beech adds strength to chairs, tables and stools. Birch, however, is more likely to sheer off or crack along knots or twisted grain lines. Beech is not free from defects, either, but beech lumber is graded more stringently than birch, resulting in only the best lumber making it to market.

What do you mean by spalted beech tree?

Many timbers can spalt but Beech is one of the most common. Spalting is a term used to describe the process by which certain fungi grow on dead or fallen trees and after colonizing the wood via travelling up the wood cells from the ends or from broken off branches, leave a most attractive pattern.

What’s the difference between soft and hard spalted wood?

Where hard & soft zones are adjacent to each other on a board it is essential to take care with sanding as any soft areas will tend to be sanded away most easily, leaving hollows. The soft areas are the most white bits on the boards, but some good spalted boards will not contain any soft areas while others will be almost entirely soft. Safety.

What are the different types of spalting effects?

There are many different types of effects created – from a loss of pigmentation producing a patchy or marbled effect of different shades of cream & brown, through soft white rot pockets (see bot left of above pic) to the most desirable & striking black, brown or red lines. What is Spalting?