If you haven’t noticed, we have a love affair with timber.
So what makes timber so special to us?
Well let’s be honest, timber products look magnificent. We believe there’s nothing like enjoying some beautiful timber within your home. You can just feel the warmth added to your home with the right timber product.
Unlike other materials used in building and manufacturing, timber is a material which is sustainable. Designated timber plantations are the ideal way to produce quality timber. With proper planning these plantations will act as a renewable timber source well into the future.
Trees naturally store Carbon Dioxide (CO2) within their ‘woody tissue’ and produce oxygen as a by-product. As a tree ages its ability to store more CO2 in its wood is lost. This is the ideal time to harvest the timber, which will make way for the next generation of trees to be planted. The CO2 will remain locked up inside the timber for the life of the wood even once it’s used for building or product fabrication.
Now let’s get to know some of our favorite timbers and what makes them so great.
We have a focus on responsibly sourcing our timber with sustainability and recycling in mind.
Acacia wood is one of our favorites, known for its visually appealing graining style. Acacia is often a preferred timber choice for furniture not only for its looks but its ability to withstand all weather conditions making it considerably durable and perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. Acacia wood was the preferred timber choice of the British Royal Navy and a big part of their naval superiority during the 18th century.
Often the timber we use such as Rubber wood is considered a by-product, with this particular tree being used to produce latex for the duration of its life. If you hadn’t guessed, rubber wood gets its name from the latex it produces from its sap which then gets used to make rubber. Rubber wood is a semi hard wood with great workability. Its blonde honey like colour offers great contrast to other woods such as Acacia.
Australian Eucalyptus is the newest timber in our range which we have locally sourced from Eco-Mindful Timber. This hardwood is known for its durability having been used for things such as railway sleepers, proving this timber will stand the test of time. The natural oil composed within the timber makes it highly water resistant, making it perfect for outdoor use.There are more than 700 species of Australian Eucalyptus tree with some of our favorites including the blue gum, sugar gum and messmate. Australian Eucalyptus is highly sustainable with some species having a growth rate of up to 15 feet per year.
So how else does our company contribute to a better future?
With our strong belief in recycling and reducing waste we have found many ways to utilize timber which isn’t suitable for furniture and others have deemed waste.
Coconut wood and discarded coconut shells are by-products of the coconut milk industry. Did you know 90% of coconuts are discarded to waste each year? Our sister brand Qhome is bringing purpose to these discarded coconut shells with a range of homewares. We have found Lychee and Acacia branches make for interesting and unique toy tree houses which we design with our other sister brand Qtoys. As for the sawdust, that gets collected and recycled into wood pellets or briquettes.
Hopefully I’ve given you a newfound appreciation for wood and timber products as well as some useful knowledge you can take with you next time your looking at a beautiful piece of timber.
