Slattery & Acquroff timber policy for clients
Timber
Timber is a natural, reusable, recyclable and sustainable product. It has a wide range of properties and due to its ready availability is widely used within the building industry. Timber is derived from sustainably managed forests and is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials. Of all building products that are readily available, timber requires the least amount of energy to produce. Timber stairs are special elements in any building design, defining the flow of spaces and movement between different levels.
Slattery & Acquroff acquire timbers from accredited and responsible contractors and mills which follow the strictest of private forest management practices to sustain a viable industry without placing unrealistic demands on our resources.
Standards
There are no standards that outline what an acceptable appearance of timber stairs should be. However there are standards that relate to the manufacture and installation of timber stairs, namely the Building Code of Australia. Stairs constructed of the same timber species can differ markedly in appearance, depending on the timber source, age of the tree, timber board width, type of finishing used and the lighting in which the timber stair is viewed.
Factors influencing the appearance:
- Timber is a natural product that will shrink and swell in response to changes in atmospheric humidity.
- No building environment is the same as another.
- With stained stairs, the sanding is not undertaken in a dust free factory environment and finishes may darken with
time.
The S&A quality standard
Problems such as tenting, buckling and crowning should not generally occur in timber stairs. However cupping, shrinkage and expansion may occur if areas of the stair are affected by heat, sun or moisture.
It should also be recognised that the actions or inactions of clients can contribute or even cause these to occur. Stairs exposed to heat sources or moisture after occupancy (e.g. no curtains, fireplaces, vents from appliances, houses closed up for extended periods of time or underside of stairs enclosed with no ventilation or exposed to sub floor environments) may cause cupping, shrinkage and expansion. Cupping, shrinkage and expansion from such sources may be the owner’s responsibility.
Clients can expect:
- Slattery & Acquroff will endeavour to keep variation in timber colour and grain to a minimum, but cannot
guarantee that timber used will be exactly the same.
- A timber stair that is free from split boards.
- A small amount of noise when walked on (a stair is often more noisy during drier weather due to loosening at the
joints).
- The stair to show some indentations over time depending on the hardness of the species used, volume of traffic
and footwear worn.
- Minimal sanding marks in preparation for staining and polishing by others.
- Slattery & Acquroff to provide complimentary cover boards to protect the stair for installation by the owner or builder.
- Laminated components sealed with a single coat of satin polyurethane during summer months.
Finishing
Slattery & Acquroff recommend that the stair be stained, polished or coated (sealed) within four weeks of installation to minimise damage to the stair.
