What thickness of timber to choose for a house in the suburbs? What kind of timber to build a house from, recommendations What size of glued laminated timber

Modern market today offers a wide range of building materials, among which glued laminated timber is especially popular. It is distinguished by excellent quality, good strength, excellent technical characteristics, ease of installation. For its manufacture, only high-quality wood (pine, spruce, cedar) is used, due to which the beam has found wide application not only in private construction.

Large industrial structures are often erected from it: warehouse complexes, water parks, skating rinks, swimming pools, etc. The use of this building material is called budget option it is impossible, since the cost of one cube is about 50,000 rubles. But, despite this, the number of developers who give preference to him is increasing more and more. In our article, we will consider the features and dimensions of glued beams for building a house.

Appointment of lumber

Glued laminated timber is divided into two main categories:

A building material intended for the erection of the walls of buildings. It can be an ordinary bar and its insulated analogue.
Building material intended for various structures. This includes straight, bent, window laminated timber, floor beams, etc.

Main advantages

Among the advantages of glued beams, the dimensions of which we will consider later in the article, we can note:

The presence of high thermal insulation properties and low thermal conductivity, which allows the construction of buildings not to use an additional layer of thermal insulation material, which can significantly save money on insulation.
This is an environmentally friendly building material, since only high-quality adhesives are used for its production. Glued laminated timber is able to maintain optimal air humidity in the room and has excellent antiseptic properties.
Buildings built from this lumber have a long service life.
The structure retains its geometric shape for many years and practically does not shrink.
Due to the processing with special materials, glued laminated timber is characterized by increased fire resistance.
Strength and seismic resistance make it possible to use this lumber for the construction of houses in almost the entire territory of Russia.

Dimensions of glued and profiled timber

This lumber must fully comply in size with the requirements of GOST, SNiP and working drawings, which are adopted in the prescribed manner. When building a house, the size of the glued beam is of no small importance.

Under the linear dimensions of the material is understood, first of all, it:

height;
width;
length.

In this case, the cross section of the material can be:

rectangular;
square;
multifaceted.

If it is a square building material, for example, the size of a glued beam is 50x50, they often say “thickness”, since these parameters are the same.

Dimensions according to standards

GOST 17580-92 contains the main specifications, normative data and descriptions of glued beams. GOST 20850-84 includes additional requirements for this lumber.

According to these regulations, manufacturers offer following sizes glued laminated timber (values are indicated for profiled and non-profiled timber):

width - 8-38 cm;
height - 8-24 cm;
length - from 1 to 12 m.

Size of spruce and pine timber:

width - 8-28 cm;
length - 6-12 m;
height - 13.5-27 cm.

Depending on what appearance the planned supporting structure will have, the type of beam section is chosen: oval, rectangular, etc.

The cross section of this material is taken with a given linkage, i.e., the following are taken into account in the calculation: assortment, mechanical restoration, allowances. It is worth remembering that the thickness of the timber for the walls must be chosen according to climatic conditions region, so that comfortable and optimal conditions for living are created in the room. The minimum diameter of logs for sawing into timber is 190 mm.

according to specifications

Since glued laminated timber is produced by gluing individual boards (lamellas), its size can vary significantly. That is why, when considering the range of different manufacturers, you may be faced with the fact that many of them have their own size range of products. This makes it easy to choose the thickness that best suits the construction. Moreover, it is possible to manufacture glued laminated timber of non-standard sizes.

Size Requirements

Quite stringent requirements are imposed on glued timber. Since this material is used not only for the construction of the main load-bearing elements of buildings, but also for beam and truss system floors. The beam must withstand significant vertical loads well, endure various impact external environment(not subject to rotting, fire, etc.). In addition, it must be durable.

For these purposes, a typical one is excellent, which is at least 1/16 of the span width. Optimal dimensions glued laminated timber for a winter home:

section - 18x20 cm, 16x20 cm, 20x20 cm;
beam length 6 and 12.5 m.

This is an ideal material for the construction of private houses of any size, despite the rather high cost. You can live in them, and at the same time heal, because natural wood in housing creates a unique and healthy microclimate.

In winter, in such a house it is always very warm, and in the summer heat - cool. All this saves money on heating, so using that material is very profitable.

The scope of the timber, based on its size

The owners of the plots must choose for themselves how thick the glued beam should be. The thicker the lumber, the better its thermal performance will be. But at the same time, the cost of more massive products is much higher.

As noted in the instructions, the height of the beams practically does not affect their characteristics. Only the number of crowns in the house from high beam less. Such a house will look a little better, but the cost of its construction is slightly higher.

The main requirement for the length of the elements is their integrity, i.e., there must be no joints of parts for the initial crown and wall trims before the construction of interfloor and attic floors.

Scope of lumber according to TU according to its dimensions:

Wall: 14×16, 14×24, 14×20, 17×20, 14×28, 17×16, 17×24, 17×28 cm.
For floor beams: width from 95 to 260 mm, height from 85 to 1120 mm,
Glued laminated timber for window size: 80x80, 82x86 and 82x115 mm.

Type of wood for the manufacture of glued beams

Glued laminated timber can be made from one type of wood or combined from two types. The main raw material for the production of this building material serve relatively inexpensive coniferous trees - spruce and pine.

On request, for the manufacture of glued laminated timber, such coniferous and hardwoods trees like:

fir;
cedar;
Linden;
larch;
birch;
alder.

Glued beam weight

In the production of composite beams, considerable importance is attached to chamber drying of all components. Due to this, their weight is much less than that of solid wood counterparts. On average, the weight of one cubic meter of glued laminated timber can range from 430 to 480 kg. And one cube of edged material, which has natural moisture, is about 700 kg.

In this case, almost the same wood is used, which has the same density. The significant difference in weight can be explained by the careful drying of this raw material. In a glued analogue, the percentage of moisture is about 8%, and in solid wood products it is close to 20%.

Profiled timber

Manufacturers produce not only smooth glued laminated timber, but also an analogue that has a locking longitudinal connection. In this case, the shape of the profile is different.

There are two main types of basic profile joints of wooden beams: Finnish and Swedish. It was they who became the basis for the invention of a large number of intermediate conjugations: “double”, “comb”, “triple”, etc.

Conclusion

So, we examined what are the sizes of glued beams. Both small-sized lumber 50x50 mm, designed for furniture, and its more massive wall counterpart, for example, 25x25 cm, are of equally excellent quality. Glued laminated timber is used today for many tasks - from the construction of houses to the manufacture of furniture.

If you are going to build any house from a bar, the owner will have to resolve the issue with the choice and purchase of building materials. The choice today is quite wide: it is both a simple bar of natural moisture, and a dried, profiled bar of a special shape or glued material. But in all cases, you will need to first determine the size: the heat protection of the walls and the cost of materials depend on this. What size timber for building a house will be optimal?

Size options and their use

The dimensions of the beam are a very important parameter that must be taken into account when designing. On sale are the most different variants: the minimum section is 100x100 mm, the maximum is 200x200 mm. Which option to choose for a particular construction:

The thinnest beam with a section of 100x100 mm or 100x150 cm is used for the construction of outbuildings, in addition, it can be used in the construction of a bath. This is the cheapest material, but it is only suitable for buildings that are not designed for permanent residence.
For a summer cottage, as a rule, the golden mean is chosen: a beam can have a section of 120x120 mm or 150x150 mm. In the warm season, such a house will be very comfortable and convenient, in addition, this option is quite convenient for calculations and installation. If you plan to use the building for year-round use, it will be possible to provide it with an additional layer of external insulation.
The size of the timber for a winter home should be as large as possible, especially in regions with a cold climate. In construction, options from 150x150 mm to 200x200 mm are used. The thickest timber is expensive, but due to the greater height of each crown, less material is required, which partially offsets the increased costs.

Thus, from what size of timber to build a house, each future owner chooses independently. However, it must be remembered that savings when choosing wall material will ultimately lead to increased costs for heating and insulating the building, otherwise it will be constantly cold in it. The size of the timber for the house also determines its soundproofing qualities: through walls that are too thin, all street noises will be heard, which will significantly reduce the comfort of living.

If you choose a dried profiled timber, this will partially save on insulation: since the crowns will fit snugly against each other, the thermal insulation properties of the walls will be much higher.

Many builders believe that it is unprofitable to purchase a 200x200 bar for construction: it is almost always made to order, so it is very expensive, and the difference in wall thickness will be only 5 cm in the end, compared to a conventional bar with a section of 150x150 mm. This difference can be compensated by additional external insulation, which will still cost less in the end.

How to choose a material for building a frame house

A log house has many advantages, but it also has disadvantages: first of all, it is the high cost of materials and the need to wait a very long time for shrinkage to complete. Because of this, more and more people are paying attention to modern frame technologies, which also require correct selection building materials. Beam size for frame house depends on its intended use and dimensions, since it is the timber frame that has to withstand the highest loads.

Usually, the following timber dimensions are selected for tying a frame house: 150x150 mm, 150x200 mm, 200x200 mm. The large thickness ensures the strength of the frame, which can withstand any natural disasters.

For wall cladding of a frame building, chipboard or OSB, and a heater is placed between them. The thicker the frame, the larger the layer insulation material and the higher the energy efficiency of the building, however, its cost increases proportionally.

The frame building is assembled faster, which also reduces its cost. However, when designing, it is necessary to count on the purchase of timber not only for the frame of the walls, but also for the construction of internal partitions, interfloor ceilings, floor logs, truss systems, etc.

In addition, the frame is difficult to assemble on your own, for the correct connection of the corners it is recommended to involve specialists. Any person can assemble a log house from a ready-made house kit thanks to ready-made processed joints.

Construction from a finished lumber house kit

What is more profitable to buy: a bar in a lumber warehouse or a ready-made house kit in a specialized company? Both options have their advantages: a simple beam will cost much less, but the assembly of a house kit will take much less time. This set can be made to special order:

The client contacts a specialized company, and a individual project at home, which takes into account all the wishes related to the thickness of the walls, the location of windows, doors and partitions, etc.
By order, a set of parts is produced, which are delivered to the construction site in a numbered form.
The kit is assembled as a constructor in the shortest possible time, and very soon the house is ready for decoration and settlement. Such a kit will immediately provide strong connections of wall elements: they will not have to be adjusted directly on the construction site, all connections will be immediately sawn to exact dimensions using special equipment.

The thickness of the timber used for the manufacture of house kits can also be different. Standard option: 150x150 mm, at the request of the customer, a thicker beam can be used. This will achieve high thermal efficiency of the building.

For the construction of private houses, timber, which is suitable material both for the cottage and for country house. The beam is a log of wood with a square or rectangular section. Wood for the manufacture of logs - both coniferous and deciduous trees (larch, pine, cedar, spruce, etc.), which have all the characteristics of materials for the construction of residential premises.

The advantage of log houses is that this lumber has a small mass, is environmentally friendly and safe for human health, and is affordable. In addition, wooden houses are built very quickly and provide a lot of options for interior solutions.

So which bar to choose?

Our experts have summarized the characteristics of all types of lumber in a table, based on many years of construction experience.

These tables clearly represent the qualitative characteristics of timber in comparison with chopped logs, and allow you to make an assessment of various building materials and wood.

	chopped log	rounded log	Bar of natural moisture		Glued laminated timber

Humidity		natural, 18-20%	natural, 18-20%	natural, 18-20%

Shrinkage period	up to 3 years		up to 3 years
wall cladding	not required	not required	from 2 sides	not required	not required
Finishing work
House care after construction	After 5 years, re-caulk and paint / impregnate with compositions without fail. Further painting / impregnation with compositions is carried out every 5 years.	After 5 years, re-caulk and paint without fail. Further painting is carried out every 5 years.	The house needs to be sheathed from 2 sides, so nothing can be done if the sheathing is not wooden.		Every 5 years painting / impregnation with compounds.
Production time					2-4 weeks
Price per cube with work (more details on pricing here)
	environmentally friendly material, better air and moisture exchange, accumulates heat (cool in summer, warm in winter). Preservation of the protective layer of the tree - sapwood.		environmentally friendly material, better air and moisture exchange, plus it accumulates heat (cool in summer, warm in winter)	environmentally friendly material, the best air and moisture exchange, plus it accumulates heat (cool in summer, warm in winter). Gives less shrinkage. A tighter fit of the beam, does not require caulking. The shape of the profile prevents rainwater from penetrating between the bars. Cracks in depth and width are much smaller than those of a rounded log.	Minimum shrinkage, glued laminated timber does not change its shape during operation. The manufacturing technology allows to exclude defective areas of wood. High quality of front surfaces, absolutely no cracks, aesthetic appearance. Glued laminated timber has a greater strength compared to ordinary wood. It is possible to start finishing work within 2 weeks after completion of construction. Elite material, very low cracking. Also, in pursuit of super profits, the manufacturer can use low-quality and cheap wood in production, which will show itself only after a few years
	Moderate cracking of logs, caulking required	Severe cracking due to removal of sapwood cover, caulk required	Strong cracking due to the removal of the protective layer of sapwood. Mandatory finishing is required (sometimes very expensive). Purge	severe cracking	Contains glue (depending on the correctness of the chosen glue and the literacy of the manufacturer)
Advantages at the first stage of building a house in terms of capital investment, i.e. how much will the log house itself cost, without finishing and everything else

Our experts have come to the unanimous opinion that the best in terms of quality characteristics are buildings made of glued and profiled beams. Here are their salient features:

	Profiled lumber chamber drying (dry lumber)	Glued laminated timber

Shrinkage period
Production time		2-4 weeks
Price per cube with work

Photo of houses from a bar: profiled and glued

As you can see, houses built from profiled and glued beams have practically no differences.

Timber logs

Advantages and disadvantages of different types of timber

1. Glued timber.

It consists of several boards or bars small size bonded together with a special adhesive. The purchase of glued laminated timber in the form of a finished log house will be appropriate for the construction of a bathhouse, garage, cottage, house or outbuildings.

The advantages of this type of timber include:

Strength;
Minimum shrinkage even after many years of operation;
Fire resistance due to special impregnation;
The material is prefabricated, which makes it possible to choose bars of various shapes and sizes;
Efficiency of building construction.
Good thermal insulation of the house;
Practically does not require interior decoration.

Despite a number of positive characteristics, glued lumber also has significant disadvantages:

Relatively high cost of the material.
The possibility of acquiring material of insufficiently good quality. At first glance, glued laminated timber seems to be of high quality, but only after a long period of time you can understand what it really is. Poor-quality timber begins to dry out, beams or walls are deformed, and boards begin to stick. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully choose lumber, focusing on its price. Since glued laminated timber itself is not cheap, the higher the price, the better the quality of the buildings.
Insufficient quality, that is, cheap lumber, does not have the necessary environmentally friendly characteristics. As a rule, it is treated with impregnations based on synthetic compounds. This excludes air circulation in the wood and leads to the release of toxic substances. There are no adhesive formaldehyde compounds in high-quality lumber, and it is impregnated only with natural impregnations.

2. Rounded timber

obtained by processing logs on special carpentry machines. The bars are obtained round shape, of the same size and length, which is ideal for building a bathhouse or a house.

Rounded beams can be selected in various diameters and know that they have the following positive characteristics:

Aesthetic appearance of buildings;
The strength and durability of buildings is ensured by solid logs;
Efficiency of erection of buildings;
Good sound insulation of rooms;
Reasonable price for any budget;
Good thermal insulation and fast heating;
Does not require facade finishing.

Despite a sufficient number of positive aspects, rounded beams also have negative sides:

Exposure to adverse weather factors. Rounded logs can crack.
Houses made of logs have a certain period of shrinkage - from 1 to 3 years, and at this time they are not suitable for living. At this time, you should not start the arrangement, it is better to use the building as a summer residence.

The quality of rounded beams is easily determined - by appearance lumber. The presence of mold, rot, chips, darkening, cracks and irregularities is a reason to refrain from buying. A quality log house should be made of logs of the same length and thickness, treated with impregnation to protect against mold.

Nevertheless, our experts advise not to build houses from logs, as they are prone to cracking.

3. Profiled timber

This lumber is suitable for construction works, since the grooves on both sides provide strength and better connection of the structure. According to our experts, profiled timber is ideal for building a house or garage. The aesthetic appearance of the building is ensured by the flatness and smoothness of the outer and inner sides and the side connecting grooves.

The advantages of profiled timber include the following:

Ease of fastening beams in the construction of walls and partitions;
For the manufacture of solid wood is used;
Possibility of choice various shapes bars;
Tight-fitting bars do not require additional work and consumption of lumber for sealing cracks;
Excellent thermal insulation of the room;
Long-term heat retention;
Does not require work on interior and exterior decoration.

The disadvantages of the material include the following:

Poor-quality treatment with antifungal impregnation, as a result of which the material begins to rot.
In the manufacture of material from low-quality wood, cracks may occur on it;
The unnatural humidity of the timber prolongs its shrinkage period up to 3 years.

For the construction of various buildings, it is worth choosing wooden beam based on its quality characteristics.