Why you will benefit from using Timber over Steel and Brick

Timber has been a favourite material for hundreds of years due to its heavy duty robust qualities. It has a wide expanse of uses, from building houses to furnishing them, being the raw material in musical instruments, paper and other printed materials. You can benefit from using Timber in a number of ways.

How you will benefit from using timber over steel and brick include:

• It is a natural material – there are a few advantages to using timber. For example, it will not give off chemical fumes into a building and is non-toxic and is safe to work with. 

• Sustainable – timber truly is a renewable construction material, unlike steel and brick. The policy of most countries that mainly produce timber, is to grow more timber that is felled. So timber will always be available as long as new trees are planted to replace those that have been harvested.
• Provides great insulation – it has natural insulation properties, therefore timber is excellent for using on floors, doors and windows. 
• Faster building time – build time is incredibly faster with timber, since the frame can be cut and built in advance before being set up on the building site. This is not possible with either steel or brick. 
• Durable – Compared to steel and brick, timber is easy and inexpensive to maintain and can last for centuries.
• Low energy production – A very small amount of energy is needed to produce building timber from trees compared to high amounts for steel and brick. Installation is quick and easy, again lowering energy costs.
• Malleable – It can be used in many different ways as it is so versatile and lightweight compared to steel or brick which is another benefit from using timber.

There are a few things to consider when using steel or brick, some disadvantages of using steel are:

• High maintenance costs – Most steel is susceptible to corrosion when exposed to air and water so therefore requires to be coated in paint. This requires more cost and care.
• Fireproofing costs – Even though steel is incombustible, its strength is massively reduced during fires. At 400% the deformation is a serious issue and reduces its capacity to carry load well. It is also a great conductor of heat so it can easily conduct and start fires in other parts of the building so to increase its fireproofing, it will require extra costs.
• High initial cost/ Less availability – It is not readily available and the cost is extremely high compared to other materials. 
• Aesthetics – For the majority of residential buildings, steel structures are considered to have a poor appearance. A considerable cost is to be spent on such structures to improve their appearance. Such as cladding which makes the overall cost very pricey.

Some major disadvantages of using brick are:

• Lack of durability – Bricks aren’t strong compared to other building materials as they have low tensile strength. They therefore cannot be used in high seismic and sensitive zones.
• High cost – It is time consuming construction which also requires plastering and colour washing, therefore increasing the cost. The colour tends to fade with time and quality decreases therefore keeping it looking fresh 
• High maintenance – Cleaning a brick wall is a very difficult task and rough surfaces of bricks may cause mould growth if not properly cleaned.

We understand the importance of good materials that are safe, secure and robust, yet are easy to handle and transport. With bespoke timber packaging solutions created exactly for your business’ goods, ITS Ltd provides the best timber solutions in Northern Ireland. As an experienced supplier with many clients in Belfast, Craigavon and across Northern Ireland, ITS Ltd can handle large capacities which is why you will benefit from using timber today!