Timber Decking - Lunardeck
Lunardeck is a high quality deckboard manufactured from thermally treated timber. The effect of this heat treatment being that the boards become more stable and are less prone to defects and faults normally associated with the moisture movement in timber. The attractive golden colour gives the outward appearance of hardwood.
Thermal Treatment - Enhances Appearance and Performance
Working with the worlds leading suppliers of thermally treated timber and thermowood timber materials Lunarwood offers a host of benefits to the end user. The timber is taken to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees, in steam, over a period of time. When the heat treatment cycle is finished, the benefits of this are that the future movement of the boards are restrictive and boards are also less likely to warp, crack and twist. Although as with every timber product they have to be treated with respect, the boards are also a little bit more brittle than normal and so will need ideally to be pre-drilled before fixings are used.
Lunardeck deckboards are specifically selected to ensure that the quality is of high standard. The thermal treatment gives 100% penetration of the section this removing the risk of attack by insects and rotting at fixing points, whilst additionally providing an attractive, golden full through, colour appearance to the board. This colour is not too dissimilar to the most popular hardwood species currently used for decking. Lunardeck is, however, manufactured from high quality softwood and will obviously be more competitively priced.
As with all timbers, be this hardwood or softwood, the Lunardeck boards will oxidise and turn a silver grey over a period of time unless regularly maintained and cleaned using an appropriate cleaner/refresher.
For UV protection or staining we would recommend that Oil based products are used as these penetrate the timber substrate a lot better than the water based ones. Further details on this are available from your local branch.
With no chemicals involved in the treatment their are no environmental issue when using Lunardeck, additionally no further treatment or protection of the boards are initially required, just regular cleaning. The full penetration of the treatment helps to increase the durability of the timber used and Lunardeck boards will have an expected service life of at least 30 years.
Lunardeck deckboard sections are taken from an ex32 x 125 board which can be structurally used with joists at a centre of 400mm - please check with your local Howarth Timber and Building Supplies branch when using in a structural situation.
Currently the range has is no deck posts, railings or spindles available from stock but these can be provided by special order should these be required, as can bespoke deckboard profiles. Although for smaller projects we would suggest that as these items are normally stained or colour finished that the traditional softwood or hardwood items that are readily available from our branches are used to keep costs down.
Added Performance and Durability
Available to order Lunardeck can be provided from materials that undergo a longer thermal treatment process which gives additional durability to the timbers. These boards can then be used in full ground contact and severely exposed areas up to Hazard class 4, yet still retain the durability class 2 rating. Suitable for deckboards, joists, fencing posts and rails their is no risk of chemical leaching often associated with other timber treatments.