Choosing boards or panels that have already been constructed won’t cause you a headache, however, you need to know what exactly are you looking for. It’s very good when you understand what kind of surface (for example, melamine white) you need and want.
Nevertheless, if you are going to install a panel or board, choosing an external environment or your bathroom, the internal composition of the panel should be different. If the board or a panel is for exteriors, the best choice will be the one that is waterproof, considering that it has to resist moisture. The same principle is with decking and roofing if the panel has to be installed in any adverse environmental condition.
Choosing solid wood:
Choosing solid wood is a bit more complicated, considering that the proper wood requires a vast of knowledge as not only of wood species but also having knowledge about their color and behavior. You have to choose your wood mainly, regarding environment or, in other words, where it will be placed.
Past few years an advance of wood treatments has been approved, for example, such things appeared as thermo-treated wood or wood treated with acetylation. Basically, thankfully to these treatments, certain wood that wasn’t usable for an exterior has now it became very practical.
When we have to choose wood, we have to understand not only where it is going to be used, but also how we are going to use it. There are many different approaches of how and for what we can use wood, for example:
-beauty ( interiors, wood objects or furniture )
-mechanical characteristics (roof, fences, etc)
-durability (for decking)
-use with food contact
-heating purposes
-special properties (like cedars used in drawers of in cigar boxes)
The general rule is that wood for interiors has to be dry. If for any reason the chosen wood is not dry remember that it can tend to twist in different ways, reduce its volume, and sometimes also to rot if the environment is too wet.
It is important to understand that wood colors are influenced by oxygen and UV rays. For example, when you cut teak wood you will be able to see such colors as blue, green, red or light yellow, but after a couple of days the wood will become brown. This is very crucial importance when you are choosing colored wood. If you don’t protect it then it will change its color very soon.
If you are looking for a special or rare pattern in wood grain, there are many of them that look pretty different. You will not believe how many different patterns you can find in wood, especially in burls.
When choosing any expensive or special wood, you need to understand for what purpose you need it. The same log (trunk of the tree) can be cut in several ways and the resultant pieces will have not only different behavior in movement but also their grain will look completely different.
A short course in understanding wood and its properties can help a lot. In only one day, you will learn the growth of wood, how to choose wood, what to avoid and what type of cuts are preferable for different uses.
