| Why Use Northern White Cedar? |
We use Northern White Cedar for the exterior of our homes. Northern White Cedar contains natural preservatives, within the tree itself that resists insects and decay. This
is a prime reason white cedar is considered by the United States
Department of Agriculture as the wood to use where a high degree of
durability and resistance to the elements is necessary.
Heartwood within the tree will last for generations, sapwood easily decays and discolors. White Cedar has a minimal amount of sapwood (approximately 3/4 inch on a 10 inch diameter log). Through our sawing, shaping and peeling processes all sapwood has been removed. Sapwood
in logs is the reason why you will see a black discoloring in log homes
supplied from our competitors especially in pine structures. Pine logs have a large sap ring that makes it almost impossible to remove and dictates annual maintenance. In addition, pine logs tend to bleed sap when exposed to sunlight that must be continuously removed and re-stained. This is not a problem with our kiln-dried Northern White Cedar.
Northern
White Cedar has a closed cell structure. The cell structure resembles
that of cork. This cell structure combined with the natural oil
provides protection against internal mold and mildew. This is also important in that if properly kiln-dried, it will resist the absorption of moisture from the environment. The
process of absorbing moisture from rain, air, etc. and the resulting
drying effect from wind and sun is a key component of "checking" and
deterioration.
White Cedar, due to its slow growth characteristics and tight growth rings, is dimensionally very stable. When kiln-dried properly, it will not twist warp or shrink. This helps to reduce or eliminate any additional checking after it has been applied. Checking of external logs has been and continues to be a problem with pine products.
|
|
