March 2006

CHANDOS INTRODUCES FURTHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT WITH SUPERDRY-STAYDRY TIMBER

Leading timber frame manufacturer now using revolutionary UltraJoist timber for taller buildings to minimise shrinkage

CHANDOS Timber Engineering has now introduced the high-tech new “Superdry-Staydry” UltraJoist timber to its portfolio of products and services.

The UltraJoist timber is a quality enhancement that pays dividends primarily in buildings of over five storeys, where wood shrinkage becomes noticeable due to larger dimensions.

Standard timber in construction retains about 20 per cent moisture, and dries to around 11 per cent once the building is complete, causing a minute amount of shrinkage. This movement is negligible in many timber frame building applications, but in taller buildings such as Chandos’ six-storey apartment development for Haigh and Haigh in Manchester, it could become noticeable.

UltraJoist timbers are proven to significantly reduce shrinkage as they are preconditioned to 12-14% moisture content (mc), very close to the final equilibrium mc of the finished heated building.

As all timber is hydroscopic, UltraJoist uses a water based biodegradable preservative treatment process that not only meets current standards for Hazard Class 2, but also incorporates a highly effective water repellent. This protects the Superdry timbers from moisture ingression during site storage through to final construction, minimising dimensional instability and its associated defects.

Chandos’ project for Haigh and Haigh is the company’s first application for the product, and technical director Tom Wilcock is confident that Chandos will use it increasingly on other jobs as well:

“In addition to its benefits in panels for buildings over five storeys, this material is also ideal for floor joists on three storeys or more. We are currently cutting a batch of UltraJoist timber for use on such a job, and we are sure our customers will be given added confidence by UltraJoist’s guarantees and independent certification.”