How long does it take for timber to dry?
Most of our timber pieces are kiln-dried to speed up this process before we pack and ship out our products to you. However, dried timber will still retain a small % of moisture and will continue to dry when being built and used. Timber dries from the outside to the centre, this is a lengthy process which can take up to 6 years to reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC).
What causes wood cracks?
When our timber is first sourced from New Zealand and other sources around the world, much like the human body, it is composed of a considerable amount of water, this can range anywhere from 40% to 400% of the log, in other words some timber logs can hold up to 4 times its weight in water! During this manufacturing process the timber is further air dried, stained and treated to ensure that our swing sets are safe and secure for creating our play sets. However, whilst this process drastically reduces the water content of our timber, it is not completely removed.
As a result, the wood drying process continues well after being installed in your backyard. The drying process generally results in the shrinkage of wood, as the wood shrinks, checks may begin to form in the exterior of the timber. This is recognised and accounted for by timber framers and engineers as a process which doesn’t compromise the integrity of the wood.