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Wooden Garden Furniture and the environment

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Think Wood

This lens is about choosing and caring for wooden garden furniture. Care of your garden furniture can be acheived in one of three different ways.

First of all, it is quite acceptable to simply leave it outdoors without any treatment whatsoever. It will weather naturally, and attain an attractive silver-grey patina. The timber is highly durable and should last for many years without detriment to the furniture.

Alternatively, on request we can apply 2 coats of quality teak oil. This will enhance the grain and give an attractive oiled finish. This process, however, is not permanent, and should be repeated from time to time to maintain the rich natural colour of the timber. These applications of teak oil will darken the timber over time.

Wood and the environment

Natural wood making beautiful outdoor furniture

As this brief look at timber and its competitors reveals, every manufacturing material has environmental impacts at every stage in the life cycle. A number of facts, however, stand out.

First, the perceived negative impacts of timber are primarily concerned with maintaining the resource base - the forest - and avoiding over extraction, just two of the seven stages. Even here the problems are frequently exaggerated and the actions taken by the industry under estimated.

Second, but allied to the above, is the simple, incontrovertible fact that time is the renewable resource. We are renewing our timber supply, re-planting our forests every day. In many countries, wood is the only natural resource that is increasing its reserves each year.

Third, the competing materials, the alternatives, generally have more negative environmental impacts at virtually every stage in the life cycle. The overall picture is increasingly clear-cut. Timber is nature's gift', created through photosynthesis, it absorbs Carbon Dioxide and provides oxygen. It is easily renewed; it is easy to extract with minimal damage in well regulated forests; it causes few environmental problems during processing. Installation and transportation; it has one of the lowest embodied energy values and gives one of the highest levels of thermal insulation; and above all, it is natural, organic, recyclable, reusable and self bio-degradable.

Disposal

At the end of a buildings life, the issue of demolition, the recovery and re-usability of materials and the environmental impacts of the final disposal process have to be considered.

Timber
Timber has historically been re-used, although the level of re-cycling and recovery needs improvement. All too often timber is simply burnt or buried unnecessarily. Although this has minimal environmental impact, it is a waste of material which can be re-worked for lower grade applications, chipped and re-formed or used as compost and for other uses.

The use of timber treatments can inhibit recycling and re-use although modern preservatives pose a much reduced problem. Timber is extremely easy to remove, requiring few tools or energy intensive machinery. Timber usually has minimal or zero packaging requiring disposal.

For final disposal, untreated timber poses possibly the lowest environmental risk. It is easily burnt and with minimal emissions and waste wood is an excellent fuel source.

Is disposed of in land fill, untreated timber is non toxic and will simply bio-degrade over a comparatively short period.

Competitive Materials

About 25-30% of municipal waste volume is plastic. It is not bio-degradable and will remain in its original form for half a millennium. There is little reported interest in plastics recycling in the UK manufacturing industry. The disposal of concrete is a major environmental concern, as concrete may account for 53% of the volume of disposal wast in America.

The efficiency of timber

Timber is very efficient, renewable and degrades quickly and safely and is completely recyclable. Facts show timber's contribution in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and therefore helps to soften the impact of global warming. All of these reasons means that it is a disadvantage to the environment to contribute to and maintain the international trade in sensibly managed timber, and to recognise the importance of the renewable timber resource we have at our fingertips for future. Contemporary outdoor street timber furniture such as bollards, signage, wooden chairs, picnic suits, dining suits, finger posts, wooden planters, shelters and information signs can also turn an otherwise very urban and unnatural street or city centre into a much more comfortable setting, often re-dressing the balance between nature and concrete, steel, glass and pavement. We should do our upmost to ensure that modern forestry stocks are maintained at a much higher sustainable level by investing in sensible forestation that is going ahead and maintaining tree stock levels all over the world and ensuring that we use wood an timber in a controlled and sensible way.

Luxury Wooden Garden Furniture

Loads of wonderfully handcraft luxury wooden garden furniture built in Beverley East Yorkshire

Luxury handbuilt garden furniture: Here is the website with all of the bespoke handbuilt garden furniture, offering superbly hand crafted hardwood gazebos, wooden gates, outdoor tables and garden benches and many other hardwood outdoor garden furniture and bespoke street furniture pieces to treasure and last.
Outdoor Chairs: Our range of outdoor chairs encompasses classic garden furniture designs and contemporary outdoor seating using quality materials such as oak, teak and iroko.
Hardwood Benches: Our range of classic and contemporary heavy duty wooden benches and outdoor wooden seating encompasses quality and longevity through stylish design, craftsmanship, and solid hardwoods such as teak, oak and iroko.
Outdoor Tables: Our range of classic and contemporary heavy duty outdoor wooden tables encompasses quality and longevity through stylish design, craftsmanship, and solid hardwoods such as teak, oak and iroko.
Signs: Timber or Steel signs. Woodcraft UK (Yorkshire) offers a comprehensive range of outdoor signage creations that combine clarity, practicality and attractive appearance, making them ideal for public facilities as diverse as woodland parks information points and hospitals directional signs.
Notice Boards: Whether the need is to present a site plan or a set of parish notices, Woodcraft UK's wooden and steel notice and display boards ensure that the information remains clear, legible and undamaged by the elements.
Plaques and Engraving: Woodcraft UK has the capability to produce and engrave attractive commemorative and presentational plaques in a variety of durable materials including timber engravings and memorial monuments, metal badges, steel etched plaques and plastic embossed badges.
Hardwood Gazebos: Here at Woodcraft UK, Yorkshire, we manufacture the finest wooden gazebos and outdoor pagodas.
Pergolas: There are few garden features more romantic and enchanting than a wooden pergola; a walk way of flowers through which you can stroll at your leisure and truly enjoy the scented tranquility of a summers day.
Roadside Planters: Woodcraft UK (Yorkshire) offers a complete range of free-standing planters suitable for enhancing private homes or public buildings, and can manufacture a wide range of variation.
Cabins and Shelters: Combining attractive appearance and practical functionality, Woodcraft's hardwood cabins and solid wood shelters are ideal for a wide range of roles, serving perfectly as anything from a cosy haven in a park (park shelter) or garden to a picturesque but effective wooden bus shelter.
Driveway Gates: We offer a full choice of wooden gates comprising of the Five Bar Field Gate, Five Bar Gate With Curved Heel, Panelled Gate and Driveway Gate.
Roadside Bollards: Our Hardwood wooden bollards are built to withstand all weather conditions. Complete with reflectors, our hardwood bollards make an attractive addition to any street or avenue.
Finger Posts: It's always nice to have someone reliable to point the way, and Woodcraft UK does that beautifully.
Wooden Sun Loungers: The solid fold away sun lounger has long been an icon of luxury, and Woodcraft UK's craftsmanship enhances the experience of pleasurable relaxation.

Luxury Hardwood Furniture built in East Yorkshire

Choose Woodcraft Uk for your homes outdoor garden furniture. http://www.woodcraftuk.co.uk. We offer superbly crafted garden benches, outdoor chairs, hardwood gazebos, outdoor tables, wooden gates and parish notice boards and many other hardwood outdoor garden furniture pieces to treasure and last.