Timber Landscaping

One of the most important aspects in Landscaping is Durability. Heartwood has much lower starch content and hollow cells are filled with extractives that are sometimes toxic to fungi and insects giving it much higher durability than sapwood. Sapwood is much less durable than heartwood and often has marginally lower structural properties. We have listed all our Durable and Very Durable timbers in the table below, grouped by colour. The following table is referring to heartwood. Occasionally, some boards will have a small amount of sap on their edges and this will either need to be removed prior to use or it will eventually rot.

Coatings

All timber species, if left un-coated in the outdoors then they will eventually turn to silvery-grey colour. This is a natural process, occurs when the outer layers of the timber cellulose get exposed to the weather.

Timber will split, check and warp, however, for some species, this may not be too noticeable. One way to reduce weathering and distorting of timber is to coat it with a protective product. For more details on coating go to our Coatings page. All exterior coatings will need maintenance on an annual basis (usually just a good clean), and they will require re-coating every 6 months to 5 years, depending on the coating and its exposure to the environment.

Sustainability

Sustainability is another important aspect in landscaping and it refers to responsibly managed and harvested timber. This means that when a tree is cut down then another tree should be planted in the same place as well as protecting the biodiversity of forest and socio-economic well-being of people.

Timspec is proud to be the first major timber importer, accredited by FSC® and PEFC® chain of custody. We always try to provide FSC® and PEFC® certified timber but, it can be difficult at times. If it is important for you to get certification of the timber, then inform to our sales team at the time of order.

Timbers Suitable for Exterior Use

Colour	Timber	Durability
Yellow	Yellow Cedar	Very Durable
Pink	Saligna	Durable above ground
Light brown	Vitex	Durable
Light brown	Western Red Cedar	Durable
Straw brown	Pilularis (Black Butt)	Durable
Grey to Reddish/dark brown	Spotted Gum	Durable
Red/Redish-brown, fading to Dark Brown	Jarrah	Durable
Red/Redish-brown, fading to Dark Brown	Rosewood	Very Durable
Red/Redish-brown / Dark Brown	Kwila	Durable

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Accoya

Accoya® is world leading high technology wood. It is produced from a non-toxic cellular modification process known as acetylation. The softwood used in this process is Radiata Pine sourced from sustainably managed forests in New Zealand.

Jarrah

Jarrah is native to south western Australia, it is a heartwood with a rich dark brownish red colour. It can have straight or interlocked grain with an even medium coarse texture. Considered to be one of the world's most durable timbers.

Kwila (Merbau)

Kwila is a high quality, strong and durable hardwood. The heartwood is yellowish-brown, brown or dark red, red-brown, turning to a dark red-brown with age. The wood is hard and heavy, the texture moderately coarse but even, and the grain may be straight or interlocked but is often wavy.

Taun or Akwa

Akwa is native to south-west pacific region and is major commercial timber species of Solomon Island. the colour of Akwa ranges from pale pinkish- brown to reddish-brown. some trees produce a fiddleback type figure and it is very attractive and appealing.

Western Red Cedar

WR Cedar is light, soft, scented and highly decorative timber with contrasting early wood and late wood bands. It is naturally durable and known for its superior stability for doors, windows, louvres, exterior cladding, weatherboards and shingles.

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