The two categories of timber – softwood and hardwood – have nothing to do with the durability of the timber. Some hardwoods are brittle and soft such as balsa wood, and some softwoods are very strong. The terminology comes from the type of tree. Hardwood comes from deciduous trees, trees that lose its leaves, and softwood comes from trees that keep its leaves/needles all year round.

Timber has been used to make doors and windows for millennia. It is the perfect renewable material, which, when properly designed and manufactured to modern standards, will last for a hundred years or more, with basic maintenance. It also gives excellent thermal, acoustic and security performance.

George Barnsdale achieves this by:

• Good design.
• Ensuring the timber doesn’t get too dry before or during manufacture by carefully monitoring the moisture content of the timber.
• Ensuring that the whole of our storage and manufacturing facility is humidity controlled.
• Carefully sealed end grains, particularly that which is covered in a joint.
• All joints sealed with a flexible sealant to allow movement to protect the coating.
• The product is saturated in a preservative basecoat, followed by a clear mid-coat, to preserve and seal all areas.
• A high film building base spray coat and a top coat to allow further protection and a finish that will last for many years with minimum levels of maintenance.