This is the place to rant, rave, brag, belly-ache, crack a joke, procrastinate, and delve into the metaphysical aspects of the DIY mindset. We’re off the map, on a tangent, and frequently off topic. This is the stuff we don’t show on TV.
Wood paneling is a shop fabricated, custom finish material used on horizontal surfaces. Veneer, flitches and laminates are used to provide a decorative panel surface over particleboard, fiberboard, waferboard or a solid lumber core.
Architectural wood casework refers to the cabinets or built-ins we use for storage in both residential and commercial buildings. Depending on the project type, the casework can have straight lines and plain finishes or be a specific style with ornate finishes. Cabinets can have open shelves, drawers or doors, and can be installed on the wall or floor, against a wall, or in the middle of a room with a counter above. Cabinets and built-ins are shop fabricated or manufactured products that can be one of three production types: custom, semi-custom or stock.
Architectural woodwork includes shop-fabricated casework, paneling, stairs, railings, ornamental woodwork, trim, frames, screens, and shutters. Products may be solid wood, laminated, veneered, or simulated wood fabrication. Different from ready-made millwork, architectural woodwork is made to order from specifications or a custom design that requires a traditional or unique interior finish style.
Finish carpentry is the installation of finished wood or simulated wood materials on the interior or exterior of a building. Finish materials include wood trim or millwork, wood floors, paneling, frames, doors, cabinetry, shelving, stairs, railings, screens, shutters, ornamental architectural woodwork, and finish hardware. Finish carpentry occurs at a late stage in new construction or in the renovation of residential and commercial structures. The work involved is precise, and requires the use of specific tools and techniques. A variety of materials must be finished to fine tolerances, with a minimal margin of error allowed.
Board paneling is a board product that is applied as a wall finish in a variety of interior spaces. During antiquity, board paneling was used in European castles to insulate the room from cold stone walls. It has also been used to cover the lower portion of drywall affected by moisture from rising dampness. Today board paneling is a decorative product, produced from a variety of wood species.
Prefinished paneling is a decorative sheet product that is applied as a wall finish. Used in a variety of interior spaces, it may be installed as a wainscot or as a full height wall covering. During the 1960's and 1970's, embossed paneling was popular. Today's prefinished paneling features more modern and contemporary designs. Paneling is manufactured from different types of engineered woods, to varying levels of quality.
Millwork is produced at a mill from lumber. This ready-made, standard pattern material is used by finish carpenters to finish the interior spaces of buildings. Common types of millwork include casing, baseboards, chair rails, and crown moulding among others.
This topic covers information related to the design and construction of wood framed structures. Information includes both methods and materials for the erection, connection, joining, anchoring, and blocking of framing.
Shop-fabricated wood trusses are manufactured engineered products in which the chords and webs are made from wood and connected with metal connectors. The simplest form of truss has a horizontal bottom chord and top chords that form the shape of a triangle which offers support and stability for a roof and roof loads. More complex truss shapes have angled bottom chords and mutli-angled top chords.
Parallel strand lumber is manufactured from long strands of wood veneer that are laid parallel to one another and adhered. PSLs are commonly installed as columns, beams and headers in concealed wall spaces where significant bending strength is required to support loads from above; however, they can also be attractively installed as as an exposed finish material.
Laminated veneer lumber is a shop fabricated structural wood, composed of wood veneers which are adhered together. Laminated veneers were first developed in the 1940s for aircraft parts. Laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which is a structural composite lumber (SCL), was first produced in the 1970s in response to growing environmental pressures and government regulations. It is an environmentally friendly product that efficiently utilizes wood fibers from smaller trees.
Also known as engineered lumber, shop-fabricated structural wood is manufactured from wood materials or a combination of wood and metal for use in specific structural applications. Shop-fabricated wood is typically used as beams, columns, joists, trusses and other structural members. Types include Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL), Wood I-Joists, Metal-Web Wood Joists, Rim Boards and Shop-Fabricated Wood Trusses.
