Interior Cladding Archives

Wood is one of the earth’s most renewable resources and has a low environmental impact compared to alternative building materials that are often used during the construction process. We believe if architects and builders want to provide clients with high-quality, sustainable building materials that will last over the lifespan of the structure, they must choose high-quality materials. We invest in quality, sustainably rich materials like Alaskan Yellow Cedar, so end users can rest assured that their cladding is going to last for many years to come. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of one of reSAWN TIMBER co.’s most specified product, WILLIWAW Alaskan Yellow Cedar (AYC).

Benefits of WILLIWAW

WILLIWAW features pre-weathered Alaskan Yellow Cedar that is sourced anywhere from Alaska to Oregon and is intended to provide a high-performing, natural material with a clean weathered aesthetic.

WILLIWAW can be used for interior or exterior wall cladding and is available in clear vertical grain. Clear vertical grain Alaskan yellow cedar contains few character marks.
WILLIWAW is durable, dimensionally stable, resistant to rot and insects, and has a light tan/gray, weathered look.
WILLIWAW can be treated to Class A Fire Rating for Interior Applications.
WILLIWAW is known for its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, coupled with its aesthetic appeal, making it a favored choice for both functional and decorative applications in various architectural and design projects.
Each WILLIWAW product is meticulously crafted to showcase the natural characteristics of the wood, such as grain patterns, and color variations.
As a natural building material, wood cladding weathers inconsistently and can be unpredictable. WILLIWAW provides an exterior material with minimal aesthetic variation regardless of UV exposure.
WILLIWAW is designed to be versatile and can be used in both high-end residential and commercial settings.

The combination of expert craftsmanship, sustainable practices, and the inherent beauty of wood makes WILLIWAW a popular choice among designers, architects, and homeowners looking for exceptional wood products.

reSAWN’s Lumber Warehouse Featuring WILLIWAW- Day One

reSAWN’s Lumber Warehouse Featuring WILLIWAW- 2 Years Later

Why WILLIWAW?

reSAWN TIMBER co. offers a variety of Alaskan Yellow Cedar options that all contain the incredible benefits of this species. WILLIWAW not only has all of those benefits, but is loved for its natural variation, pre-weathered features, and low maintenance.

From afar, WILLIWAW exhibits a light beige color with gray undertones, making it unique looking in every kind of lighting. Its color compliments every environment it’s surrounded by whether it’s mountains or beaches, sun or snow, it provides a natural look as if it has always belonged there. The natural color variations in Alaskan Yellow Cedar wood are primarily due to the wood’s interaction with minerals found in the soil of its growing environment. As the tree absorbs water and nutrients from the soil, it also absorbs trace amounts of minerals present in the surrounding environment. These minerals can include iron, copper, manganese, and others, each imparting its own color properties to the wood. The mineral composition of the soil plays a crucial role in determining the color variation.

Air Lease Corporation- WILLIWAW Alaskan Yellow Cedar

WILLIWAW is prefinished in plant-based, zero VOC finish, allowing it to accept and hold finishes with minimal aesthetic variation throughout its installation lifecycle. reSAWN’s products arrive at job sites prefinished to avoid minor mishaps that can occur on job sites like oversprays, streaks, drips, or lap marks. Drying racks that are used to hold wet cladding on a job site are costly and take up much-needed space. Prefinished wood materials like WILLIWAW are finished and dried in a controlled environment prior to arriving on a job site. With factory-finished products, they have already undergone quality control, inspection, and back coating to ensure the material is in perfect condition before it arrives at its destination.

WILLIWAW is offered in a clear vertical grade, meaning the growth rings are parallel to each other on the face or the board, and very light skips on the non-graded face. Architects and builders often seek out select grades because it has very few imperfections or character markings, making it look smooth and clean. Additionally, WILLIWAW is utilized for both interior and exterior purposes, making it versatile and flexible for all styles of design.

WILLIWAW is currently being installed on homes in different climatic zones across the country in South Carolina, Minnesota, California, Florida, and Canada. Below is the Red Mountain Residence in Aspen, Colorado on its way to completion.

Red Mountain Residence- WILLIWAW Alaskan Yellow Cedar

What is Alaskan Yellow Cedar?

AYC is a remarkable species that is located in the coastal regions of Alaska, British Columbia, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is grown in climates that have mildly wet winters, and cool damp summers. This species is often found on higher elevations and thrives in diverse forest ecosystems.

Unfinished AYC exhibits a pale yellow to golden color, often with subtle streaks of reddish brown, which deepen and become richer with age and exposure to sunlight. In addition to its physical attributes, the species possess a pleasing aroma that emanates from the wood, which adds to its allure and sensory appeal. Its scent is often described as sweet, reminiscent of cedar and citrus.

Hartheimer Residence-WILLIWAW Interior Wall Cladding

Alaskan Yellow Cedar Benefits

At reSAWN, our Alaskan Yellow Cedar products like WILLIWAW are ideally suited for any interior and exterior project, including wall and ceiling cladding. With its versatility, comes many remarkable benefits.

Durability– AYC has exceptional resistance to decay, rot, fungi, and insect damage. Due to their natural extractives such as Thujaplicans and Phenolics, they act as a defense mechanism for decay-causing organisms and pests. The natural oils also act as a natural barrier against moisture, helping to repel water. This contributes to the long lifecycle of the wood.
Strength– The low density and compact characteristics of the species make it more resistant to wear, impact, checks, and twists. Additionally, its straight grain pattern contributes to the strength of the wood. The fibers in AYC run parallel to the board’s length, providing structural integrity, making it less susceptible to shrink, and enabling it to withstand various environmental and structural stresses.
Insulation– The species’ tightly packed fibers and low density allow the wood to be thermally insulated.
Fire Resistant– When exposed to fire, AYC tends to have a slower burn rate. It releases heat at a slower pace and retains its structure for a longer period. reSAWN’s AYC has a Flame Spread Index of 40 and a Smoke Developed Index of 140, giving it a Class B Rating.

Our Mission

The building industry continues to produce unsustainable materials to mimic the aesthetic of wood and advertise them as sustainable products. However, some contain toxic chemicals, are unethically manufactured, and have a short lifespan because it is less expensive to do so. Additionally, their life cycle produces a mass of carbon emissions whereas products like WILLIWAW act as a carbon sink, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

At reSAWN TIMBER co., we bear the responsibility to become mindful educators, while nurturing and preserving earth’s ecosystems, cherishing its biodiversity, and embracing sustainable practices. We provide sustainably sourced products that will look beautiful on day one and continue to weather as nature takes over, with little to no aesthetic maintenance needed. This leaves more time to enjoy the product and less time to maintain it.

What does it truly mean to be an environmentally conscious wood manufacturer? In an industry that runs on nonrenewable, disposable resources beyond what is necessary, healthy, or sustainable, we choose to change the narrative. At reSAWN TIMBER co., we research, study, and observe every product we sell to not only protect our planet, but future generations. We carefully craft quality products that are durable and sustainably sourced to keep our promise to nature and end-users.

There is a reason why WILLIWAW Alaskan Yellow Cedar continues to be one of our most specified products. It is durable, dimensionally stable, rot and insect resistant, versatile, and exceptional at withstanding all weather conditions. Architects and builders continue to choose WILLIWAW for their projects because it promises to keep a home aesthetically beautiful and safe for years to come.

Want to see how WILLIWAW will look on your next project? WILLIWAW samples are available for architects and designers at no cost and shipped via UPS Ground. Click on the button to get started.

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The stay-at-home orders and quarantines in place across the world have many homeowners taking advantage of the additional time at home by jumping into neglected renovations and improvements. According to LikeFolio, consumers mentioning home renovation ideas on social media doubled from normal levels in just two weeks during the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

According to LikeFolio, consumers mentioning home renovation ideas on social media doubled from normal levels in just two weeks during the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Americans spend a whopping 93 percent of their lives indoors breathing in recycled air. What most don’t realize is the air we breathe indoors is on average 2X to 5X more toxic than what we breathe outdoors due to insufficient ventilation, synthetic building materials, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) from a variety of products and materials. Thus, for many people, the health risks related to indoor air pollution may be greater than that of outdoor exposure.

reSAWN TIMBER co. - IBX- Philly - BELLEPORT — IBX Center for Innovation – Philadelphia, PA. reSAWN's BLACK & TAN Reclaimed Hemlock Wall Cladding & BELLEPORT Black Walnut Flooring.

It’s not always feasible or practical to spend more time outdoors, especially in facilities like schools, hospitals, daycare facilities, and workplaces. Fortunately, we can take steps to minimize exposure to indoor toxins by choosing healthier, more sustainable products and building materials. Not only are they better for the environment, but some natural materials and products are proven to have physiological and psychological benefits for humans when brought indoors.

According to many authoritative studies, exposure to wood products indoors creates similar health benefits to those created by spending time in nature. Incorporating natural materials such as real wood cladding and flooring into a built environment helps to reduce blood pressure, heart rates, and stress levels, whilst improving well being, creativity, cognitive abilities, and the air we breathe.

reSAWN TIMBER co. SANTA ANA – weathered western red cedar STK (Select Tight Knot) — Private Residence: reSAWN's SANTA ANA Weathered Western Red Cedar (STK) Wall Cladding.

Planet Ark’s Report; Wood – Housing, Health, Humanity

This report examines the growing body of research showing the range of health and wellbeing benefits of living, working, and learning in environments rich in wooden furnishings and fixtures. “An increasing body of research is beginning to show that being surrounded by wood at home, work or school has positive effects on the body, the brain, and the environment and can even shorten hospital stays through reduced recovery times,” said Chris Philpot, Make it Wood Campaign Manager at Planet Ark.

The report also found:

Wood products within a room have been shown to improve indoor air quality by moderating humidity. This effect occurs due to wood absorbing and releasing moisture in order to maintain equilibrium with the surrounding air, known as the equilibrium moisture content. Wood, therefore, absorbs moisture from the air in humid conditions and releases moisture in dry conditions.
Residents in aged care facilities interact more with each other when surrounded by wood.
Students in classrooms that feature more wood have lower heart rates and stress responses than students in classrooms featuring plastic and metal.
Two out of three workers prefer offices with wooden chairs, desks, and blinds over the same office with those items made from plastic.

Students in classrooms that feature more wood have lower heart rates and stress responses than students in classrooms featuring plastic and metal.

According to Planet Ark, the studies show that although many consumers aren’t aware of the health and wellbeing benefits of wood indoors, designers, architects, and contractors are getting on board with sustainable building practices. Sustainable building practices in homes and commercial settings integrate design and development techniques that improve energy, water, and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, reduce environmental impacts on the job site; and/or are accredited by a third party to the National Green Building Code, LEED for homes or some other green rating program.

Major Trends in the Use of Wood for Interior and Exterior Use

A convergence of five major trends enhances the case of wood buildings and wood interiors for economic, organizational, and human benefits:

Changes in construction codes allow for bigger and larger wooden buildings.
The public and big investors are urging the government to take action to combat climate change; while the spreading of green building certifications promotes sustainable development and building upgrades.
Employers who are concerned with enhancing the well-being of their employees are incorporating strategies to enhance indoor environmental quality.
A growing body of research documents the benefits of green buildings to health and productivity, particularly those using wood construction or finishing.
Corporate sustainability approaches tie environmental and human resource priorities more closely together.

A recent 2020 study conducted by Dodge Data & Analytics and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says the percentage of dedicated green single-family home builders has steadily grown from 18% in 2014 to 21% in 2019.

What is Biophilia?

The best proof of the human and organizational benefits of wood is based upon the biophilic properties of wood. Biophilia is the term coined by the Harvard naturalist Dr. Edward O. Wilson to describe what he saw as humanity’s “innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes,” and to be drawn toward nature, to feel an affinity for it, a love, a craving. When people come into contact with nature, their neural, physiological, and psychological responses contribute to lower tension, lower blood pressure, more relaxation, positive moods, and increased focus.

Biophilic design incorporates natural elements into the construction of buildings and their interiors. Wood is one of the few natural resources that can accomplish four important goals simultaneously: reduced carbon emissions; enhanced resilience in the life cycle of a building; improved well-being for the occupants; and increased organizational benefits from having safer, happier, and more efficient workers.

Custom reSAWN TIMBER co. custom shou sugi ban charred cypress — Edgeworth Economics – Washington, DC. reSAWN's MONOGATARI & CUSTOM Shou Sugi Ban Charred Cypress Wall Cladding.

Selecting wood as a construction and interior finishing material is easier than one might think. With many different species to choose from, there are plenty of options that’ll suit one’s construction needs and/or aesthetic desires. Some wood is optimal for insulation, others for acoustics, grain pattern, color, appearance, and others for structural frames, walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture.

reSAWN TIMBER co. - Hotel Del Coronado - San Diego - BARTEK — Hotel Del Coronado – Coronado, CA. reSAWN's BARTEK European White Oak Flooring.

At reSAWN TIMBER co., we value being stewards of the environment by working to source timber that is sustainably harvested, has wide and prolific availability, and is able to quickly rejuvenate. We provide wood species with low/zero VOC finishes & FSC options that have compelling environmental advantages over scarce slow-growing hardwoods, woods treated with toxic chemicals, and non-renewable carbon-intensive materials such as plastics, steel, and concrete. Our products can help with your next sustainable building project. If you’d like to learn more about how reSAWN TIMBER co. can assist, contact us today.

Samples are available for architects and designers at no cost and shipped via UPS Ground. Click on the button below to explore reSAWN’s complete product offering – sort by species, color, or application.

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Material Guide: The Benefits of Building with WILLIWAW