WESTERN HEMLOCK

Western Hemlock is typically found on the Pacific North West coast of North America and is one of the most valuable sources of lumber in the northern hemisphere and is the largest of the hemlock species. Specimens range from 90 to 150 feet tall and 3 to 4.5 feet wide, though some specimens have been known to grow to heights of 250 feet and diameters approaching 9 feet. The wood is usually odorless when dry and free of resin.

The heartwood and sapwood of western hemlock are almost white with a purplish tinge. Dark streaks are often found in the lumber; these are caused by hemlock bark maggots and generally do not reduce strength. Western Hemlock is moderately light in weight and moderate in strength. It is moderate in its hardness, stiffness, and shock resistance. The wood is intermediate in nail holding ability and has a tendency to split when nailed. It grows along the Pacific coast of Oregon and Washington and in the northern Rocky Mountains north to Canada and Alaska. Occasionally it will contain a sound and small, black pin knot and dark bark streaks. Clear vertical grain lumber milled from hemlock is fine textured, straight-grained, free of pitch and it splinters less than other softwoods. These characteristics make it an excellent wood for molding, millwork and a large variety of interior paneling products.

reSAWN TIMBER co. chose Western Hemlock for interior applications due to its impeccably straight uniform grain structure, fine texture, and its creamy white to light gold color, which lends itself to a modern clean aesthetic. And, it’s a great option for an affordable, aesthetically pleasing, high grade, vertical grain material.

Many of our interior Western Hemlock clear vertical grain (CVG) designs are finished in beautiful grey tones. The palette authentically aligns with the look of exterior wood cladding that has weathered to a silver grey naturally over time, such as reSAWN’s pre-weathered clear vertical grain Western Red Cedar and Alaskan Yellow Cedar designs.  These materials are appropriate for interior wall & ceiling cladding. They can be used for exterior applications on PROTECTED surfaces such as soffits to achieve a seamless interior/exterior aesthetic.

reSAWN’s Western Hemlock collection includes a CHARRED Shou Sugi Ban design, KITTITAS and several non-CHARRED designs: MASON, GRAYS HARBOR , LEWIS, SNOHOMISH and BENTON 2.0. All products are available for sampling and specification.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF WESTERN HEMLOCK

• • • From a design perspective it accepts finishes and shou sugi ban charring with excellent results, allowing for modern design aesthetics to be achieved.
    • Strong, stable, straight-grained timber that is available in long lengths.
    • Its wide and prolific availability and its ability to quickly rejuvenate makes this species very sustainable.
    • Available as FSC-certified.
    • Most designs can be fire treated to Class A for interior projects.
    • There is typically little color variation between the heartwood and sapwood. They are often indistinguishable from one another.

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