Wainscoting Faqs

Wood is an organic material found as the primary content of the stems of woody plants, especially trees, but also shrubs. These perennial plants are characterised by stems that grow outward year after year. Dry wood is composed of fibers of cellulose (40%-50%) and hemicellulose (20%-30%) held together by lignin (25%-30%). Plants that do not produce wood are called ‘herbaceous’. Herbaceous (non-wood-producing) plants include all annual plants, many perennial plants, and most submerged and floating aquatic plants.

Wood is a hygroscopic, cellular and anisotropic material. It consists of different types of cells. Some cells are responsible for transport (tracheids), storage (parenchymen) and mechanical strength (libriform). The woody tissue is formed by the plant for structural purposes, and because it is an effective and efficient structural material, it is useful to humans.

When cut down and dried, wood is used for many different purposes. Wood has been an important construction material since humans began building shelters, and remains in plentiful use today. Construction wood is commonly known as timber in Commonwealth English, and lumber in American English. Artists and craftsmen shape and join pieces of wood with special tools, which is called woodworking or carpentry. Wood that is broken down into fibers is called pulp, which may then be made into paper.

In modern times, many of the traditional uses of wood may be filled by metal and plastics. Medium-density fibreboard, a product of woods, is also used as a cheap alternative to traditional woods.

Wood is commonly classified as either hardwood or softwood. The wood from conifers (e.g. pine) is called softwood, and the wood from broad-leaved trees (e.g. oak) is called hardwood. This classification is sometimes misleading, as some hardwoods (e.g. balsa) are actually softer than most softwoods, and conversely, some softwoods (e.g. yew) are harder than most hardwoods.

Additionally, woods from different types of trees have different colors and grain densities. Because of these differences, and the fact that some woods take longer to grow than others, wood from different kinds of trees have different qualities and values. For example, while mahogany is a dark, dense hardwood which is excellent for fine furniture crafting, balsa is light, soft, and almost spongelike, making it useful for model building.

Uses of Wood

Wood has many uses. Traditionally, wood has been used as the primary material in the construction of houses and other buildings. Brick was then used, and now concrete is also used.

Much furniture is produced from wood, mostly from hardwoods such as mahogany.

Perhaps the most important use of wood in terms of human development was the creation of fire. Fire wood is still used as a fuel to provide combustion with which to heat homes in many areas. If the wood is burnt in modern stoves, and new trees are grown to replace the trees that are taken from the forest, this can be a sustainable way of providing energy.

Pulpwood is made into paper.

Panelling is a wallcovering constructed from interlocking wooden components.

Panelling was developed in antiquity, to make rooms in stone buildings more comfortable. The panels serve to insulate the room from the cold stone.