Coniferous species, due to their low density, which provides good thermal insulation qualities, are optimal for the construction of houses for year-round use. But which is better: spruce or pine timber? Pine with a hard, well-tarred core and loose top part, straight trunk and high resistance to decay are most in demand in the manufacture of timber. This type of wood is mainly used to build residential buildings in Russia, Finland and other northern countries. But spruce is as close as possible to pine technical specifications, while having a soft core and a hard top layer. It is slightly more susceptible to rotting, but does not turn blue when exposed to moisture, unlike pine.

Advantages and disadvantages of spruce timber

The main characteristics of spruce are as follows:

• difficult processing due to increased knots, leading to higher prices for lumber;
• insignificant concentration of resins in the composition of wood, which causes low natural resistance to moisture, fungi, and insects;
• a white tint that does not change over time, and a uniform fiber structure that make the material optimal for finishing work.

Spruce is optimally suited for the production of curved elements; it is used in the construction of gazebos and bathhouses. Mass of spruce in progress chamber drying is significantly reduced, therefore, with the same standard sizes, spruce lumber is lighter than pine, which allows saving on the construction of the foundation. Spruce is highly susceptible to deformation during the drying process, so it will be moved without resistance using clamps. The knotty nature of spruce is a significant drawback, which leads to a ban on its use in load-bearing structures (knots that fall out when drying negatively affect strength). However, industrial spruce, harvested in the northern regions of the country (Arkhangelsk, Vologda), is practically free of such disadvantages: it has long and even trunks, and the lower part contains a small number of tightly fitting knots. When choosing spruce timber, carefully read the manufacturer’s documentation, find out about the place and period of timber harvesting ( quality materials prepared in winter).

Advantages and disadvantages of pine timber

The advantages of pine are associated with its high strength and resistance to moisture and fungal infections, which is due to the high concentration of resins in the composition. It is easy to process, malleable (due to this, finished materials are inexpensive) and suitable for making products complex shapes. The advantages of wood are:

• the possibility of manufacturing timber with different sections (the thicker the lumber, the warmer the building built from it);
• chamber-dried pine practically does not shrink, is not subject to deformation, and is most resistant to torsional forces;
• high material strength at medium density, as well as the small weight of the timber, make it possible to save money during construction by arranging lightweight foundations;
• the pronounced structure and rich shade of wood determine the construction of houses from timber with minimal decorative finishing(it is enough to treat the materials with tinted varnish to emphasize natural beauty invoices).

Pine timber is excellent for the construction of residential buildings, installation rafter systems, used as roof support beams. But over time, pine wood darkens and acquires a reddish tint, which is not observed in spruce. At the same time, pine is drier, harder and less susceptible to rotting.

Decorated shop windows, counters littered with New Year's souvenirs, and the general festive bustle of fun along with good mood. This is everyone's favorite holiday - New Year, which takes an honorable first place in terms of the duration and scale of the celebration. For every person New Year's Eve– opportunity to start new life, and leave all mistakes and troubles in the past..

Now it is impossible to imagine the New Year without the main symbol of the holiday - the traditional spruce. People decorate christmas tree with elegant toys, garlands and tinsel - decorating the New Year tree often turns into a favorite family ritual. And then a cozy and warm holiday atmosphere comes to the house. But increasingly, the choice is leaning towards New Year’s pine. Let's figure out what to buy for the celebration: a Christmas tree or a pine tree and how to make the right New Year's choice?

Traditional spruce is the choice of most.

The decision to buy a Christmas tree for the New Year has many positive aspects.

1. This is a New Year's classic! It is about the Christmas tree that children sing songs; it is customary to look for gifts “under the Christmas tree”, and not under the “New Year’s pine”

2. The smell of wood also plays an important role when choosing: a thick, pine aroma will delight you for a long time.

3. And lastly, spruce is very convenient for transportation. There is also a drawback: the needles that the fluffy beauty will shed throughout her stay in the house will have to be removed.


Pine is an excellent alternative to the classic New Year tree.

Firstly, this affordable price for different segments of the population. It is more difficult and longer to grow a Christmas tree than a pine tree, so they are sold somewhat more expensive. Also, pine has very clear lines of branches, which in most cases are located evenly and beautifully opposite each other.

One of the main advantages of pine is the ability to decorate it without unnecessary problems and troubles. Tree branches can easily support the weight of any New Year's toys. In addition to everything, it will last an order of magnitude longer and practically does not crumble.

But there are also disadvantages - an abundant release of resin, which is not so easy to wash off from the floor and walls. The scent of the forest beauty is many times stronger than spruce - some may find the smell pungent. And also large sizes wood, which is why it cannot be placed in every apartment.

Once you have made your choice, when purchasing, follow a number of simple steps to choose a good Christmas tree.
1. First of all, carefully examine the needles: their color should not be yellow or dark brown.

2. Pay attention to the cut of the wood - it should be smooth and clean. The branches of a fresh Christmas tree or pine tree should not break.

3. Lift the tree you like and lightly hit it on the floor: “a lot of needles have fallen off - we’re looking for another option.”

4. And finally, sniff the aroma - it should be slightly tart, but not harsh. It is better to choose a New Year's tree in advance.

Decide on the dimensions of the apartment, the location of the forest beauty and go to the market or to the forest - to the pre-holiday bazaar for a New Year's pine or Christmas tree.

To answer this question objectively, one should consider the representatives coniferous species in more detail and regarding their “usefulness” for construction and comfort in general. The table below is not intended to compare both trees, but clearly demonstrates the real qualities of the varieties of lumber for construction. After studying this information, you can draw a conclusion about the advisability of purchasing one or another type.

Table of real qualities of spruce and pine

If the information is not enough, you can always turn to competent sources for clarification. Given below detailed description each item in the table. So:

Useful properties of the rock for private construction	Spruce	Pine
Color	White	From bright yellow to brick
Shade stability	High	Changes to a more intense shade
Fiber structure	Uniform	Pronounced
Natural humidity	12%	12%
Resin content	Low	High
Knotiness	A large number of small	A small number of large
Natural protection against rotting	Average	High and even exceptional, depending on the variety
Sineva	Doesn't turn blue	This effect wears off over time
Machining	Difficult due to large quantity knots	Any
Scope of use	Baths, gazebos, furniture	Residential buildings, log houses, frame
Price	From 2500 rub/m³	Up to 4000 rub/m³

General qualities include the longevity of the material and finished log house. Some of them can stand for at least 300 years. It is worth paying attention to the diameters of the trunks; the larger, the warmer - spruce cannot boast of this, but pine, on the contrary.

So, what kind of wood is best to build a house from? Spruce, pine or pay attention to other species? The answers from the table are given below.

Fiber color and structure

This is what attracts customers visually and leaves a mark in their memory. From this point of view, a house made of pine is more attractive than a log house made of spruce, which has a single shade that does not change over time. The variety of colors from sunny to ocher is appreciated by true aesthetes.

However, buyers are put off by the blue. They consider this an indicator of rot. People! This is wrong! This only indicates the freshness of the cut and over time the pine will become beautiful, and even change shades.

And a house made of spruce, like all wood, will become dark from humidity and nothing more. Annual rings delight the eye with their unusual pattern - this fact applies to pine. Spruce cannot boast of this - its structure is uniform and invisible due to its color.

Humidity

It is almost the same in both breeds. But it is worth remembering that the time of cutting makes a difference - if it is done in winter, then there will be no complaints. Summer harvesting is fraught with distortions and large shrinkage in the future.

This applies to a greater extent to pine. Spruce, without proper resistance through clamps, leads and bends during drying; it is susceptible to this to a greater extent than pine.

Resinousness and knotiness

In addition to sloppiness, this effect has another unpleasant and, frankly speaking, destructive feature - it will not allow our lungs to breathe, clogging the pores with sticky vapors. You only need to inhale the decoction of pine needles, not the resin. Therefore, choosing a spruce log for a house will be futile, but for a bathhouse it will be just right.

But sometimes abundant knottiness is a design find. This technique can be used using different cladding on facades or as decoration of the inside of a bathhouse. By arranging such patterns relatively symmetrically, the owner will receive an exclusive object, causing the envy of the neighbors.

Rot protection

Coniferous trees, unlike deciduous trees, excluding oak, always contain a high concentration of their own protective solutions. They prevent the spread of pathogenic bacteria, mold, rot and provide a good barrier to rodents. However, this property is more pronounced in pine than in spruce.

This is due to the fact that the continuous channels along which the “immunity” moves are longer than those of spruce, where knottiness still interrupts their flow. The Christmas tree house will have to be processed protective compounds earlier than from pine.

The owner of the material should remember that upon delivery of raw materials to the construction site, it must be processed before warehousing and storage begins - construction does not take place in one day. After processing, the logs or beams are placed on supports, without contact with each other, and covered with styrene film from precipitation. From time to time it is removed and the material is ventilated.

Mechanical and manual processing ability

It is high in both breeds, since the structures are soft. But nevertheless, neat cuts and saw cuts are best tolerated by pine, but chipping and sanding are best tolerated by fir trees. It all depends on the desired end result and the intended product.

Both breeds produce exceptionally beautiful, twisted furniture, valued in the West. Manual cutting is not difficult at all, if only the master has the skill to handle a saw and an ax. This, by the way, can play a cruel joke on an inexperienced builder - he is quite capable of snatching a large piece of wood, so proceed with caution.

Scope of use

It is extensive - you can build a house from pine or fir trees, make furniture, arrange gazebos, bathhouses, wells. However, for residential buildings, pine is the priority; for all others, you can use Christmas tree. This advice is for those who are trying to reduce the cost of building an entire complex on a site.

Lumber from the described species

Budget construction using wood is quite possible without using solid wood. We are talking about timber or frame construction. Agree, using a frame is much more profitable than using a whip.

Used for sewing wall panels or the same lumber from the selected species, costing several times less than solid raw materials. In this case frame house made from fir or pine has the same advantages when it comes to appearance.

But from a constructive point of view, the presence of inclusions in the wood is of great importance. It is strictly forbidden to use spruce for load-bearing supports, keeping in mind that when dry, knots tend to fall out, thereby reducing strength. Therefore, it is worth purchasing it for cladding, or using spruce timber for a house on the horizontal planes of a frame object.

Not always practical advice influence consumer choice. But he should take into account that the construction of a residential building is not only external beauty, but also a great responsibility. Before starting construction and choosing raw materials, you need to ask yourself the question: will the family be able to afford the maintenance of a wooden object, which is sometimes very expensive.

Log house - traditional look construction of a Russian bathhouse, and often during its construction preference is given to coniferous wood. But they all have their own characteristic features Therefore, the durability and comfort of use of the building in the future depends on the correct choice of material.

Qualities of pine logs

This species has a wide growing area, second only to larch, which, combined with the properties of its wood, makes it the most popular material for log bathhouses. Pine has a high yield of industrial wood, and burs predominantly produce smooth, even trunks. The core of the tree is red-brown in color, and the outer layers are light yellow.

Advantages of pine:

• High strength with low weight;
• Ease of processing;
• Minor shrinkage without cracking;
• Not a very high concentration of resins;
• The ability to release beneficial properties when heated essential oils with a pleasant aroma;
• Reasonable price.

The disadvantages of pine include some difficulty in impregnation with protective compounds due to the content of resins in the wood.

Properties of spruce logs

Practical and economical for construction, this breed is quite widespread. To the east of the Urals grows Siberian spruce, to the west - European spruce, which practically do not differ in quality. The cut wood has a pinkish or yellowish tint and exhibits annual rings of varying thickness.

Advantages of spruce:

• Quite durable, soft wood with low weight;
• Good properties heat saving;
• Durability of structures;
• Releases a pleasant and distinctive resinous odor when heated.

Disadvantages of spruce logs:

• Quite significant shrinkage, which over time can provoke the appearance of deep cracks;
• The trunks are not as straight as those of pine;
• Many branches and twigs;
• Abundant resin content, long time released to the surface.

Comparative analysis

The thermal conductivity of the materials is approximately the same. In spruce, due to the higher air content in the wood, this figure is slightly higher. But pine walls can be much thicker, since the diameter of the tree trunks of this species is larger.

The durability indicators of spruce are lower due to high moisture absorption, which can provoke the occurrence of fungi, mold, and rotting. The resin content in its wood is lower, and, accordingly, their release into the atmosphere is also lower.

Note! The evenness and smoothness of the trunks greatly simplifies the processing of pine. The difficulty of working with spruce is due to the knotty nature of the species, but this is compensated by the high decorative qualities of the log house.

Both types of wood darken in approximately the same time, but untreated special compounds the pine gradually acquires a more intense brownish-red hue. This problem can be solved by decorative cladding or the use of special impregnations.

Important! Wood treatment compositions must be safe for health, not melt when heated, and not emit odors or toxic substances!

The ability of spruce to absorb and remove moisture outside causes greater “dryness” of bathhouse structures than those made of pine, which is at the same time subject to “blueing.”

The price of both types of wood is approximately equal, and they can be easily combined provided that healthy raw materials are chosen and correct preparation logs For example, pine - optimal material for devices exposed to strong humidity lower crowns, and spruce is ideal for constructing the upper part of walls, since it has high heat-saving and decorative qualities.

Selection of lumber for construction

The recommended period for purchasing wood is winter, since the logs must be aged for at least a month before construction. If possible, it is advisable to purchase material harvested in the northern regions - it is characterized by maximum density and minimal susceptibility to cracking and rotting.

Signs of quality logs:

• No rot or wormholes;
• Minimum number of knots;
• Evenness of shade;
• Constant diameter along the entire length;
• Clarity of the pattern on the cut;
• Minimum trunk curvature;
• The shade of the core is darker than the color of the outer layers.

Advice! To determine the quality of the log, you need to lightly hit the cut with the butt of an ax - the tool should bounce back, making a ringing sound.

The correct choice of material, along with proper assembly, guarantees that the result will be a durable and attractive-looking log bathhouse with an ideal microclimate for healing the body.

We are often faced with a choice of which similar finishing materials will be optimal in a given case. This applies to any material; finishing elements for finishing work are selected especially carefully. You can’t ignore the choice of eurolining. Moreover, now this material has become an alternative to many types of coating for any premises. And no wonder, eurolining has many positive qualities not only in terms of practicality, but also appearance.

Definition

Eurolining – wood material, which has a number of advantages. This is a material that, if properly processed, can withstand high and low temperatures without damage, does not succumb to moisture and does not deteriorate over time. An important point is natural color wood and its resistance to ultraviolet radiation. Even in bright sun most of the day, the coating will not become unusable. The color of the eurolining will remain the same, not to mention the properties.

Another advantage that the material has is its ease of installation. Thanks to special technology The lock is tongue and groove, installation will take much less time. Moreover, for of this type For linings, there are special fasteners - clamps, which greatly facilitate the task and firmly and reliably fix the material. This does not require any holes, which naturally affects the strength and integrity of the panels.

Choice

And yet, despite many excellent properties and positive experience in finishing various rooms, the choice remains with the type of lining and the type of material from which it consists. Since the most common eurolining is made of coniferous wood, let’s consider the choice between spruce and pine. Some say that needles are no different from each other, but in fact they have a lot of differences, and let's see what they are.

Raw materials

First of all, the differences between eurolining made from spruce and pine will lie in the very characteristics of the material, that is, wood. Let's look at them in more detail.

Spruce

The wood of this tree is homogeneous white. Sometimes you come across a slightly yellowish and pinkish tint. However, this applies to young spruce trees; later wood has a darkish tint. Its knots are dark and small, the core rays are not visible. This tree is more difficult to process due to the hardness of the knots, which can affect the cost. The content of the substance that imparts strength in spruce is 25.5%. The thermal qualities of spruce are slightly higher than those of pine, due to the looseness of the material. Spruce is less resinous, which means the smell of the tree will not be as bright as that of pine.

Pine

This is a sound breed coniferous trees. That is, pine has a slightly pinkish core with resin passages. Its smell is more intense precisely because of the release of resins. Rotten and rotten knots are much more common in pine. They are called tobacco because of their brownish color. When processing wood, these knots are practically ground into powder due to their loose structure. The wood itself is harder and drier, unlike spruce. Also thanks natural properties pine is less susceptible to the development of fungus and mold. But with proper processing of the lining, as well as with proper organization ventilation in the room, both materials will not be susceptible to the development of harmful microorganisms.

Pine contains a slightly higher amount of lignin, a substance that gives strength to the material. In percentage terms, it is 28.9, which is slightly more than that of spruce. However, the indicator is not very significant.

Classes

It must be said that an important difference between eurolining made of any material is the classes or grade. They condition it appearance and basic characteristics. The following varieties are divided:

• "Extra";

The lowest grade – grade “C” – allows for the presence of small knots, unpolished surfaces and small cracks. Most often this material is used for finishing for painting.

In conclusion, it remains to add that it is very important correct processing materials. Especially an antiseptic, since pine, for example, has the ability to acquire a bluish tint.