FAQ – Answers to frequently asked questions

Premium has established itself as the term for the best grading in the German timber trade. FAS (first and second) is the international standard for the best sorting. The wood quality indicates how low the proportion of quality-reducing features in the product is. Cracks and knotholes may only occur to a very small extent on the A-side of the decking boards with the best grading, but cannot be ruled out.

In addition, as a natural raw material, every wooden product is unique. Unlike industrially manufactured goods, no two decking boards are the same. The wood pattern, knots and color vary even if the origin and type of wood are the same. Please bear this in mind when selecting the material. Find out about the specific properties of the different types of wood and how to install them correctly.

You can find out more about the quality of decking wood in our decking advice:

The lifespan of a terrace basically depends on three factors. Firstly, the choice of wood, secondly the structural design and thirdly the use and weathering. Service life describes the period of time until structural damage occurs. It is normal for the wood to change in appearance and for small cracks to appear from time to time.

An initial guide to the choice of wood species is the durability class. The durability class (according to DIN) indicates how long the wood species will last when used outdoors. There are big differences here. Teak and Cumaru, for example, fall into class 1, which means that they can be expected to last around 25 years. Domestic woods do not last as long. Larch, for example, falls into durability class 3, which corresponds to a service life of 10-15 years.

In addition to the resistance class, constructive wood protectionmakes a decisive contribution to the service life of the decking. The construction of a terrace should be guided by two objectives: The wood must be properly screwed together to prevent the boards from warping, and the decking should be able to be well circulated by air so that the wood can always dry properly. This means that the distance between the screws must not be more than 50 cm and the ends of the boards should not hang in the air without being screwed down. Attention should also be paid to a sensible installation height and the necessary joint spacing as well as sufficient distance from fixed structures. Caution with cladding: when cladding the sides of terraces, care must be taken to ensure that sufficient air can circulate under the terrace.

The service life also depends on the regional climate and the intensity of weathering. If the patio is completely exposed to the elements in rainy, humid regions, it is exposed to far greater stress than in drier regions or if it is covered.

The intensity of use also plays a role in the service life of the decking. Heavy use of the decking, for example for commercial use, contributes to significantly faster wear of the wood than use in a private garden.

All of the above factors play a role in the service life of a terrace. The stated service life is therefore a guide value.

Find out more about the durability of wooden decking in our decking advice:

Under certain conditions, a wooden deck is not particularly high-maintenance. Unless, for example, you want to preserve the color of the wood for as long as possible. Then you should oil twice a year. Or the location of the patio means that it is particularly dirty after the winter months. It should then be cleaned with a patio cleaner.

Wood is a natural product. The occurrence of its natural properties and characteristics cannot always be determined, even with the most careful sorting. The "Premium" classification with an A and B side also includes the following wood-typical properties and does not constitute a defect. The properties have no negative influence on the quality of the goods.

Interlocking growth: the growth characteristic of tropical wood creates a dynamic structure and can sometimes cause wood fibers to stand up - because the direction of growth changes. Especially with the Cumaru wood species. Sanding the affected areas will make the rough surfaces smooth again.

Coloring: The wood color within a wood species can vary greatly. It often depends on the nutrients in the soil. Through our sample dispatch and our customer gallery, we try to convey as good an impression as possible of the wood colors of the individual wood species. Nevertheless, a single sample cannot be fully representative of a wood species. Not all decking boards look the same.

Swelling and shrinkage behavior: Wood expands and contracts. Depending on the weather and the associated temperature and humidity. The dimensions given correspond to the condition after processing in the sawmill. This was preceded by three months of drying in closed drying rooms at a constant temperature. The so-called chamber drying ensures that the swelling and shrinkage behavior remains manageable: approx. +/- 3 mm depending on the type of wood. Millimeter-precise planning for a terrace therefore makes no sense. Warping can also occur during transportation or storage on site. In the vast majority of cases, this is not a problem. Wood is not an industrial product.

Bleeding: Substances may escape from the wood - depending on the type of wood. With the types of wood we offer, this phenomenon only occurs in very rare cases.

Odor: Odors are perceived very differently. The wood smell of Cumaru, for example, is described by some people as extremely strong, while others enjoy the pleasant "vanilla scent" of the same wood from the same batch. It is undisputed that most types of wood give off an odor. The extent of this also depends on the conditions on site: how often it rains and how quickly the terrace dries out. What you can rely on, however, is that sooner or later the smell of the wood will diminish. However, it cannot be ruled out that the wood will initially give off an odor.

Rough spots, structure: The structure of individual wood species can be described well. Cumaru is somewhat more dynamic and robust, garapa has a homogeneous structure and teak is supple and varies in color between light and dark. However, the planks of one type of wood can look very different. Wood fibers may also form after some time. These are not planing defects but a typical wood characteristic - for example in the Cumaru wood species. However, these rough spots can be easily treated with sandpaper or will wear off with use. Structural characteristics of the wood species do not always appear equally on every plank. A single plank is always just a section of the whole tree.

Knottiness: Trees have knots and you can see this in the wood. There should be no continuous knotholes in the "Premium" grade. However, "premium" does not exclude the visibility - even if only to a small extent - of knottiness.

Mold and fungal growth: One of the unique selling points of tropical woods is that they are particularly resistant to pests, mold and fungal infestation. This means that tropical wood decays and molds much less quickly than domestic wood species. This is why it is preferably used outdoors. However, this does not mean that mold and fungal infestation are impossible with tropical woods. Depending on the region and environment, flying algae, fungi and stains can occur on site for a variety of reasons. In the vast majority of cases, these problems can be remedied with decking cleaner, impregnation or sanding.

Pinholes, shot holes: Small holes in the floorboards can occur. So-called pinholes are tolerable to a certain degree according to DIN standard 4074 on the permissibility of wormholes. The decisive factor here is that it is not a current worm infestation. These holes are caused by the ambrosia beetle, which is a fresh wood insect. Acute infestation of seasoned wood is excluded and does not impair the strength properties or durability of the wood.

Warping and crooked planks: Wood is a natural product and can warp due to swelling and shrinkage. The denser a type of wood is, the more likely it is to warp. The risk of warping in most tropical woods is therefore relatively high in the unscrewed state. This means that even if the planks leave the Betterwood warehouse straight, one or two planks may arrive with a bend. Planks of over three meters are never 100% straight, regardless of this. However, none of this is a problem in decking construction: slight curvatures can be compensated for when screwing the boards together by pushing them towards each other (if necessary, use tensioning straps to pull the board in question towards the previous board). Most curvatures are therefore tolerable and cannot be ruled out. If the curvature is more than 1 cm per running meter, please contact us.

Cracking: In a natural product such as wood, weathering - wet, cold and dry - can cause tension in the material, resulting in cracks. Cracks at the ends of the planks and hairline cracks on the surface are typical of wood. The risk of end cracks can be reduced with end edge wax. Surface tension can be reduced by oiling the planks. Even over the course of up to 25 years of the outdoor decking boards' service life, cracks in the boards cannot be avoided.

Machinability: Tropical woods have a higher wood density than native woods. Hardwood saw blades are recommended for clean cuts. Visible screws in the floorboards should be pre-drilled. Screw connections in the substructure should also be pre-drilled.

Sapwood: The trunks of all trees contain sapwood. The proportion depends on the species, age and growing conditions. In most species, it is an approximately 3 to 5 cm wide sheath of light-colored wood that encloses the heartwood. It is particularly susceptible to fungal and insect infestation when damp. Premium grade decking boards can also have a sapwood content. However, it should not be higher than 5% on the A-side.

To reduce the risk of warping of decking wood, the unprocessed wood is dried. Before the logs are processed in the sawmill, they are stored in drying halls at a constant, warm temperature for around three months, depending on the type of wood. The technically dried wood is processed and has a residual moisture content of approx. 14% (+/- 2%). This corresponds to the moisture content of wood outdoors in our latitudes. This means that the decking boards are not under as much pressure to adapt to the European climate, which reduces the risk of warping.

No. Betterwood decking boards are planed smooth on all sides. This is completely sufficient for most requirements. However, we offer to sand the top side of the decking boards.

No. All terrace timbers are untreated. The wood should only be oiled once the terrace has been completed, the wooden tiles or elements have been laid and the teak boards have been installed. Oiling is the final step.

With wooden decking boards in lengths of three, four, five or six meters, it is not possible to guarantee that they are always 100% straight. There are differences between the types of wood: teak has virtually no tendency to warp, most other types of wood more or less, depending on the wood density. This is generally not a problem in decking construction: slight curvatures can be compensated for when screwing the boards together by pushing them towards each other (if necessary, use tensioning straps to pull the board in question towards the previous board). Most curvatures are therefore tolerable and cannot be ruled out. If the average curvature of the entire plank is more than 1.5 percent, please contact us.

Wood lives and works. It releases moisture and absorbs moisture. This is why semi-finished wood products such as decking boards are subject to certain dimensional tolerances. The specified width and thickness indicate production dimensions. If the wood moisture changes due to changing weather conditions, the wood expands or contracts. This can cause it to deform, twist or bend.

The following also applies: The specified lengths are minimum lengths. The planks can therefore sometimes be a few centimeters longer than stated in the product description. The background to this is that sometimes end cracks occur at the ends of the floorboards. Due to the slight excess length, it is always possible to cut the planks to length without any loss of dimension.

The teak panels have a dimensional accuracy in thickness, width and length of +/- 2 mm.

DIn principle, any wood can splinter. However, the risk is distributed very differently for the individual types of wood for outdoor use. Teak wood undoubtedly has the lowest risk of splintering. Cumaru is somewhat more susceptible to splintering due to its interlocked growth and extremely high wood density. With Cumaru, however, wood fibers that can stand up are part of the wood's typical properties. They either fall off over time because the terrace is walked on, or they can be easily removed by sanding the surface.

Yellow, red, brown - there are very different descriptions of the wood color for Cumaru. However, it is always a botanical tree species: Cumaru. The wood color of the Cumaru tree is created by the nutrients present in the soil. Decking boards that come from the same region are therefore more similar in terms of wood color. In other regions, a different coloration may occur. However, Cumaru from the same region is often very different in color. Even the planks from one tree trunk can have different shades of color. Betterwood sources Cumaru from one region, but we do not sort by color. You can get a good impression of the color spectrum of our Cumaru decking boards in our customer gallery:

Only D4 glue is used for the glued products. This is suitable for decades of high moisture exposure, free from formaldehyde, food-safe and waterproof.