Special Textures
We live in a world where many people want to be or have something unique or they want to re-create an old-fashioned appearance or standard of quality. At RBM Lumber we live on old fashioned standards of quality - service and product. Largely due to our line-up of special textures we also have a unique strength in our ability to offer unique products as well as hard-to-get old fashioned products.
Not all textures are created equal. And, each texture has a specific function. Take circular sawn for example; the main point is to imitate lumber produced on old circular mills before band mills were invented. But if you take boards from such a mill and run them to a flooring pattern the floor will probably be too rough and un-even due to cupping during the drying process. So, it has become standard practice to re-texture and level the boards before running them to flooring. The problem here is that if the texture is too consistent it does a poor job of imitating the old look. At RBM we make a great effort to deal with this issue and many similar issues throughout our product lines, so you get the most authentic look and still have a functional product.
One advantage of a textured product other than aesthetics is that it is much easier to prepare for stain and finish because you don’t have sand out all the scratches and on flooring you don't have to level the boards. Any texture on a product will be greatly enhanced with a stain. RBM’s variety of textures is not unique but where we stand out is our ability to apply them to so many different products at your request. Recently, textured products (flooring, doors, trim/moldings, tongue and groove paneling, soffit, ceilings - almost anywhere wood is used) have become very popular for the reasons mentioned above. So, as you design your décor let your imagination run wild with all the possibilities, you’ll find at RBM Lumber!!! The following is a basic description of our various textures:
Smooth
Almost everybody is familiar with smooth finished wood floors and other products and they are still many peoples' preferred texture. Although not generally considered rustic, smooth products go well in rustic settings because wood is a natural substance.
Circular Sawn
Has the marks of a circular saw blade which is generally intended to imitate lumber that was cut in the early years of sawmilling. Products with this texture are generally considered quite rustic and have distinct advantages such as being easier to prepare for stain and finish and it helps hide abuse and distress like scratches and dents in a floor.
Band Sawn
Band sawn is like circular sawn but the saw marks are straight across the board instead of an arc. Although it has a very distinct look from circular sawn it is still very rustic and has the same advantages. In today's world of milling bandsaws are used much more than circle saws.
Skip Sanded
Skip sanded is a circle saw or band saw texture that has been run through the finish sander to lightly sand off the high parts of the texture. This creates the appearance of being worn and gives the product an aged look. It also breaks up the texture, so it is not so consistent and makes preparation for stain and finishing easier.
Wire Brushed
Wire brushed is a smooth product that has been run through a machine with stiff wire brushes which brush out the soft part of the wood grain. Staining a wire brushed texture greatly enhances the natural grain of the wood. Wire brushed is not considered rustic like circle and band sawn so is often used in contemporary and craftsman style homes. However, it also goes well in rustic settings because it is a naturel product.
Circle Saw and Band Saw/Wire Brushed
We run the circle and band saw textures through the wire brush machine which softens the texture and brings out the grain when it is stained.