By Luke Drew | Kitome

There’s a whole range of different types of timber out there. Finding which is best for your home can be difficult. Environmental impact, style, and price are just a few of the key considerations that go into this decision.

These factors aren’t just the burden of the consumer. We, the construction companies, take such things into consideration too. For example, did you know, embodied carbon emissions in the construction sector account for over 23 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Australia? As the construction industry grows, it is increasingly important that we consider this impact, and therefore the materials we use. Style is important too, so we take pride in offering a range of design options. Of course, price plays a part too. We want to cater to a whole range of customers, family types and budgets.

As a proud Australian company, Kitome cares about the impact our designs have on the environment, individual style, and your wallet. And we know our friends at Hume Doors & Timber feel the same.

You can have your dream house without harming the environment or breaking the bank. Hume Doors provides our customers with access to a great building material – timber. 

Wood/timber is the only renewable building material available to businesses like ours. Processing timber uses much less energy, because it is a natural product. It also carries a significantly lower carbon footprint than most other building materials. Wood removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores the carbon that the growing trees have removed from the air (about 50 per cent of the dry weight of wood is carbon). 

So, the question is, when building your own dream home with Kitome, why wouldn’t you use the only renewable building material available? 

Benefits of timber

Beyond tackling climate change, timber is:

• A durable material for both homes and commercial buildings. When properly looked after it can last hundreds of years.
• A natural insulating safe material that creates a barrier between heat and cold. As an insulator, wood is 15 times better than masonry and concrete, 400 times better than steel, and 1,770 times better than aluminium!
• Good for your body and brain. Timber has measurable health benefits, similar to those created by spending time in nature.
• Still a combustible material. Timber burns in a slow, predictable, and measurable way – making it a suitable material for the Australian climate. These factors see timber perform strongly against fire, and gives designers the ability to confidently create strong, durable, fire-resistant timber constructions. Plus, with timber distributors like Hume, pairing this with the latest in door technology provides even more safety. Hume offers a range of bushfire resistant doors that comply to BAL40, BAL 19 and BAL29 conditions.

When you consider the benefits of timber, coupled with the excellence in manufacturing promise from Hume Doors & Timber, timber is the best choice. Especially when it comes time to decide what material you should use when building a new home with Kitome. 

Pinetrim Plus Primed

Pinetrim is one of the types of timber you may consider for your new home. This material is created by milling, kiln drying and docking. This removes all knots and visible imperfections. The finger-jointed timber ensures increased stability. The result is a straight, clear, and defect-free product – perfect for use as skirting boards and architraves around your home. 

Why use Pinetrim Plus Primed?

• Two primer coats make it ready for finishing 
• Prole sanded gives a smooth finish 
• It’s easy to cut and machine 
• Pinetrim uses standard woodworking tools 
• The result is clear of defects 
• It’s a natural product 
• This timber is sourced 100% from plantations

PinetrimXT – H3 treated pine

Kitome never sacrifices quality. That’s why we are particularly excited about Hume’s PinetrimXT – H3 treated pine product. A checmical solution biologically treats these pines. This solution contains two components: fungicide and insecticide.

This process ensures preservatives are forced deep into the timber, treating the pine. This gives it a long-term resistance to decay, insects and other wood-destroying organisms. This effective and lasting protection of pine enables it to be used in many applications. It’s shown to outlive untreated and naturally durable timbers in exposed conditions. 

While words like fungicide and insecticide may not sound so glamorous, the effects of pine really are. Kitome aims to design quality homes that are built to last, with products like this, this aim can truly become a reality. 

Why use PinetrimXT or Pinetrim Raw Treated Pine?

• It’s pest resistant 
• Rot and fungus are less likely to impact it 
• Suitable for ground external use 
• It’s easy to cut and machine 
• The timber uses standard woodworking tools 
• It’s clear of defects 
• The product comes pre-primed for painting 
• Plantations provide 100 per cent of this material

Meranti

Meranti is a durable, soft to medium-density hardwood. It features soft characteristics, making it perfect for decorative purposes such as mouldings, doors, panelling, joinery, and window frames. Meranti has a straight grain with few colour variations. It blends from reddish to golden brown, with grey and yellow highlights. Hume uses Meranti timber in a range of their entrance frames – including Pivot, Smart Entry, and Weatherguard – and loose jambs. Customised Hume Doors products may feature Meranti, at the customer’s request.

Why use Meranti?

• It’s natural and warm 
• Meranti is strong and durable
• It’s straight grain and colour variation
• Meranti is easy to cut and machine 
• This product can use standard woodworking tools 
• Meranti is moisture resistance 

Silktrim

Silktrim is a high moisture-resistant medium-density fibreboard (HMR-MDF). Because it is a high grade, composite material, Silktrim performs well in many areas. MDF is machine dried and pressed to produce a dense and stable product. Recycled wood fibres and resin make up this material. Silktrim is for internal use only.

Why use Silktrim?

• The two primer coats make it ready for finishing
• The prole-sanding process offers a silky smooth finish 
• Silktrim is easy to cut and machine 
• It uses standard woodworking tools 
• Silktrim is clear of defects 
• High-moisture resistance means Silktrim performs well in humidity
• It stands up well to changes in temperature

Choosing timber for your home

Building a new home can be exciting, but when it comes to making big decisions, you’ll notice there are a wide range of options available. Different types of timber make for variety in the market. With timber, you not only have to choose the material that suits your style and the style of your home, but timber that’s cost effective and sustainably sourced. That’s a lot of pressure!

Kitome provides everyday people with the opportunity to build quality designer homes, suited for their taste and budget. You can be sure that we know what it takes to build a quality house. That’s why, when it comes to timber, we trust Hume Doors & Timber. 

Hume Doors & Timber put manufacturing excellence at the core of every piece of timber. Every door they build and every product they create, is driven by a relentless pursuit for perfection.

As two proudly Australian owned and operated companies, we are in touch with the environment and its people, helping us to create masterpieces that don’t compromise on quality or harm the environment. Get in touch with Kitome and ask about our Hume Doors products.