Assessment and repair of structural timber

TRADA image

Repairs become necessary when a building is no longer safe or serviceable for its intended purpose, or to restore or improve its appearance, performance or function.

 

Timber structures can be repaired using traditional all-timber methods, mechanical fasteners and adhesives, but only following survey and assessment that take account of the structures condition and intended use.

 

Historic structures demand appraisal by specialists. Their advice about the scope and extent of any survey will lead to significant savings in construction time and cost. Their specialist knowledge of non-destructive techniques will minimise disruption and allow the inspection to proceed with the minimum of opening up works during the preliminary phase of the building investigation.

 

This Wood Information Sheet (WIS) looks at why a structure may require repair, how the survey and assessment are carried out and the repair methods available.

 

It has been updated in July 2015 with minor amendments to the text to cite the latest British Standards and other references.

 

Contents:

  • The need for repair
  • Survey and assessment
  • The survey
  • The assessment
  • Repair methods

Suggested Reading

Non-destructive testing of timbernavigation-arrow

Non-destructive testing (NDT) may be defined as 'any means of determining the properties of a material, without causing significant changes to those properties'. This definition permits some degree of damage, providing the performance of the material, in this case timber, is not affected.

This Wood Information Sheet is an...

09/06/2014 |  Wood Information Sheet  

What wood is thatnavigation-arrow

Nick Clifford puts timber samples under the microscope.

Article from the TRADA Timber Industry Yearbook 2014

01/01/2014 |  Magazine Article  

Assessing structural timber elementsnavigation-arrow

In this extract from BM TRADA's Best practice guide to Timber in high-specification buildings, Dr John Williams discusses what to consider when assessing the condition of existing structural timber elements in refurbishment or conversion works.

Article from TRADA Timber Industry Yearbook 2015

01/01/2015 |  Magazine Article