Surfacing: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

Before planing

The standard surface texture for glulam material of Industrial, Architectural, and Premium grades is a smooth surfaced finish. This can be done by sanding or by planing - different manufacturers are typically set up to do one or the other as standard on all members. At Unalam we have a large surface planer (possibly the largest in North America,) so a planed finish is standard.

After planing

It is important not to mix finishes (the entire surface should be planed or the entire surface sanded) because stain will take differently and there will be a different surface sheen. These differences would be apparent in the finished building. Where areas are repaired with plugs or refinished by hand, those spots should again be hand planed or sanded to match. 

The one exception is end grain, which is not practical to plane so is always sanded if finished. The texture and taking of stain in end grain will always differ from the finished side surfaces, so this is not a concern.