Glulam Wood, Appearance and Finish Options: Part 2

Surface Finishes

Stains and sealers
We recommend all glulam members receive a factory coat of penetrating stain or clear sealer.  Please ask for samples of our standard stains.
Surface Texture
Typically a smooth, factory planed finish with eased corners is provided for all members.  Other textures are available, which simulate rough sawn lumber, hewn timber, etc.
End Grain Sealer
Penetrating end sealer is factory applied to all cross-grain cuts in the factory.  
Flame Retardant Coatings
Coatings which affect the flame spread values of glulam are available.  However, we recommend they be field applied because surface marring during handling can occur with these coatings.

Strength Properties

Design values are available in AITC 117-2004, which can be downloaded free from the AITC website. 
Typical SYP combinations used are: 
 24F-V3 for simple span beams
 24F-V5 for continuous span beams
 #47/1:8 or #48/1:10 for columns or other members not loaded primarily in strong axis bending

Steel Connections and Hardware

Una-Lam designs and fabricates custom steel connections and hardware for almost all of our projects.  Contract documents can show fully detailed connections or specify whether factory designed connections should be fully concealed, partially concealed (bolts visible but plates concealed,) or fully visible. 
Steel Finish
Una-Lam's default steel finish is galvanized hardware (bolts, nuts, shear plates, etc.) and gray primer on steel plates and shapes. Other options include: All galvanized, all powder coated, and stainless steel.
Steel Grades
Typically steel shapes and plates are A36, and bolts are A307.

You can view our other technical notes by clicking on the links below:
Technical Notes: Straight Glulam Beams
Technical Notes: Curved Glulam Beams
Glulam Wood, Appearance and Finish Options: Part 1