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WOOD ADVICE
Our products are manufactured from premium timber. Great care is taking in selecting, machining and treating
the timber before it is sold to you.
1. Inspect wood parts monthly. The grain of the wood sometimes will lift in dry periods causing splinters to
appear. Light sanding may be necessary to maintain a safe environment. Treating your Product with
protection (sealant) after sanding will help prevent severe checking/splitting and other weather damage.
2. We have applied a waterborne translucent stain to your unit. This is done for colour only. Once or twice
a year, depending on your climate conditions, you must apply some type of protection (sealant) to the
wood of your unit. Prior to the application of sealant, lightly sand any “rough” spots on your set. Please
note this is a requirement of your warranty.
Bear in mind that timber is a natural product and may experience changes throughout the course of its life.
It may:
•
Develop openings/checks (gaps, slits, apertures, cracks) along the line of the grain.
•
Fade as the timber reacts with sunlight.
All woods are hygroscopic, that is, it will absorb or discharge moisture to attain equilibrium with the surrounding
atmosphere. Timber openings/checks occur due to the moisture content between internal and outer surfaces of
the timber. No two pieces of wood are exactly alike. Each piece has its own characteristics and personality and
reacts differently to climate changes. When any wood products are exposed to the elements, it develops 'wood
checks'. A check is the radial separation of the wood fibres running with the grain of the wood. These are
caused by the varying temperature and moisture conditions. A check does not affect the strength or durability of
the wood or structural integrity of the play set.
When should wood cracks be a concern?
Most of the wood splits will never become large enough to affect the reliability and strength of our products,
however, there can be rare cases where splits can occur. This happens when a crack develops past the
halfway point from the timber, splitting it into two separate pieces.
Feel free to contact us with detailed pictures of your product so we can assess and ensure that your playground
remains safe.
Dimensional timbers contain very little
heart wood so less splits can be seen.
Round pole swing set are very thick so
that cracks (shown left) will not affect
the strength and durability of our swing
sets.
For more information: http://www.lifespankids.com.au/natural-timber
