If you’re wondering about the difference between green oak vs seasoned oak, you’re not alone. It’s something many of our clients ask us at some stage of the design process. The short answer is simple: green oak is oak that’s been recently cut and sawn, while seasoned oak is wood that’s been cut, sawn and then left to dry.
There are advantages to green oak and seasoned oak; while we mainly use green oak, we also use seasoned oak for certain applications. Read on to understand more.
Green oak vs seasoned oak in more detail
Let’s start at the top. Both green oak and seasoned oak hail from the same plants – Quercus Robur (the pedunculate or common oak) and Quercus petraea (the sessile oak). They’re the same product, treated differently.
Green oak is wood that’s been freshly cut and hasn’t been seasoned. As such, it has a higher moisture content than seasoned oak. But more on that later.
Seasoned oak is just as it sounds. It’s cut, sawn into shape and then left to season, typically outdoors. While seasoning, the excess moisture evaporates. Depending on its size, this process can take several years.
Spotlight on green oak
Green oak could well be The building material of Britain. We’ve used it for thousands of years, and there are countless examples of characterful old buildings made with green oak frames. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to live in one.
There are several reasons why green oak is such a popular building material. First, it’s incredibly hard-wearing. As we just touched on, many, many buildings across Europe have been built with this beautiful wood. It naturally resists pests and decay, reinforcing its durability. Green oak is also comparatively affordable and readily available – there’s no need to wait for a lengthy and costly drying process.
This aside, one of the most common reasons for green oak’s popularity is its appearance and how it matures. The moisture levels within the green oak make it very adaptable, allowing carpenters to work it according to their needs. As the wood slowly dries, it reveals its true beauty – fissures open up along the grain, and the colour of the wood alters, gradually turning an elegant shade of grey as the years progress. This creates a building that’s truly individual; no two pieces of oak will evolve in the same way.
This drying in situ can cause problems if left to inexperienced hands; poorly built green oak structures will buckle or shift over time. Yet, the experienced carpenter anticipates the drying process and the movement that occurs with it. Indeed, they work a green oak building in such a way that the drying process tightens joints and strengthens the overall structure. Watching our team of accomplished carpenters as they intuitively assess a piece of green oak and decide how to use it is an education in itself.
Taking a look at seasoned oak
Carefully stacked ‘in stick’ for several years, seasoned oak languishes in the open air for several years, slowly drying out. As this happens, the wood moves, and splits and cracks appear. The seasoning process gets this movement out of the way, leaving behind a more stable building material. This predictability makes seasoned oak more suitable for specific tasks and well-suited to restoration and renovation projects. It is ideal for projects that require high-spec glazing, such as conservatories and orangeries.
The lengthy seasoning process isn’t without its challenges. Time is money, and those years spent seasoning make seasoned oak a more expensive building material. It can also be more difficult to source – the seasoning process makes it challenging to adjust to fluctuations in demand, affecting supply and pushing up prices.
A word about kiln-dried oak
Kiln-dried oak differs from seasoned oak in that it’s dried with heat – just as you’d imagine, in a kiln. This results in a wood that has a very low moisture content. While this can be useful for internal use, kiln-dried oak is not suitable for external use as it will swell and distort as it takes on moisture.
Green oak vs seasoned oak – what’s best?
There’s no ‘better’ choice when it comes to green oak vs seasoned oak. They’re both incredible materials. And remember that when sustainably grown and harvested – oak is classified as carbon neutral, making it a healthy choice for our planet.
We use green oak for all our structural work and source it from our partners, English Woodland Timber. It’s attractive, adaptable and will endure for generations to come. Seasoned oak is also beautiful, but due to its high price and less flexible nature, it is better suited for renovation work and specific applications, such as areas with high-specification glazing.
To learn more about how we work with green oak and our range of finishes and materials, please get in touch. Many of our clients enjoy selecting key pieces of green oak for their project and we’d love for you to do the same.
Britain’s forests and trees are embedded in the national psyche. We raise our children on woodland tales in the same way that we, our parents, grandparents and generations before that were. Would the Gruffalo, Robin Hood, and Tatiana, Queen of the Faeries, exist without our forests? Sturdy oaks, brambled thickets and mossy logs conjure an indefinable sense of romance; perhaps you, too, recognise the delight of a woodland stroll, leaves and twigs cracking underfoot, the sun warming your face as it filters through branches above?
Yet, despite our affection for woodlands, we’ve failed to protect this precious environment.
The never-ending weeks of winter make days enjoyed outside feel like a distant memory. Cooped up indoors, we get under one another’s feet, our senses grow jaded, ennui sets in.
At Eavoak we are proud to offer our clients the option of a fully bespoke turnkey service, guiding you through the process of creating your custom oak framed building from start to finish.
