The 2017 Lake Home and Cabin Show was recently held in the Chicago area and attendees got their first look at thermally modified wood and how it could be beneficial to use both as a decking or siding option for their lake home or cabin.

Everything for your special getaway home was on full display by companies who specialize in product or services catering to this market place. Thermally modified wood because of its dimensional stability was a very popular topic of discussion as attendees wanted to know how this attribute of the wood could be beneficial to their new or renovation project of their lake home or cabin.

Simply put, thermally modified wood loves water. It can be used in many water side applications such as docks, boathouses due to the fact that the wood will not expand and contract at the same rate as other woods such as cedar. Once thermally treated the woods acceptance of water is greatly diminished while decreasing the woods ability to rot.

Many lake homes due to their close proximity to water need construction products that will not break down in harsh environments that are often associated with living near open bodies of waters that have freezing and thawing cycles in the northern climates. Thermally modified wood construction materials such as exterior decking and siding give homeowners piece of mind knowing that their choice of materials will last for a very long time when exposed to these constantly changing weather conditions.

Thermally modified wood is also environmentally friendly as it will not leach and this is an important consideration when using around open bodies of water. Many states have regulations restricting the use of certain wood materials on or near water as they have the ability to leach harmful chemicals into the water system. There are no chemicals used in the process of thermal modification so the wood remains chemical free and environmentally friendly to use around all bodies of water.

Nearly half the worlds population live in close proximity to water and with the continued advancement of climate change the environment is becoming more extreme between hot and cold and building materials need to adapt to be able to perform within these environments and thermally modified wood manufacturers have seemed to be able to produce a natural wood product that fits this criteria.