Seasoning.
Seasoned timber is allowed to dry from its green state until the moisture content is equal to the surrounding atmosphere. Seasoned timber is used where appearance and stability are important such as moldings, paneling and flooring.

Hardwood and softwood.
These terms actually refer to the cell structure of the timber as seen under a microscope. Softwoods are called non-pored woods because of their cell structure. Hardwoods are pored timbers with pores or vessels formed by wide cells arranged one above the other. The eye can usually see this pipe-like arrangement.

Veneer and plywood.
Veneers are long thin sheets of timber peeled off or sliced from the log. The sheets are guillotined to suitable lengths, dried and then glued together with alternate sheets at right angles to each other to provide plywood. Plywood always consists of an uneven number of sheets of veneer (e.g.. 3-ply, 5-ply. Highly figured veneer is matched when laying to produce large areas of very decorative appear­ance. Ask an expert about suitable timber.

Lyetid borers.
Certain hardwoods have sapwood, which is susceptible to attack by Lyetid borers. The N S W Timber Marketing Act prohibits the use of such timber in flooring, cladding, sills, paneling, furniture and joinery.

Some timbers, which are not naturally durable, have their durability improved by various impregnation treatments. Information about this is available from the Forestry Commission.