What is pine wood?

Pine is a coniferous wood and is the second most common type of wood in Central Europe after spruce. Pine grows quickly and is therefore cultivated all over the world.

Features and benefits

Pine trees most often grow by the sea or in high mountains, so the trees are very often exposed to strong winds, which makes them extremely tough. And because pine is extremely tough, it is also extremely durable. The wood is great for milling, sawing, gluing, screwing, staining or painting. It is also elastic and therefore does not break easily. Treatment with wood preservatives is recommended as untreated pine is susceptible to fungi and rot.

The appearance of pine wood

The heartwood of the pine is reddish-yellowish, while the outer area shimmers yellowish-white. The heartwood darkens over time to a red-brown tone. There are different colorations depending on the type of pine. Incidentally, fresh pine wood smells heavenly of fresh resin.

What is pine wood used for?

• for furniture production
• for wooden floors
• as round sawn timber
• in house building
• for packaging
• for the production of wood-based materials (chipboard)

In furniture production, pine wood is used both as solid wood and as veneer. Pine wood can be found in wardrobes, beds, floors or as wall cladding.

Turning old into new

Pine wood can be stained to make old pine furniture look like new again. It is important that the wood is clean, sanded and brushed smooth beforehand.

It is best to seek advice from a specialist.

Swiss stone pine wood is the wood of a relatively rare type of pine, the Swiss stone pine. The name probably comes from the Middle High German word zirben (to turn in a circle, to whirl), which refers to the pine cone. The scientific name is pinus cembra.

There are related names in Italian, French, Romanian and the Rhaeto-Romanic variants, depending on the area of distribution.

Where is the Swiss stone pine widespread?

Swiss stone pine trees are mainly found in the high mountains. The stone pine only grows in three natural distribution areas: the central Alpine region, the High Tatras and the Carpathian Mountains.
the Carpathians. The stone pine prefers altitudes of 1500 to 2000 meters, the tree is first found at around 1300 meters, the upper limit is around 2900 meters.

Swiss stone pines are often seen in association with larches (so-called larch-pine forests) or they remain among their own kind. Old trees often stand alone, such old trees often
often have a rustic appearance and contribute to the almost mystical reputation of the Swiss stone pine.

What are the advantages of Swiss stone pine?

The properties of Swiss stone pine wood offer a number of advantages. Due to the distribution area of the Swiss stone pine, the tree is exposed to extreme weather conditions and is therefore also very resistant – which naturally has an effect on the Swiss stone pine wood:

Swiss stone pines can withstand temperatures of over minus 40° Celsius and can live for up to 1000 years. Swiss stone pine wood is the only hardwood among the conifers.

The wood is easy to work with, is described as light and fine and has a beautiful veining (grain/marbling on trees). Swiss stone pine wood also exudes a very pleasant fragrance, which comes from the essential oils inside. If you sleep in bedding made from Swiss stone pine, it is said to have a calming effect on your sleep.

What is Swiss stone pine used for?

Due to the above-mentioned properties of Swiss stone pine, Swiss stone pine wood is and has been very popular in the manufacture of a wide variety of everyday objects. Swiss stone pine products are very popular,
such as stone pine
furniture or the stone pine bed. In the Alpine region, complete Swiss stone pine bedrooms or alpine huts have even been built.

Of course, the material is also ideal for making solid wood beds or slatted frames. There are also other ways to bring Swiss stone pine into your bed, as there are even Swiss stone pine pillows that use Swiss stone pine shavings and virgin sheep’s wool to ensure a soothing sleep. Swiss stone pine shavings have the same effect as large wooden products.

The seeds can even be eaten and taste like walnuts. Various Swiss stone pine extracts and oils are used as remedies or for Swiss stone pine schnapps and liqueur.

The benefits and properties of Swiss stone pine include

• Particularly pleasant smell that lasts for years
• contains pinosylvin, which has an antibacterial effect
• has a biocidal effect against moths and insects, which is why Swiss stone pine closets are particularly suitable for storing clothes
• has a proven positive effect on the human organism, helps with relaxation and a more restful sleep

Due to its essential oils, Swiss stone pine is said to have a calming effect. A much-cited study has even shown that Swiss stone pine wood is said to save an average of 3500 heartbeats a day – which corresponds to about a whole hour of cardiac activity. This is why Swiss stone pine is said to promote health and relaxation. The wood of the Swiss stone pine is therefore ideal for bedroom furniture or bedding.

What is spruce wood?

Spruce wood is the most common type of wood in Europe. In Austria, spruce alone covers 64% of the total forest area and is therefore the most common tree in Austrian forests.

The spruce is a coniferous tree and is divided into different species. The trees grow mainly in mountainous regions, such as the Alps, but can be found throughout Europe.

Spruce wood – characteristics and advantages

Alongside its many uses, spruce wood also has a number of positive properties. One of the properties of spruce is that it is rather soft and elastic compared to other types of wood, which means that spruce wood is lightweight and easy to process. The density of spruce wood is in the medium range at around 470 kg/m³.

In addition, spruce wood can dry quickly and is less susceptible to cracking.

Almost any technique can be used to process spruce wood without any problems. The wood can be milled, sawn, screwed, stained and glued without any loss of quality.

Depending on the type of use, wood of different ages is processed. Spruce wood is known to lose density as the width of the annual rings increases, which changes the properties of the wood. Different spruce woods are therefore approved for different areas of application.

What does spruce wood look like?

Spruce wood has a light, yellowish-white to reddish color and a silky sheen. If spruce wood is exposed to light, it darkens and takes on a dark, yellowish-brown tone. The annual rings of the spruce are visible on the wood and result in a straight grain.

As spruce wood, just like other softwoods, is very resinous, the wood also has visible resin channels. The spruce grows up to 60 meters high and remains extremely straight.

Use of spruce wood

Spruce wood is used in many different areas. Spruce is used particularly frequently:

1. Timber
2. Furniture wood
3. Parquet flooring
4. Firewood
5. Sawn timber
6. Logs
7. Veneer wood

Spruce wood is also used for paper production. Coniferous woods are particularly suitable for this purpose as they have long fibers, which ensure the high strength of paper and pulp.

It can be processed on its own, for example as veneer wood or as a wood-based material (chipboard, glued wood, etc.). Spruce boards are also particularly popular as construction timber. There it can be found in the form of roof constructions, stair railings, wooden cladding and much more.

In addition to its use in house construction, there is of course also furniture made from spruce wood.

Admonter relies on local spruce wood and uses it to produce parquet flooring, furniture panels and wooden boards.

To the floors

Color variants Admonter larch parquet