Product Spotlight: Thermopine® Clear
Engineered for stability and performance, Thermopine® Clear is a thermally modified timber that serves as a sustainable alternative to old-growth Western Red Cedar.
Offering eco-friendly credentials without compromising on aesthetics or durability, it’s an excellent choice for architects, designers, and contractors alike. In this product spotlight, Cladding and Decking Sales Advisor Rory Stalker explains its key features.
Visual appearance of Thermopine® Clear
Thermopine Clear is one of our more recent additions to the cladding range at Russwood. It’s an excellent alternative to old-growth Western Red Cedar, which has seen a decline in availability, mainly due to its sourcing practices having a detrimental impact on ancient forests. Thermopine Clear is a clear-grade timber, free of knots, with a unique and attractive figuring that closely resembles the refined appearance of Western Red Cedar. Its rich, warm colour, enhanced by the thermal modification process, adds to its visual appeal.
Thermopine Clear also boasts outstanding stability, making it ideal for use in narrow boards. At Russwood, we’ve designed a selection of profiles that emphasise this feature. Personally, I would recommend our RW014 profile for a clean, modern open rainscreen style cladding option. Our RW119 profile is also proving to be extremely popular and is an excellent option if you require the cladding to be fire-retardant.
Coating options
This species also performs well with SiOO:X Wood Protection, a natural and non-toxic protective coating which eliminates differential weathering. This works best paired with a Microtex® finish. The Microtex® finish opens up the pores of the timber, allowing for better impregnation of the SiOO:X into the timber. SiOO:X Wood Protection is available in Original, Mid and Light Grey. It’s designed to accelerate an even, weathered appearance right within weeks.
Another fantastic coating option is Woca Oil in Matte Black or Teak, this enhances the wood’s attractive figuring while providing a slight transparency that lets the natural beauty of the timber shine through. When applied to wire-brushed timber, the texture and unique figuring of Thermopine Clear is emphasised even more.
The sustainable choice
Produced from New Zealand Radiata Pine, this fast-grown timber undergoes a thermal modification process which involves the wood being exposed to temperatures of 230°C. This chemically changes the makeup of the wood, increasing the stability and longevity of the Radiata pine.
Radiata Pine is an incredibly sustainable choice due to its 25-30 year growth cycle. This captures large volumes of carbon in the atmosphere, and the fast-growing nature of the timber allows for frequent crop rotation, which is in contrast to the slow growing nature of Western Red Cedar. It may surprise you that even though Thermopine Clear comes from New Zealand, it’s still a carbon negative product by the time it arrives in the UK. This is because sea freights have a smaller carbon footprint compared to the likes of road travel.
Radiata Pine used in Abodo products is grown in FSC-certified plantation forests, where rich soils and high rainfall promote optimal growth. This ensures that the timber is not only sustainable but also ethically sourced. For more information on the sustainability credentials of Thermopine Clear, read our previous blog: Introducing Abodo Vulcan: Sustainable Timber Cladding with Superior Performance.
Performance & cost
If you like the appearance of Western Red Cedar, Thermopine Clear is a cost-effective alternative that delivers exceptional stability. It’s thermally modified in a kiln at around 230°C. This process reduces the timber’s moisture content while chemically altering its structure, resulting in enhanced stability and reduced weight.
The reduced weight of Thermopine Clear makes it easier to handle on-site, a significant advantage over non-thermally modified timbers. Its durability and performance also make it a reliable choice for a wide range of projects.
Thermopine Clear combines eco-friendly credentials, exceptional performance, and striking visual appeal, making it a standout choice for cladding.
Get in touch
If you would like to learn more about Thermopine Clear for use on your next project, talk to a member of our team today.
