Lumber & Engineered Wood
Better Header
Beams
Better Header® beams take the hassle out of building it yourself and eliminate hours of unnecessary labor.
Request Quote & Orders or Give us a Call
Product Summary
Only Better Header® offers you the patented PFS Fastening System. Designed by engineers and manufactured in-house at our state-of-the-art facility. This multi-angle, pre-fitted steel nut allows for maximum compression with out compromising the structural integrity of the lumber. The PFS system, combined with grade 5 bolts, provides the ultimate strength and eliminates the need for furring... making every project a success.
Construction and Materials
The Better Header is a revolutionary engineered wood product designed for superior framing applications. Its construction utilizes a combination of carefully selected wood strands and a proprietary adhesive, engineered for exceptional strength and stability.
Key materials and construction details include:
- Core Material: The heart of the Better Header is comprised of precisely oriented wood strands. These strands are sourced from high-quality lumber, ensuring consistent density and minimal defects.
- Adhesive System: A specialized, moisture-resistant adhesive is used to bond the wood strands together under intense pressure and heat. This process creates a monolithic structure that is significantly stronger and more dimensionally stable than traditional solid lumber.
- Manufacturing Process: The strands are layered and oriented in specific patterns to maximize load-bearing capacity and resistance to warping, twisting, and splitting. The controlled manufacturing environment ensures uniformity across every Better Header produced.
- Finish: Typically, Better Headers are delivered with a smooth, machine-finished surface, ready for immediate installation. Some variations may be available with specific treatments or coatings depending on the intended application.
The engineered nature of the Better Header addresses common issues found in traditional lumber, offering builders a reliable and high-performance framing solution. Its consistent properties make it ideal for a wide range of structural framing needs within residential and commercial construction.
Features and Benefits
Introducing the Better Header, a revolutionary framing lumber solution designed to enhance the structural integrity and build efficiency of your projects. Engineered for superior performance, Better Headers offer a robust and reliable alternative to traditional framing methods.
Features and Benefits:
- Engineered Strength: Each Better Header is precisely manufactured to meet stringent quality standards, ensuring consistent and predictable load-bearing capabilities. This engineered approach eliminates the guesswork often associated with natural lumber and provides a higher level of confidence in structural performance.
- Dimensional Stability: Unlike solid lumber which can warp, twist, or shrink due to moisture variations, Better Headers are designed for exceptional dimensional stability. This minimizes callbacks and ensures that your framed structures remain true and plumb over time.
- Consistent Quality: Manufactured in a controlled environment, Better Headers offer a uniform product with no knots, splits, or other natural defects that can compromise the strength and appearance of traditional lumber. This translates to fewer material rejections and a smoother construction process.
- Ease of Installation: The consistent dimensions and predictable performance of Better Headers simplify framing. Builders can work more efficiently, reducing labor time and associated costs without sacrificing structural integrity.
- Versatile Applications: Better Headers are suitable for a wide range of framing applications, including load-bearing walls, beams, and joists, providing a dependable solution for various structural needs in residential and commercial construction.
Core Advantages:
- Enhanced Structural Reliability: The engineered nature of Better Headers guarantees consistent strength and performance, providing peace of mind for builders and homeowners alike.
- Improved Build Efficiency: Reduced waste, fewer callbacks due to material defects, and streamlined installation contribute to significant time and cost savings on construction projects.
- Long-Term Durability: The inherent stability of Better Headers ensures that framed structures maintain their integrity and appearance for the lifespan of the building.
- Homepage
- Products
- Accessories
- Specifications
- Instructions
- About Us
- Photo Gallery
- Product Availability and Pricing Click here for details
-
Similar Products
- See all our Lumber & Engineered Wood products.
Boise Cascade
BOISE GLULAM
From extra-long roof spans to curved beams and common header to dramatic columns, BOISE GLULAM® gives you the rich, natural look of wood with important benefits engineered in.
Request Quote & Orders or Give us a Call
Product Summary
BOISE GLULAM gives you extra-long roof spans to curved beams and common header to dramatic columns with the rich, natural look of wood with important benefits engineered in.
Construction and Materials
Boise Cascade's engineered wood products, specifically their Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam), represent a high-performance and sustainable building material. Glulam is manufactured by bonding together individual pieces of dimension lumber with strong, durable adhesives.
The construction process involves selecting kiln-dried softwood lumber, which is then graded for its structural properties. This lumber is end-jointed to create long, continuous members. These individual laminations are then precisely spread with a structural adhesive and assembled under pressure and heat in hydraulic presses. This controlled process ensures a strong, homogeneous, and reliable structural member that is stronger and stiffer than solid sawn lumber of the same dimensions.
Materials Used:
- Lumber: Kiln-dried softwood lumber, typically Douglas Fir-Larch or Southern Pine, is the primary raw material. The wood is carefully selected and graded to meet stringent structural requirements.
- Adhesives: High-strength structural adhesives, such as phenol resorcinol or melamine-urea formaldehyde, are used to bond the laminations. These adhesives are designed to withstand long-term structural loads and environmental exposure.
The resulting Glulam beams are custom-manufactured to precise project specifications, allowing for a wide range of shapes and sizes. This makes them suitable for a variety of structural applications, including beams, columns, headers, and trusses. Their engineered nature allows for greater design flexibility and the ability to span longer distances compared to traditional wood framing.
Features and Benefits
Boise Cascade Glulam beams are a superior choice for structural applications, offering a robust and aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional dimensional lumber or steel. Engineered from select kiln-dried dimension lumber, carefully bonded together with high-strength adhesives, these beams provide exceptional load-carrying capacity and dimensional stability.
Key Features and Benefits:
- High Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Glulam beams are engineered to deliver impressive structural performance while being lighter than steel beams of comparable strength. This translates to easier handling, transportation, and installation, potentially reducing labor costs and project timelines.
- Dimensional Stability: Unlike solid sawn lumber, which can warp, twist, and shrink, Glulam is manufactured with seasoned lumber and bonded under controlled conditions. This inherent stability minimizes movement due to changes in moisture content, ensuring long-term structural integrity and reducing the risk of cracking or joint separation in surrounding materials.
- Design Flexibility: Glulam beams can be manufactured in a wide range of depths, widths, and lengths, allowing for custom solutions tailored to specific project requirements. This adaptability makes them suitable for diverse architectural designs, from residential applications to large commercial and industrial structures.
- Aesthetic Appeal: Available in various appearance grades, Glulam offers a natural, warm, and attractive finish that can be left exposed for a visually stunning architectural element. This eliminates the need for additional cladding in many designs, saving on material and labor costs.
- Sustainable Material: Glulam is produced from renewable resources, making it an environmentally conscious building material.
- Durability: When properly specified and protected, Glulam offers excellent durability and longevity.
Core Advantages:
- Exceptional Structural Performance: Glulam's engineered nature allows it to reliably support significant loads, making it ideal for a wide range of structural applications.
- Cost-Effectiveness: The combination of reduced labor for installation, potential for less material needed due to design flexibility, and aesthetic appeal can contribute to overall project cost savings.
- Design Freedom: Architects and builders can achieve unique and complex structural forms with Glulam, pushing the boundaries of traditional design.
- Homepage
- Products
- Specifications
- About Us
- Video
-
Green - Environmental
- Product Availability and Pricing Click here for details
-
Similar Products
- See all our Lumber & Engineered Wood products.
Boise Cascade
LVL Beams & Headers
Versa-Lam® LVL beams and headers lead the industry in bending strength and E-value, offering better performance and longer spans overall value across multiple widths and…
Request Quote & Orders or Give us a Call
Product Summary
Versa-Lam® LVL beams and headers lead the industry in bending strength and E-value, offering better performance and longer spans overall value across multiple widths and depths for residential, light commercial, or multifamily projects.
Construction and Materials
Boise Cascade offers a range of engineered wood products designed for structural applications. One prominent category includes Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), a versatile and engineered wood product.
Construction and Materials
LVL is manufactured by bonding together multiple layers of thin wood veneers. These veneers are carefully selected and dried, then coated with a durable adhesive. The layers are oriented in the same direction, parallel to the length of the product. This structural composition provides superior strength and stability compared to traditional solid lumber of the same dimensions.
- Materials: High-quality wood veneers, durable structural adhesives.
- Manufacturing Process: Veneers are dried, coated with adhesive, and then consolidated under heat and pressure to form a solid, uniform product.
- Orientation: All wood grain is oriented parallel to the length of the LVL.
Product Characteristics
The engineered nature of LVL offers several advantages for construction:
- Strength and Stability: LVL possesses uniform strength characteristics and is highly resistant to warping, twisting, and shrinking.
- Load-Bearing Capacity: Its consistent properties allow for predictable and reliable load-bearing capabilities, making it suitable for demanding structural applications.
- Dimensional Consistency: LVL is manufactured to precise dimensions, ensuring a consistent fit during construction.
- Versatility: It can be used in a variety of applications, including beams, headers, rim board, and flange material for wood I-Joists.
Features and Benefits
Boise Cascade offers a robust selection of engineered wood products, including Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), designed to provide superior strength, stability, and versatility for a wide range of construction applications. Our LVL is manufactured under strict quality control standards, ensuring consistent performance and reliability for builders, architects, and homeowners.
Features and Benefits
- Exceptional Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Boise Cascade LVL boasts impressive load-bearing capabilities while remaining lighter than traditional solid lumber of equivalent strength. This feature simplifies handling and installation, reducing labor costs and the need for heavy lifting equipment.
- Dimensional Stability: Engineered for minimal expansion and contraction, our LVL resists warping, twisting, and shrinking. This inherent stability ensures long-term structural integrity and prevents common issues like drywall cracking or door frame misalignment.
- Consistent Quality and Performance: Each piece of Boise Cascade LVL is manufactured with precisely engineered grain patterns and adhesive systems, resulting in predictable and uniform structural performance. This eliminates the variability often found in natural lumber, making design and construction more straightforward.
- Availability in Various Sizes: Boise Cascade LVL is available in a broad spectrum of dimensions, including long lengths, allowing for efficient use in projects requiring beams, headers, joists, and other critical structural components. This adaptability ensures a suitable solution for virtually any design requirement.
- Enhanced Durability: The engineered nature of LVL, combined with high-quality adhesives, creates a product that is resistant to decay and insect attack, contributing to the longevity of structures.
- Environmentally Responsible Sourcing: Boise Cascade is committed to sustainable forestry practices, and our LVL products are manufactured using renewable resources, aligning with green building initiatives.
Core Advantages
The core advantages of choosing Boise Cascade LVL lie in its unparalleled combination of strength, stability, and consistency. This engineered lumber solution significantly simplifies construction processes by offering predictable performance and ease of handling. Its dimensional stability ensures that structures maintain their integrity over time, reducing the likelihood of costly callbacks and repairs. Furthermore, the wide range of available sizes and lengths provides design flexibility, allowing for optimized material use and efficient project execution.
- Homepage
- Products
- Specifications
- About Us
- Video
-
Green - Environmental
- Product Availability and Pricing Click here for details
-
Similar Products
- See all our Lumber & Engineered Wood products.