SPRUCE OR PINE?

Pine has traditionally been used more in Finland as a raw material for log houses. This is because pine was easier to handle when using traditional woodworking methods. However, at Polar Life Haus, we have always used high-quality spruce in our houses, and today, approximately 95% of our houses are made of spruce.

Why use spruce logs?

We have a long history in the export markets of log houses, particularly in Central Europe. Back in the day, our export operations started in Germany, which is the reason for using spruce as the raw material for our log houses. In Central Europe, the requirements concerning timber quality are incredibly high, and an answer to this can be found in spruce.

Spruce wood is highly moisture-resistant and thus ideal for use in log cabins

The moisture resistance of spruce is in a class of its own. The entire spruce tissue is as dense as the heartwood of pine and does not absorb moisture. This is why, for example, spruce wood cannot be pressure impregnated, because it does not absorb the impregnating agent or any other liquids. As a result, spruce has the best possible moisture-withstanding capacity, an essential characteristic for modern buildings that often don’t have any eaves or almost no eaves. With the lack of eaves, the surface of the wall becomes more exposed to rainwater and other moisture, which is why spruce logs are a safe choice.

Consistent quality and light wood material

The use of spruce has increased significantly in recent years, also due to appearance-related reasons. Spruce has a more even and lighter tone than pine and doesn’t darken as much over the years. The knot sites of spruce are also smaller and lighter than those of pine. In general, the lighter-toned spruced is, therefore, more suited for modern architecture in which a simpler image for the building surfaces is sought. The difference between the wood appearance, particularly in terms of knots, is significant, even if the surface is painted.

However, our log range is diverse, and we produce planed and laminated logs using both spruce and pine. We can offer you a solution that meets your specific needs and wishes!