“Wood has been living, growing, experiencing. A testament of time, with details and characteristics, stimulating our senses, and giving us a sense of quality of life.
A material we treat with utmost respect, and deserves to age with dignity. That’s why we invented a natural formula with no compromises, turning wood into a strong, sustainable and long lasting part of our future. Like nature itself, our wood requires no maintenance and becomes more beautiful every year.”
Lumber is an essential piece of most building projects. Selecting a wood product can be overwhelming with options ranging from tropical hardwood, composite, MDF, PVC, and so on. Here we highlight Kebony, a beautiful and sustainably-sourced hardwood that requires virtually no maintenance. Kebony has been proven to preform exceptionally well as decking and in cladding applications.
Kebony’s technology gives an initial deep rich brown color which after exposure to the elements develops a natural silver-gray patina. This real wood product can be treated using UV protection oils to alter the color as your might with other wood species. However if you would like to omit the annual paint jobs, Kebony’s unique characteristic is its beautiful maturation influenced by the local environment while maintaining its high performance properties. If only we all could age so gracefully with a hands off approach. Because of these features the wood only requires a simple cleaning to maintain ascetic beauty and performance throughout the years.
Along with natural beauty, exceptional performance and low to no maintenance, Kebony wood boasts a long life guarantee, toxin-free, high resistance against fungi and other microorganisms as well as features Eco-technology in their design. Developed in Norway, the Kebony technology is a patented, environmentally friendly process, which enhances the properties of sustainable softwoods with a bio-based liquid. As a result the wood’s cell structure is permanently modified to adopt premium characteristics:
Real wood
We offer high-quality, real wood. No wood/plastic composite – Kebony wood is all organic. We are proud to keep the wood real, and the only change is that we permanently enhance and strengthen the wood’s cell structure.
Refined & beautiful
Kebony offers clear and character grade wood. Both show superior properties while differing in look. One is smooth and silky; the other is rustic and knotty. All Kebony woods have a deep brown colour that will turn to a silver-grey patina over time. The speed of this greying process depends on exposure conditions and type of application. Intense exposure to sunlight and precipitation will accelerate the greying process. Normally, the greying will happen gradually over a few months. This change in appearance has no effect on decay resistance or other technical product properties. Surface treatment with oil, stain or paint will reduce the greying effect or change the colour of the installation.
All Kebony products may be surface coated in cases where retaining the original colour as long as possible, or changing the colour and appearance using paint, is desired. When surface coating is applied, the directions from the coating manufacturer should be followed closely.
Maximum hardness
Thanks to the Kebony® technology, we are able to increase the wood’s hardness to levels of the best hardwoods. Kebony Clear timber products show a Brinell hardness (N/mm2, EN 1534) of 59 to 41, while Teak has a significantly lower hardness of 34. Heat-treated Ash, for instance, shows a hardness level of 30.
Outstanding stability
The Kebony process significantly increases the dimensional stability of the wood. However, Kebony is still a natural product in which there will be some swelling and shrinkage due to changes in relative humidity.
Maximum swelling across the board, from completely dry to complete water saturation, could be up to six percent of the board width for Kebony Character and four percent for Kebony Clear. Swelling of untreated wood in the same conditions will be about eight percent of board width.
Guaranteed long life
Our lumber is ideal for all outdoor decking / terrace and cladding / facade applications thanks to its stellar Durability Class rating (EN 350). All Kebony Clear timber types have a durability class rating of one, which is the best. Kebony Character has a durability class rating of 1-2, which is still excellent. The reason is that Kebony Character contains some heartwood, which is untreatable and therefore has a slightly lower durability class (only treated sap wood).
As a result of our high durability ratings, we are able to offer an outdoor life time warranty against rot for 30 years for all Kebony products in above-ground usage.
Low maintenance
Kebony is a low maintenance lumber material that does not require any additional treatment beyond normal cleaning, which was particularly pleasing for many terrace owners. Removal of deposits of dirt, sand and other particles is simply done with a brush and water.
High resistance
Kebony is highly resistant to decay, fungi, insects and other wood-destroying microorganisms. That’s why we are able to offer an outdoor lifetime warranty against rot for 30 years for all Kebony products in above-ground usage.
Safe & toxin-free
Kebony is not toxic to humans or the environment, neither in use nor when disposed of as waste. That’s why Kebony is often selected for kindergarten decking as children will have direct contact with the wood. The wood does not splinter and contains no toxins or chemicals, nor does the wood get too hot in summer.
Waste from Kebony boards can be disposed of and recycled in the same manner as untreated wood. Kebony can be burnt like untreated wood, and will not release any other smoke components than those released when burning untreated wood.
Eco-friendly
Kebony wood has no harmful effects on the environment. Production of Kebony is based on a liquid extracted from bio-waste and our factory produces to the most environmentally firendly standards. In the waste disposal phase, Kebony can be treated as regular, untreated wood.
All goods delivered by Kebony are Swan Eco-labelled. The Swan is the official Nordic Eco-label, introduced by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Swan Eco-label's vision is a sustainable society in which future generations can benefit from the same conditions and opportunities as we do today. An important step towards this vision is, with the help of eco-labelling, to help consumers choose the most environmentally friendly products. The Swan logo demonstrates that a product is a good environmental choice
Sustainable resources
The raw materials for Kebony are acquired from commercially managed forests with large timber harvests. All our suppliers hold certificates guaranteeing the origin of their timber.
Kebony is FSC®-certified. The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) works to improve forest management worldwide, and through certification it creates an incentive for forest owners and managers to follow best social and environmental practices. FSC® provides a connection between the forest and the end user, ensuring that products with the FSC® label uphold principles and criteria that adhere to the highest social and environmental benefits and considerations.
You can learn more about Kebony at (Greenhome Solutions https://www.ghsproducts.com/kebony-decking-clear-pine/), our friendly local supplier for sustainable building materials.