Masonite - a smarter alternative

SALA strives to supply locally grown plantation timber for all of our homes, however one area where we haven't been able to find an appropriate produce is for bracing timber frames. Normaly ply is used, but as far as we can tell no Australian ply manufacturer produces a sustainably grown Australian ply bracing product - it is all sourced from imported rainforest trees. One of our Brisbane "Green Team" builders, Rob Peagram has faced this problem as well.

Now, as Rob is not one to be present with a problem and walk away, he went looking for a solution and has come up with - Masonite. Masonite has roughly the same bracing qualities as ply but is sourced from Australian hardwood sawmill waste and forest thinings. It uses natural resins in the wood as a binding agent, which means that there are no toxic glues used in the product. It is an Australian grown, sustainable alternative to conventional ply bracing. But, best of all, it costs no more than conventional ply bracing.

In Australia masonite is seen as bit 'old fashioned', however in other parts of the world it is used extensively. In fact in Europe it is used in structural beams. There is only one company in Australia that manufactures its I-beam product using 100% Australian plantation timber, however it uses toxic glues to hold it together. Perhaps we should all be demanding that the Australian manufacturers of I-beam products use masonite instead of imported, toxic non-sustainable ply products?

So.what is the down side? Well..masonite does not like water. It will take some water, but not a lot. Luckily bracing timber and internal beams should never really see water so this shouldn't be a problem for most applications.

All SALA homes will now be supplied standard with masonite bracing instead of imported rainforest ply bracing. A big Thank-You to Rob for sharing his wisdom with us to help improve the SALA product. Without the knowledge and experience of our customers and "Green Team" builders, like Rob, SALA would not be able to offer the low cost, quality, sustainable homes that we are able to offer today.