LMA stands for Low Maintenance Architectural Timbers.
Sustainably sourced means we only cut down one tree from every 3 Hectares ensuring mass deforestation does not occur. When harvested from managed Australian/International forests this equates to 2 trees harvested every 5 years forever. Managed forests where older trees are harvested for wood production (carbon storage) sequester carbon at a faster rate than unmanaged forests.
“Responsibly sourced wood is beautiful, versatile and renewable and, by storing carbon, it also helps tackle climate change.” – Planet Ark
Australia has an abundance of reclaimed hardwood telephone poles (200,000 available each year), bridge beams, wharf beams and large inner city warehouses – wool stores. There are in excess of 300 buildings being demolished in NSW, GLD, VIC every week so timber stocks are plentiful!
The answer is NO – they do not! Treatment on telephone poles affects the sapwood which is generally the first 5-10mm of the timber. This is cut away leaving the heartwood/truewood which our cladding is then milled/profiled from which contains zero treatment.
Our hardwood cladding doesn’t require regular oiling or staining like Cedar does and is extremely durable for 40+ years. The ongoing maintenance costs for the likes of Cedar will continue for its lifetime on the building at a cost of around $21 per square metre every two to three years.
Our hardwood timbers have significant structural capabilities. As a comparison, our F27 graded hardwoods are 5 times stronger (bending strength) of SG8, nearly triple GL12 and double LVL11.
As mentioned above, there’s an abundance of reclaimed timber in Australia including 35,000 timber bridges which are being replaced year on year.
Blackbutt, Spotted Gum, Tallow Wood, Grey and Red Iron Bark, Sydney Blue Gum amongst many others.
This is certified timber/wood specified ensuring the timber comes from a sustainable source.
Class 1 means the timber has a high service life (durability) of greater than 40 years. Many other timber cladding products in New Zealand are only Class 2 or even 3 and do not have the same natural durability as the hardwood.
Depending on what is ordered, decking, cladding, flooring takes around 8-12 weeks from order. Shipping takes around 21 days and around 5-7 days to clear customs.
A 30% deposit is required within 7 days of receipt of your invoice to confirm the order. Without the deposit payment we cannot guarantee your order will be placed. This is a non-refundable deposit (exceptional circumstances will be considered if the timber is yet to be milled).
The remaining 70% is required upon the shipping container leaving suppliers yard in Brisbane. Photos will be supplied as proof of your order being shipped.Shipping takes on average around 14 – 21 days from port to port and 7 days to clear customs / MPI inspection. No timber will be released until the final payment has been made.
Cladding, Decking, Flooring, Big Structural Beams and Posts, Joinery, Landscaping Timbers, Commercial fit-outs and much more.
LMA Timber use Intergrain Industrial Clear Oil and if requested can factory coat all four sides on the timber rather than doing this onsite. When making cuts to the timber these must be oiled to prevent any splits and moisture damage to the timber (please refer to our install and maintenance guide for more information). It is imperative that all laps and cuts are oiled.
We also offer a number of factory coat tints – in particular Smokey Grey and Obsidian Black. These are made in Australia thus these can be colour matched in New Zealand at most DIY stores. All laps and cuts do need to be oiled or stained.
Australian Hardwood is a natural product and thus comes with its own natural characteristics. LMA Timber can provide you with examples of previous projects working through the design/aesthetics process however please be aware that we cannot exactly replicate every project especially when it comes to colour. Colour tones will be similar but not always identical. When provided with a timber sample, please remember this is purely a sample. A good example is Spotted Gum that can carry various colour tones within one singular length of board.
Structural Beams and posts might have more or less characteristics of those you may have been shown or are on our website / social media pages. It is important to remember that our reclaimed timber will potentially have characteristics of its former life such as nail/bolt holes, cracking, end splits. If you have ordered structural grade timber (F27 for example) then certification will be supplied for this. Even though there might be a surface check, shaking or cracking, this does not mean the timber is not structural. It is simply a characteristic of buying reclaimed timber and forms part of the natural aesthetic. We do offer resin to fill these gaps at the time of milling. Please ask your LMA Timber representative if you would like this to happen should cracking / surface splits appear at the time of milling.
Before the timber leaves Australia it is fumigated and kiln dried down to between 9 – 14% moisture. When it arrives into New Zealand, MPI is then supplied with the Fumigation and Kiln Dried Certificates. They undertake a visual inspection of the timber along with a moisture test to confirm what the documentation states and the timber is then released. We have had countless containers go through this process so we are very efficient with our import systems and processes.
All products under 50mm thick such as cladding and decking are kiln dried to between 9 and 14%. This means the moisture content of the timber will be between 9 and 14% – each individual board might vary slightly. Once the timber is on site where it will be installed, this will then equalise with its environment over time (Equilibrium Moisture Content – EMC). As it adjusts the sizing may change across the board as it settles and finds its EMC. Timber is a natural product and therefore movement is completely normal while it acclimatises.
The timber can be anywhere from 25 years old to 200 years old depending on what its former life was. All timber is graded however to ensure we are delivering a premium product in line with our customers’ expectations.
No is the honest answer. The construction industry has experienced a real boom over the last couple of years since Covid hit with many materials increasing extensively including softwood products. We are now comparable in cost with the likes of cedar / Abodo for a more durable, low maintenance product which is phenomenal value for money.
All of our timbers meet New Zealand Building Code Regulations.
As the timber comes by ship in a container with thousands of other containers, our carbon footprint is less than driving from Christchurch to Kaikoura! Many timbers imported into New Zealand come from North America or the Netherlands so have a considerably greater initial carbon footprint.
With LMA Timber being part of the Caldwell Group, we have been planting hundreds of acres of trees which result in Carbon Credits which in itself is going above and beyond to ensure we look after the future of our environment.
One option is Wurth Stainless Steel self-tapping screws – 50mm – 70mm. Annular nails can also be used where pre-drilling is required. Please request further details for fixings by emailing info@lmatimber.co.nz.
From an oiling / staining perspective once the installation has been undertaken, yes, it is. Being a class 1 timber with 40 years plus service life, this makes the timber very durable and thus, you can leave the timber to weather and silver off over time without affecting the durability of the product. We do recommend however to wash your cladding down at least once a year to avoid any dirt / grime build up.
It is highly recommended to have your decking timber oiled – preferably on all 4 sides. Our decking can come with an industrial penetrating factory coat of oil that has been applied at the time of milling. You can either let your decking silver off or apply two coats of Dulux’s Integrains Natures Oil – Natural yourself to keep the timber from silvering off.
Yes, you can get selected lengths but this will incur a 15% (1.0m – 3.0m) to 25% (3.1m to 6.0m) surcharge just as you would with other timber products. It can take up to 12 weeks to source when it is reclaimed timber. The selected lengths can be anything from 1.0m right up to 6.0m long.
The average length for cladding is approximately 2.4 to 2.7m or greater and for decking, lengths are 1.8m or longer on average.
We can literally supply any finish / profile you wish as everything is milled to order. From pencil edges, dome top, dressed, hand-brushed to building code compliant cladding profiles we supply it all!
LMA Timber Ltd are covered by Marine Transit Insurance via AON for all timber orders between leaving our suppliers yard and being received by the client. A copy of this certificate can be supplied if required.
Claims for damaged goods from freighting must be advised in writing within 7 days of the receipt of the Goods. We will then fully investigate any such claims and provide you with our findings. For further information on freight damage / claims, please refer to Clause 6 of our Terms and Conditions.
In some instances, the damage might be at the ends of the boards where these lengths can still be used if damaged. Some common sense needs to be adhered to and why we recommend a 15% wastage factor which is fairly standard within the industry.
Once timber has been received and before it is fixed, the timber ideally should be stored in a dry area. Internal timbers MUST be kept in the location of their final placement for 14 days prior so they can acclimatise before being fixed. Timber is hydroscopic meaning it can take on and expel moisture. LMA Timber abide to MPI regulations and all timber under 50mm is kiln dried to between 9-14% moisture content and anything over 50mm can be seasoned to under 20% moisture content.
CLADDING / DECKING: This will be supplied with weatherproof wrap. Packs should be stored on packers to maintain at least 150mm ground clearance, be supported on dry and clean timber bearers at maximum 900 mm centres and stored on a level surface. Once the packing straps are removed the pack should be stropped tight to maintain pack integrity especially if it is to sit for an extended period of time. The weatherboards must be kept dry at all times either by storing within an enclosed building or when stored externally an additional secondary cover to the plastic wrapping is required. Care must be taken to avoid damage to edges, ends and the weatherboard surfaces.
If you request LMA Timber to store your timber, please note our storage area is a mix of uncovered and covered at 66 Wickham Street, Christchurch. Timber stored here is at your own risk and may be exposed to the elements.
LMA Timber do not have any storage facilities in either Auckland or Tauranga ports. If you timber is going into these ports then you will need to collect or have your order delivered within 48 hours of being released by MPI. Carotrans in Auckland or C3 in Tauranga will charge a late pick up fee if not. Our team will give you plenty of notice to ensure you can plan ahead.
If you require your order to be freighted to site within New Zealand, LMA Timber can offer this service with Mainfreight or other local providers (if requested). We can request a quote for a delivery only (which will require you to have some lifting equipment to unload from the truck) or we can request a quote for a Hiab truck which can unload for you.
LMA Timber can provide you with an indication of price for these services as a PC Sum, however the exact amount will be confirmed once we are invoiced by the freight company. We will then invoice this direct cost on to you with and admin fee of $25.00.
NZ Express, Woolston Christchurch
NZ Express are LMA Timber’s handling agent in Christchurch who unpack the containers and work with MPI to inspect the timber. They are based at 32 Kennaway Road, Woolston, Christchurch.
If you are collecting your order from them yourself, please make sure you call 03 3738047 to book a time to be able to access NZ Express. If a time slot is not booked, they might turn you away as they need time to be able to pull out your timber due to the high volume of containers being unpacked.
You MUST adhere to NZ Express’ health and safety guidelines as they are a working transport company with large vehicles and forklifts in operation and containers being lifted overhead.
You will require a trailer for your collection so a forklift can load your timber for you. They will not load timber onto a roof rack.
Children are not allowed onsite – not even in a vehicle.
Carotrans CFS – Wiri, Auckland
Carotrans CFS are LMA Timbers handling agent in Auckland who unpack the containers and work with MPI to inspect the timber. They are based at 212B Cavendish Road, Wiri, Auckland.
If you are collecting your order from them yourself, please make sure you call 09 2595669 to book a time to be able to access Carotrans CFS. If a time slot is not booked, they might turn you away as they need time to be able to pull out your timber due to the high volume of containers being unpacked.
You MUST adhere to Carotrans CFS health and safety guidelines as they are a working freight handling company with large vehicles and forklifts in operation and containers being lifted overhead.
C3 – Mount Maunganui,Tauranga
C3 are LMA Timbers handling agent in Tauranga who unpack the containers and work with MPI to inspect the timber. They are based at 9 Kereiti Street, Mount Maunganui.
If you are collecting your order from them yourself, please make sure you call Jennifer on 021 538476 to book a time to be able to access C3. If a time slot is not booked, they might turn you away as they need time to be able to pull out your timber due to the high volume of containers being unpacked.
You MUST adhere to C3’s health and safety guidelines as they are a working freight handling company with large vehicles and forklifts in operation and containers being lifted overhead.
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