Architectural Appearance
The beams shown to the left and below are Architectural appearance beams.Click on an image to obtain a larger image.
The naturally occuring variation in wood color makes it difficult to match with a wood-tone filler so the putty is frequently discernible (see photo at left).
The photo on the right shows some of the naturally occuring wood grain characteristics that may occur in an architectural appearance glulam beam. The eased edge at the bottom is also visible here. The top two edges are not eased (rounded) unless requested as the top of the beam is usually directly against a floor or roof.
These photos show glulam beams manufactured with clear glue.
Rough Sawn Architectural Appearance
The photos to the left and right show Architectural appearance glulam beams with a Resawn or Rough Sawn surface. The beam is prepared as required for the specified appearance. A chain saw is then passed over the beam to rough up the surface. These beams were manufactured with clear glue. Typically, dark lines are visible between the wood laminations when brown glue is used. If visible lines between the laminations are unacceptable, make sure that you specify clear glue.