Have you ever wondered why gardening, hiking or just going to the park are such popular ways to relax? Or why humans are captivated by watching a fire and soothed by listening to waves crash on a shore? Or why wood products convey softness, comfort and warmth? Our innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and living things is called “biophilia.”
Spending time in natural environments is restorative and inspiring, can expediate healing and increase well-being. Unfortunately, it can be a struggle to find a time and place for those connections in our modern day as urban areas grow and as more people work in front of computers.
Bringing the benefits of the natural environment into the built environment, architects and design professionals are incorporating biophilic principles into the places where we live, work, eat, shop, learn and heal.
Wood is an obvious example of a natural material. We are drawn to feel its textured grain and to see the many variations of its species, color and cut. For millennia, wood has been used to build and decorate our structures. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to pests, mold, water, sun, fire, warping, swelling and rotting. Preemptive chemical treatments, regular maintenance, frequent repair and planned replacement often are required to combat the organic limitations of wood.
Combining the natural beauty of wood with the high-performance durability of aluminum, Linetec’s wood grain finishes help architects and building teams deliver the best of both materials to owners and occupants.
Linetec’s specialty finishes for architectural aluminum products include more than 50 wood grain options of species and color along with textured grain patterns. The 16 curated wood types on our standard Gold Series palette are:
- The classic hardwoods of Oak, Golden Oak, Dark Walnut, National Walnut, American Maple and Colony Maple
- The stylish look of Aged Light Oak and Aged Dark Oak
- The premium aesthetic of Teak, Cherry, Cherry with Flame, European Cherry and Table Cherry
- The universal appeal of softwoods of Knotty Pine, American Douglas and Oregon Douglas fir.
Custom designs also can be requested for a one-of-a-kind biophilic look.
Oak is a popular choice for contemporary applications because of its attractive feathery grain and adaptable coloring. Linetec offers four standard oak finishes: The classic Oak presents a bronze-colored hue heavily textured with a fibrous grain. The Golden Oak variety provides a rich brown with a slightly looser organic grain typically seen on oak furniture. Two aged options are also available, in a lighter and darker variety, for a sun-bleached, grayish coloring and expressive grain. The aged options are reminiscent of a weathered barn door and pairs perfectly with the trend toward farmhouse-chic.
Walnut and maple finishes provide a more delicate texture and darker coloring projecting comfort and class. National Walnut is a handsome coffee color with subtle grain running between easy growth lines.
Dark Walnut compares to a deep mocha with a slightly splintered grain. The Colony Maple finish is a luscious caramel color with a smooth, loose texture and thin dark veins. American Maple is milk chocolate colored with an effortless light texture.
Premium hardwoods teak and cherry are available as aluminum finishes as well. These expensive and exotic wood species are replicated on aluminum as a cost-effective alternative to the real thing. Linetec’s Teak finish captures the tropical hardwood’s tight-grained rich brown gradient run through with wide deep-brown veins.
Four selections of cherry are available. The standard Cherry is a tightly banded rich reddish brown between the darker horizontal lines. The Table Cherry finish has the classic coppery hue associated with cherry wood and a medium-sized, consistent grain. The European Cherry provides a more mellow tan coloring with thin, curving, growth rings, and the Cherry with Flame finish is a rich brown with a loose, organic texture.
We also offer a few softwood varieties that give a smooth, glowing quality in lighter colors. The Oregon Douglas finish resembles unburnished brass with a loose consistent striped horizontal grain. The American Douglas finish has a more golden hue running through it with thin, dark bands. Knotty Pine is the classic blond wood color with a texture that swirls into occasional knots creating the idealized imperfections of natural pine.
Architectural aluminum products finished by Linetec are easy and economical to fabricate, and require minimal maintenance. Our wood grain finishes meet AAMA 2604 performance standards. They successfully demonstrate their resistance to weather, humidity, chemicals, corrosion, fire, UV, insects, scratching. Their long durability exceeds their lifetime on the building, as the aluminum can be recycled for future use.
For a sampling of Linetec’s wood grain finishes, please download our Wood Grain brochure.
To learn more about Linetec’s specialty wood grain coatings for aluminum please visit our webpage.
For personalized assistance in selecting specialty finish options for your next project, please contact your local representative.
