The Robinia series: every article, every question

Ferdinand Terlinden

1 day ago

7 min read

The whole series on one page: each article, and the questions it answers.

This page brings together the twenty-eight articles of the Robinia series and all of their frequently asked questions. Each question is answered only once in the series: this contents page takes you straight to the article that answers it.

28 articles · 137 questions

the complete series, from the material guide to farm and local-council uses

01 · Robinia outdoors – the complete guide

· Are acacia and robinia the same wood?

· Does robinia need treating outdoors?

· Why do you talk about “sapwood removed” timber?

· Does robinia turn grey over time?

· How long does it last?

· Density and hardness – what is the difference?

· What is Monnin hardness – and what does Janka measure?

· Which screws and fixings should I use with robinia?

· Do I need to pre-drill before screwing or nailing?

· Can robinia be painted, oiled or stained?

· Where does your robinia come from, and is it certified?

02 · Robinia fencing and cleft palings – choosing by use

· Robinia or sweet chestnut: which should I choose?

· How deep should the stakes go into the ground?

· Which fence for horses?

· Is robinia toxic to horses? Is a debarked stake safe?

· Do cleft palings really protect dunes?

03 · Round, sawn or split stakes – which to choose (sapwood and durability)

· Why did my round stake rot within a few years?

· How do I recognise sapwood?

· Round or sawn for my vineyard?

· Is a split stake durable?

· My stake is cracking: is it serious?

04 · Robinia vine stakes – trellising, vine stakes and end posts

· What diameter for an end post?

· Does robinia stand up to the grape harvester?

· Planting stake or line post – what is the difference?

· How far apart should line posts be?

05 · Robinia pergolas – the complete guide from choice to installation

· Do I need planning permission for a pergola?

· What should the posts be anchored to?

· Does robinia leave run-off stains like oak?

· What span can be bridged – up to 6 m without an intermediate post?

· What post diameter for a 3×3 or 3×4 m pergola?

· How much timber for a 6×9 m pergola?

06 · Finger-jointed robinia decking and cladding – stable and durable

· Is finger-jointed timber solid timber?

· Is finger-jointed timber as strong as solid?

· What is the difference between the rhombus (open-joint) profile and tongue and groove?

· What gap should you leave between decking boards?

· Does robinia warp? How do you prevent cupping on a deck?

· Which joists should you use under a robinia deck?

07 · Traceability of Romanian timber – SUMAL, APV and the EUDR

· What is the amenajament silvic (ten-year plan)?

· What is an APV?

· What is the EUDR and when does it apply?

· What is SUMAL 2.0?

· How can you check that a Romanian timber transport is legal?

· Which documents should you ask your timber supplier for?

08 · FSC and ISO 9001 – Acacia Bois certifications

· What does the FSC label guarantee?

· What is the difference between forest management and chain of custody?

· After robinia is felled, who replants?

· How do you check an FSC certificate?

09 · Robinia or pressure-treated pine (use class 4) – the comparison

· Can pressure-treated Douglas fir really be use class 4?

· How long does a pressure-treated pine stake last?

· Is robinia more expensive than pressure-treated pine?

· What happens to pressure-treated timber at the end of its life?

10 · Robinia shingles – durable roofs and walls

· Sawn shingles or split shakes?

· Why quarter-saw the shingles (radial cut)?

· How long does a robinia shingle roof last?

· How many shingles do you need to cover 10 m² of roof?

· Can you clad a façade with shingles?

· Are robinia shingles delivered dry?

11 · Robinia forests in Romania – felling, brash windrows and root suckering

· Why is robinia only felled between September and March?

· Is clear-cutting bad for the forest?

· What happens to the branches after felling?

· How long does the plot take to grow back?

· Is robinia invasive? Should you plant it in your garden?

12 · Robinia or sweet chestnut – the comparison

· Is sweet chestnut a use class 4 timber?

· Why does sweet chestnut stain façades?

· Cleft palings: sweet chestnut or robinia?

· Is robinia really twice as durable as sweet chestnut?

13 · Robinia or tropical hardwood (ipe, teak) – the comparison

· Is ipe more durable than robinia?

· Why is ipe covered by CITES?

· Is robinia decking cheaper than ipe?

· Is plantation teak as good as forest teak?

14 · Robinia or composite decking – the comparison

· Does composite decking get hotter than timber decking?

· Can a scratched composite board be repaired?

· Is composite decking recyclable?

· How long does composite decking last?

15 · The real service life of robinia outdoors

· Natural durability and use class – what is the difference?

· What shortens the life of a stake or a deck?

· Does permanently submerged timber rot?

· How do you recognise a stake at the end of its life – and do you have to replace everything?

16 · Is robinia good firewood? – myths and facts

· Does robinia give as much heat as oak or beech?

· Is robinia bark a good firelighter?

· How long should robinia firewood be seasoned?

· Can you burn robinia while it is still fresh?

· Can robinia offcuts and sawmill waste be burnt?

17 · The price of robinia explained – why it is worth what it costs

· What makes up the price of a robinia stake?

· How much does robinia decking cost per square metre?

· Why are long straight lengths rare and more expensive?

· How can you bring the bill down without sacrificing durability?

18 · Vegetable gardens, raised beds and edging – robinia in ground contact

· Is robinia safe for a vegetable garden?

· Should you put a liner between the timber and the soil?

· Can robinia replace pressure-treated landscape sleepers?

· Which timber for steps or earth retention?

19 · Is robinia an ecological timber?

· Does “untreated timber” mean no chemicals at all, even in finger-jointed boards?

· Can robinia be burnt or composted at the end of its life?

· Is 2,000 km by road still a short supply chain?

· Does acacia honey come from the same tree as your stakes?

20 · Greying and maintenance of robinia

· Should a robinia deck that has already gone grey be sanded before oiling?

· Is greying uniform on every face of a structure?

· Can a robinia deck be cleaned with a pressure washer?

· Does decking oil stop the wood from splitting?

· Why has my robinia fence gone black instead of grey?

· How many litres of decking oil for 20 m² of decking, and how often should it be reapplied?

21 · Screws and fixings for robinia

· A2 or A4 stainless-steel screws: which should I choose for robinia?

· What pilot-hole diameter for a 5 mm screw in robinia?

· Can hidden clips be used on robinia decking?

· Which screw should I use for a robinia gate or outdoor joinery?

· Why have my galvanised screws left black streaks on the wood?

· Should pergola bolts be retightened after the first season?

22 · Robinia for trellised crops – hops, kiwis, orchards

· What post height for a hop garden, and can robinia manage 7 metres?

· What end-post diameter for a kiwi planting?

· Is robinia suitable for hail-netting frameworks?

· How deep should a trellised-orchard post be set?

· Can trellis wire be stapled directly into robinia?

23 · Playgrounds and school grounds in robinia: what the EN 1176 standard really says

· Does EN 1176 require a particular species of timber?

· Can a child get splinters from sanded robinia play equipment?

· Should wooden play equipment be varnished or treated to protect it?

· Is robinia a toxic risk for children?

· What is checked every year on a robinia play structure?

24 · Robinia street furniture: the council's calculation

· Does robinia street furniture stand up to graffiti and vandalism?

· Should an annual maintenance budget be set aside for robinia furniture?

· Can robinia be specified in a tender without discriminating against bidders?

· Can we get identical batches and replacement parts years later?

25 · Soil bioengineering: robinia for riverbanks, fascines and retaining structures

· Can robinia stakes be driven without splitting them?

· Does robinia leach substances into the water?

· What stake length should be allowed for a riverbank fascine?

· Can a robinia stake driven into a bank sprout and become invasive?

26 · Robinia or oak – the comparison

· Isn't oak rot-proof?

· Why did old oak sleepers and posts last so long?

· Does oak turn black around screws and ironwork?

· Oak or robinia for an outdoor deck?

27 · Robinia, acetylated or thermally modified wood – the comparison

· Can thermally modified timber be used for fence stakes?

· Does the acetylated wood warranty cover ground contact?

· Is thermally modified timber a natural, chemical-free wood?

· Robinia or acetylated wood for a deck around a swimming pool?

28 · Robinia waney-edge cladding – farm buildings and sheep sheds

· What is a waney-edge board, and why does it cost less than an edged board?

· Should you remove the bark left on the edge of a waney-edge board?

· Can waney-edge boards be used to clad a house?

· Do livestock damage interior robinia cladding?

Disclaimer. Non-contractual article, provided for information only (photos and drawings included). Robinia is a natural material: the values given are orders of magnitude and may change without notice; in case of discrepancy, only the product’s technical data sheet and the general terms of sale apply. Always check the regulations that apply to your project.