FAQ’s | Accent Truss

At Accent Truss, we strive to create the best experience for our clients as possible. You’ll find information here that we hope you find helpful regarding our process, timing, design, assembly and installation, wood species and surface finishes.  Every project has its own unique characteristics and requirements but each one we craft will have fantastic visual impact, small tolerances and delivery in a timely manner. Exceeding our clients’ expectations is always the top priority; repeat business is our barometer to measure success.

Timing

 

The best way to have timber trusses and components incorporated into a project is to work with us early as a partner in the process. This allows us to provide the quality service and craftsmanship we are known for and take pride in. The image below shows an ideal scenario for blending our process with yours.

Shop Drawings

The shop drawings are a crucial part of what we do. We begin each project with the creation of a detailed set of shop drawings. It is the bridge between design and execution and we take great care with the process. No cuts happen to the timber without full review of the shop drawings and final sign off from the customer.

Assembly & Installation

We pre-assemble each piece in the shop during the crafting and fabrication process to ensure a good fit on the jobsite. While some components will arrive to your jobsite assembled, many are too large and will be knocked down and bundled for shipping. We ship nationwide.

We do not do the jobsite assembly and/or installation, but we do make it as simple as possible for your onsite crews to perform this work by providing assembly drawings that clearly show how each piece goes back together and in what order to install.

Species

Western Red Cedar (Scientific name: Thuja plicata)

• Excellent rot resistance for exterior use
• Natural deep red color
• Good grain patterns (similar to Douglas Fir)
• Soft wood good for joinery

Douglas Fir (Scientific name: Pseudotsuga)

• Great structural properties for heavy loading
• Beautiful rich grain that will accept stain finishes very well
• Stability for minimal movement
• Great for cutting curved trusses with complex joinery

Crafting and working with clients on the design and look of their heavy timber projects is our specialty. Final finishing of the projects, however, doesn’t happen here with us. It is typically done on-site by a painter. We are often asked what we think is a good product or color to use, but the truth is there isn’t one answer to that question. Different spaces and people will want and dictate different things, and personal preference rules here. Some prefer a completely natural look allowing the timber to weather naturally (exterior timber grey over time and interior will deepen or grey depending on conditions). Other customers have used paint or a solid-body stain; this is a less common choice but can look great in the right setting. The most common and popular finishes would be oil and/or stain. Oiling will bring out and enhance the natural tones of the wood and it highlights the graining patterns really well. To maintain the look of oiling it will need to be re-applied fairly regularly — more often than staining. Oils can have tint or no tint in them. We think linseed oil is a great option but there are others out there that also work well. Staining will require less upkeep but will change the natural tones of the wood the most, although it does give a very dramatic and rich look to a project.