What Is Nail Laminated Timber

Nail laminated timber or nlt.

What is nail laminated timber.

Tall wood buildings like t3 minneapolis have used nlt as floor and roof panels atop glulam beams. Glued laminated timber also abbreviated glulam is a type of structural engineered wood product constituted by layers of dimensional lumber bonded together with durable moisture resistant structural adhesives. From fire safety and lateral load considerations to construction and installation this is a must have resource for any design professional interested in using. Its structural performance and design elegance come together to create inspiring spaces in many historical buildings as well as modern new projects of all sizes.

Nail laminated timber or nlt is the stuff that the t3 building is made of because there was not enough clt capacity in north america to make that big a building and supplier structurecraft. Nail laminated timber nlt is a mass timber product created by turning dimensional lumber on edge and mechanically fastening the laminations together with nails. In north america the material providing the laminations is termed laminating stock or lamstock. To provide additional structure plywood sheathing may be added on the top side.

Wood structural panel sheathing. But in fact there is a much older technology for building with wood that warehouses and factories were built out of 150 years ago with a fancy new name. Cross laminated timber clt a sub category of engineered wood is a wood panel product made from gluing together layers of solid sawn lumber i e lumber cut from a single log each layer of boards is usually oriented perpendicular to adjacent layers and glued on the wide faces of each board usually in a symmetric way so that the outer layers have the same orientation. Nail laminated timber design guide using lessons learned from real projects this guide provides practical strategies and guidance for the safe predictable and economical use of nlt.

It is a highly visible form of mass timber in contemporary projects with long spans framing signature designs left exposed to take advantage of wood s natural aesthetic. Nail laminated timber nlt or nail lam is a century old construction material that is undergoing a design renaissance. Nlt is most commonly utilized for floor and roof systems though it can also be used for walls elevator shafts and stair shafts. Glue laminated timber glulam is a structural engineered wood product commonly used for beams and columns in residential and commercial applications.

Nlt has a long history having been used for over a century especially to create sturdy flooring.