In construction and architecture, modern trends are moving toward the reuse of old wood in both interior and exterior spaces. Wood can be reused for many purposes. In interiors, it can serve as furniture, wall cladding, or ceiling covering. The advantages of old wood include better dimensional stability, aesthetic appearance, and historical value. However, when reusing wood, the question arises of how its behavior in the event of fire changes with age. To compare the fire properties of wood of different ages, we used a cone calorimeter, which allows us to evaluate a material’s reaction to fire. For testing, we used larch and spruce wood. For comparison, we took fresh wood, which we surface-treated with different techniques (planing, sanding, and brushing) to more easily compare surface roughness between samples of different ages. The old comparative samples had been exposed to weathering for 10, 40, 80, or 100 years. Testing with the cone calorimeter showed that old wood ignites somewhat earlier than fresh wood but releases less heat in the event of fire. The final classification indicated that it can be placed in the same category as fresh wood. Based on the results, we can conclude that despite the changes caused by aging, old wood is still suitable for further use in construction and architecture.
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