Exterior Wood Brackets

Despite the housing recession of the early 21st century, many builders have begun to bring back architectural detail to help set their homes apart. With new composites and plastics on the market this has also helped fuel the trend by offering details, which before would have only lasted 15-30 years. Despite this, exterior wood brackets are still one of the most common and economical ways to add structural detail to a home and can complement many of the older architectural styles that have been returning strong in the 21st century. Western red cedar is one of the most commonly used woods for these purposes due to its abundance, longevity, and low cost compared to other exotic woods on the market.

Western red cedar wood contains warm, natural color tones from light amber to a golden honey brown, and has the ability to easily accept and retain different types of stain finishes or paints. The finish product is usually smooth, but can also sometimes come in a rough form when leaving unfinished to give a natural look. This type of cedar is very useful as architectural wood brackets because it contains natural oils that helps repel insects and resist decay. Cedar also has a high resistance to swelling and shrinking due to moisture and with proper care and maintenance can last up to a hundred years. Western red cedar is comparable in quality and durability to both redwood and cypress and can cost half the price making it the ideal candidate for wood brackets and other exterior decorative millworks.

Not all brackets are shaped the same. Sometimes exterior brackets are small and compact and are often referred to as corbels or corbel brackets. These tend to be more decorative and less structural. Most traditional wood brackets are three-piece, with decorative accents on two of the legs and a central brace for support, but wood braces can be used alone as well in economical, small space settings to accent or support an area. Some of the usual structural applications for exterior wood brackets are for supporting overhangs, eaves, entrances, bay windows etc. The can also be used as accent pieces in porches, along columns, and in shallow gables.

Popular woods that are used in exterior millwork settings are cypress and redwood. They can be great choices for decorative millworks as well and you can check with local supply companies to see which materials are most common and economical in your area. In addition to wood products, other composites and plastic materials are beginning to be used with more frequency as well. In purely decorative scenarios where structure is not needed, the use of non structural materials such as urethanes, foam, vinyls, and cellular PVCs can be used for your architectural bracket needs. Some of these materials are lower in maintenance and can be more uniform and lightweight, but should only be used when structure is not a factor.

Cedar wood brackets can provide beautiful natural accent pieces to any home while enhancing the aesthetic curb appeal and increasing the property value of your home.

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