Preservative-treated timber
Tips for making it last longer
Why do cross-cut treated timber products need to have their ends treated to maintain their durability, strength and integrity?
Preservative treated, softwood construction products such as Pine or Spruce have been through a factory controlled, industrial treatment process. This results in the timber having an effective barrier of protection against decay and insect attack. It provides added durability, extending the service life of the timber and allowing plentiful, fast grown species to be used in areas that wouldn’t ordinarily be practical.
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Installing Treated Timber
Treated timber is designed to be installed without modification. For this reason, cutting and reworking pre-treated timber during installation should be avoided if possible.
Treated wood should NEVER be sawn along its length. However, certain products may need to be cross-cut to size – the fact that timber is easily worked is one of its advantages. By cutting, drilling, boring or notching the treated timber, you are likely to expose the timber’s untreated core and break the ‘coverage’ of preservative protection.
Cut-end brush-on treatment
You can maintain the integrity of the pre-existing treatment by giving each cut end two liberal brush coats of a suitable end grain wood preservative or protector. This also applies to areas which have been bored, drilled or notched – for example to accept fixings.
Installation of Posts
It’s important to remember that preservative coverage achieved by brush application is less effective than that achieved by the industrial treatment process. So even if an end grain preservative has been applied to a cross-cut end of a treated post, this end must NEVER be embedded in the ground. Instead, put the un-cut end in the ground.
If a post does needs shortening, then cut the top (at an angle to shed water), apply two coats of brush-on treatment and fit the cut top with a post cap to reduce water penetration into the end grain.
Please contact us if you require one of our 250ml tins of End-Grain Sealer.
