Wood Preservatives?

[Mahindra123]

This is my 1st attempt in starting a "thread" but all of you fellow members are always very helpfull to any questions - so please help me out! Back in the old days, creosote was a very dependable product for those applications where the wood meets the soil. What is available today for prolonging the life of posts in the ground, wood in contact with cement where it never dries out at the point of contact? Creosote had an almost nauseating smell to it, and as the temperatures rose, so did the stench - however, it really worked. The stair stringers to my deck I had treated them with it and 35 years later, they were still solid as the day they were put in....and that wood was just plain spruce 2 X 10's and not Wolmanized. Is there anything available today that even comes close to creosote? I just built a new house, I have a Woodmizer LT30HD so I'll be doing it all and the practical wood in any dimension I need is white pine. I have had some disappointing results with the newer treated woods but I'd be willing to buy the new stuff if I could reinforce the longevity with an available preservative. The 1st project will be another deck and the second one is to build a freestanding shelter with just posts holding up a traditional pitched shingled roof. The roof will be pitched high in the middle and slope to either side. Whatever you call that type of roof, one of you can easily tell me - I'm sure. Any and all help would surely be appreciated in helping me out in answer to my question. Incidentally, my Woodmizer has been a good investment. It is 12 years old with 10,200 hours on the meter and I'm on the 3rd engine now. I have a question for those who sharpen and set their own blades but I'll hold off on that and do it under a different thread. Thank you!!!!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Back in the old days, creosote was a very dependable product for those applications where the wood meets the soil. Is there anything available today that even comes close to creosote?

There's nothing YOU can buy or get YOUR hands on that's better than todays PT lumber. You just need to order lumber that's treated to at least .60 and .80 is even better.

I'm betting there will be some home brews mentioned here, and i'm also betting you they won't work!

Rob

 

[820wards]

There's nothing YOU can buy or get YOUR hands on that's better than todays PT lumber. You just need to order lumber that's treated to at least .60 and .80 is even better.

I'm betting there will be some home brews mentioned here, and i'm also betting you they won't work!

Rob

Redwood

jerry-

 

[Ted J]

Plasti-Sleeve - The Original in Post Frame Protection

 

[4b316]

treatment

Take a look at the tag on your PT boards,for the best results you should use either UC4B or UC4C,0.60 or 0.80.This shows the amount of treatment in the lumber.Some people sell it as 15,20 or 30 year PT lumber.I have seen some hemlock 8x8,s that have been over 25 years with a treatment of used motor oil and diesil fuel every couple years.The old guy that does this for his sawmill just pours it around the post.Not something I would do,but works for him.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have seen some hemlock 8x8,s that have been over 25 years with a treatment of used motor oil and diesil fuel every couple years.The old guy that does this for his sawmill just pours it around the post.Not something I would do,but works for him.

My neighbor did that around the 6x6 post of his sawmill shed, because he said when he was a kid they did it around their corn crib and it worked... Less than 10 years later, the wind blew over the shed onto his sawmill! Inspection showed the post rotted just at/below ground level, right where the most oil was.

Don't be cheap! Buy good PT lumber for on/in the ground, and saw out everything going above it.

Rob

 

[Mahindra123]

My neighbor did that around the 6x6 post of his sawmill shed, because he said when he was a kid they did it around their corn crib and it worked... Less than 10 years later, the wind blew over the shed onto his sawmill! Inspection showed the post rotted just at/below ground level, right where the most oil was.

When I was alot younger and in darn good physical shape - I worked on a line crew planting creosoted southern yellow pine into the ground. We also had to replace the old poles that the inspection team found rotted and that is exactly where they rotted first - at ground level. The 6' butt in the ground was solid and the pole 6" above the ground and up were solid - just the wood at ground level was shot. Since my tenure on that job was quite a few years ago, I completely lost that thought. I appreciate all of your posts in helping me out and I will forego trying to save a few bucks using my own wood and buy some GOOD weather treated 6x6's.

Thank-you

 

[Talltom]

The Plasti-Sleeve looks like an interesting idea for pole barns. PT wood of that size and length is very expensive, if available. Even if you use ground contact approved PT posts, the preservative does not penetrate to the center, so either don't put cut ends in the ground or treat them. Local code here requires application of copper based fungicide (cuprinoil?) to cut ends in ground contact but no one - Lowes, HD or paint store carried it. I put tree wound dressing (asphalt based) on the cut ends of some 6x6 PT posts for a shed and kept them 10" above the bottom of the hole encased in concrete. This should work but I won't know for 20 years or so.