planed pressure-treated timber

[sm_jamieson]

I am looking for some planed and pressure-treated timber (2 x 4) for constructing a garden gateway. Anyone know a good supplier in the Midlands ? Cheers, Simon.

[A.Lee]

You mean planed wood for external use? I'm not sure you will find any. I was after some in October to make some gates, and the only exterior wood was sawn tanalised. Even the gate makers said they use normal pine, then treat it afterwards with some type of preservative.

Sunningdale Timber off the A47, west of Leicester are the best suppliers around here, and they do not keep sawn treated in stock. Theobalds in Market Bosworth are pretty good I have been told, but I've not been there myself. Alan.

[sm_jamieson]

In that case what is the best preservative to use ? I guess it should be cut to size and then treated before assembling to ensure it is properly coated. Any idea what the best preservative is ? Simon.

[mail]

Dear SM Is the garden gateway comprising of just the gate surround supported off a brick wall or are you proposing to use the 4x2 as a post in ground contact?

IF the former then there is a new(ish) type of tanalised timber which LOOKS as if it has been planed (but the corners are chamfered- sp?) which might well be suitable. The trick is to ensure that any timber masonry contact is protected with a dpm and that there are no water traps. use the treated ends for the higher risk locations and treat the cut ends for at least an hour preferable overnight by immersion in and OS based fungicide (unless you can get a preservative paste applied by a professional eg Probor)

If it is a post you are after then I will need to specify that more carefully as it is at risk at the ground line

Chris

[sm_jamieson]

The gate surround is supported on a brick wall at one side and a concrete post (fitted for this purpose) on the other side, so the timber is not in direct contact with the ground at any point. If I use softwood I will treat it with something before assembling and ensure the end grain is well soaked. Where would I find this chamfered timber ? It is true it is usually the corners that look so straggly with the rough-cut. Thanks, Simon.

[Pete C]

It may well be 'treated CLS', can't remember what CLS stands for, eg:

As well as soaking cut end grain in preserver it's worth giving any ends and faces that will be hidden a coat of wood stain or paint _before_ assembly.

cheers, Pete.

[Rod]

I cheated:

[mail]

Pete Canadian Lumber Sizes... chris

[Stuart Noble]

No good for exterior use. Fence posts are normally redwood, but a very low grade of.

[Weatherlawyer]

Any builder's yard should either stock it or be able to get it for you. You could certainly get it in one of the three or more yards in almost every fair sized town.

You should be able to sand it with red abrasive (garnet) paper. Ordinary sandpaper will clog if it is damp.

If it is treated it aught to be excellent for outdoor use. What would be the point of the treatment otherwise?

I imagine treated timbers will be the norm for Canada before long. And that softwood prices are due for a shock increase:

from such forests will likely be very low grade as it is cut before mature and full of dead knots. Young conifers lose a lot of branches as they grow. These are usually buried deep in mature trees.

Mature trees have all or most of their branches in the upper story.

[Pete C]

Whatever...

If the OP goes to a decent largish timber yard they should be able to supply what's best or order it in.

cheers, Pete.

[Andy Hall]

Canadian Lumber Standards.

It's a complete grading system which includes mechanical properties, moisture content and finish as well as sizing.

their role has been with untreated material, but has expanded to include treated timber also.