A few years ago I used Cuprinol Wood Preserver Clear such as these
Although the product was applied thoroughly I heard years later that one of the pieces of wood was rotting. Perhaps that piece was a rogue in some way; the problem may not be with the Cuprinol.
Either way, is there a better preservative?
Ideally, I want something which is going to seep deeply in to the wood, not cover the surface.
Incidentally, having read up on 'current' wood preserving I have seen recommendations to use paint or varnish.
AISI paint would only cover the surface, and my memory of varnish is that it starts flaking off after a few years. Unless varnish has changed in recent years I guess that it would still sit on the surface and while it might be great initially it would still be a pain in the long term.
And any effective surface covering would probably lock any residual moisture in.
Happy to be corrected. Maybe modern varnishes are better. Have avoided them for years.
In message , James Harris writes
I agree with your thoughts on varnish, and can only advise that my best results were using Sadolin, although cannot remember exactly which 'flavour' - there seem to be many these days.
It would help if you said where the timber was, what the timber was and if it was subject to standing water at any time. Also how long ago.
Not many wood preservatives will protect soft wood which is in a permanently damp location over winter, for example.
Timber fence panels are a good example. However well treated the bottom bar tends to rot away far sooner than the rest because it is more exposed to long term damp.
Cheers
Dave R
Real Creosote which can still be bought online is still the best for longevity and penetration. Ends of posts can be stood in a bucket of it for days before installation. Google for bird brand to find one source.
Even pressure treated rubbish wood isn't going to have the long life of decent stuff. And much of the wood you can buy today is rubbish, compared to structural timber used before WW1 or so.
In other words, you replace a bit of rotten Victorian timber with new. The original having lasted well over 100 years. Very little chance the new will last as long.
I seem to remember that elm was reckoned to be a good timber to use in wet conditions. Don't spose it is available nowadays.
Steve
While turfing out some old tins of paint from the shed, I found a gallon of real creosote I had forgotten about (of course I immediately disposed of it).
Its not much use as a brush on treatment, the stuff painted with it rots. You might get better results if you have a vacuum chamber to get it into the wood but there are better things to use.
I can't remember why I ever had it, none of the three fences around my garden belong to me, though I do 'paint' my side of two of them.
One neighbour always used to use a mixture of creosote and old engine oil on his part, the panels have lasted 27 years plus however long they were there before I arrived, the posts have rotted where they were set in concrete so we've replaced them with metposts and anchor bolts over the years.
In days of yore, wood preserver was laced with copper and arsenic. Not any more and the stuff is s**te. You can blame regulations from the EUSSR
I don't know what the timber was but it was at the bottom of a door so for all I know it could have been in an area in which rainwater accumulated to some degree, perhaps on the surface. I guess it was two or three years after application.
Not a problem now. Past history.
Very true. I guess that it's now hard to find quality timber and it would be horrendously expensive - partly because of lack of demand (ply and DIY-store softwoods having taken the market) and partly because stores selling such wood would be rare.
Maybe teak would be best...?
Yes, too many. The firms ought to have product selectors.
'Blame'? Congratulate more like it.
Save your effort, Harry has gone full UKIP.
I've successfully used modern green oak to replace the rotten, outer part of window lintels in my 18th century cottage. (Walls are more than
2 feet thick, lintel appears to be made up from several 5x5s. The outermost one was certainly a separate piece).HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.