treated softwood

Hello,

I would like to replace a rotten garden gate. I 've read old posts here and larch and Douglas Fir are recommended for outdoors but I can't find anyone locally who sells them. Looking in places like Wickes, they sell gates made from softwood. Provided it is given a coat of paint or creosote-substitute, would softwood last outdoors?

I wondered whether treated softwood would be better because I thought the preservative was applied under pressure to help it penetrate further into the wood? How much further does it get into the wood? Is it much better than a surface coating of paint/creosote?

I notice most treated softwood is rough sawn and I think that's because it absorbs the treatment easier than planed wood does. But some rough sawn timber is very rough! Is there a way to tidy up very rough, rough sawn treated timber without sanding or planing all of the treatment off? Or is it just a matter of rummaging and selecting the best samples off the shelf at the timber yard?

I had a wander around Focus during my lunch hour and I notice they have some planed treated softwood: that rounded edge C16 and some shiplap cladding, which I hadn't seen anywhere before.

Thanks, Stephen

Reply to
Stephen
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I am fortunate in having a sawmill about a mile away. The advice they give me is that Larch cannot be pressure treated, but it has somewhat of a natural rot resistance if kept out of contact with the ground. Spruce, on the other hand, can be pressure treated, and then has a life of about 20 years outside, even buried. Sawmill then goes on to say that it's important that the pressure treatment is applied to the spruce after sizing, so now I go to them with the exact sizes I want, and they cut it and pressure treat it. This sawmill (Robin Hood, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria) also makes fence panels and gates to order.

A proper sawmill is going to be better and cheaper than Wickes or B&Q, and the advice you get is much better. Sawmill is not necessarily the same as Timber Yard. Try Yell.com for proper sawmill within roof-rack distance.

R.

Reply to
TheOldFellow

That's a useful bit of information. Not a million miles away from me. B-)

I bet they will make gates for a very good price as well. I got three (two small ones and large field gate) made up by JM Jackson, Bridge End Sawmill, Hexham about 10 years ago for about =A3250. Very well made, much tighter and better joints than I could have managed. These are "softwood" of some sort, treated after manufacture and not a sign of rot anywhere.

Unless the OP is a really good carpenter I think finding a place like Robin Hood or JM Jackson would be the best bet and have something made and treated after manufacture. The problem with using pretreated timber is that you have to treat *all* the newly cut faces before assembly.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Google 'fence [area where you live] for details of local suppliers. I got a side gate made to order and delivered for less than £50 recently. It feels very solid but we'll see how well it lasts. (Most fence suppliers do gates but you won't find them by Googling for gates in my experience. )

Reply to
Peter Johnson

pretreated

Where did I say my gates were pressure treated after manufacture? I suspect these gates were dipped but they haven't rotted and show no signs of doing so after 10 years exposed at 1400', not going grey either. The Cuprinol Garden Shades black "paint" has fallen off though and the Ducks Back shed treatment applied about 2 years ago has all but gone from the shed, which is turning grey. Both useless products IMHO.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Gates are hardly "strutural" and a decent sawmill will use decent timber (local or not) not the knot and resin ridden crap you find in the likes of B&Q.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

They are when the kids swing on 'em - and we all know there are few things kids love more than to swing on a gate.

Reply to
Skipweasel

Any kids that I see swinging on gates get a bollocking. If there is no choice but to climb over a gate they are told to climb at the hinge post.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

That's what I've always taught mine, but I can't be arsed to hover over the front gate and deter every single swinger.

Not that we have a front gate any more - when I took away the fence and replaced it with a low all the wife decided that since she struggles with gates anyway we'd just do without. It's not as if they do anything any way. Gates, that is, not wives.

Reply to
Skipweasel

Proper treated stuff, yes.

I've used Jacksons (local to me - but deliver anywhere). Not cheap but I've been impressed - and I know plenty of other people who have used them for years.

All their softwood stuff is treated by them and guarenteed rot free for 25 years - I know of some that's still fine and is nearly 20 years old and has never been treated with anything else (or painted etc).

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to how deep the stuff goes, have a look at

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not all that deep...

ÂMost of their stuff is much smoother than the rough treated stuff you see in wickes etc. It's not planed, but it's much smoother. No idea why

As I say, I've used them for a fair bit, but have no connection other than a satisfied customer. I'm sure there are plenty of other companies around the place that are similar and offer just as good treatment - I'd steer clear of the sheds and never use something that hadn't been pressure treated tbh.

Darren

Reply to
D.M.Chapman

They keep the stray, or being herded between fields, sheep out, provided they aren't herdwicks, nothing can keep them out (or in).

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Do Herdwicks jump, like deer? Our gates, walls, and fences keep out the sheep and cows, but recently we've had deer leaping into the garden.

Reply to
S Viemeister

MBQ

Reply to
Man at B&Q

I was thinking more of front garden gates in urban housing.

Reply to
Skipweasel

Gatewood was a high grade when gates were made of oak heartwood, same quality as planking but smaller diameter thinning.

AJH

Reply to
andrew

9' field gates installed here (prior to 1938) had Oak uprights and top rail, the rest being Cedar.

regards

Reply to
Tim Lamb

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