Following recent windy weather, I needed some timber for fence repair. With no skips around offering any suitable material (often a good source ) I had to bite the bullet and visit the Wickes around the corner for some sawn treated timber. From the looks of it they'd probably be better off making their own out of recycled and compressed cornflakes packets.
Basically it has every fault possible in terms of wany edges with lumps missing, dead knots as big as a fist and every type of distortion possible in terms of twists and warps etc. Most of it would make good text book illustrations of these faults but even then the authors might be accused of using Photoshop.
Basically this will require a return visit with the Stanley knife to open as many bundles as are necessary to get the four decent pieces which are required
Anyway out of interest I checked out their website for any reviews.
Here's one -
Item
" Type: Sawn Treated Softwood Length: 2.4m Width: 100mm (4'') Thickness: 19mm (3/4'') Pack Size: Single Colour: Green coloured treated wood Certification: FSC-certified "
review
"Terrible quality By Scotjim from Suffolk Expertise: Expert DIYer
23 August 2012 "I had three lengths delivered, and all three were crooked and unusable, like dogs hind legs."and here's what the "experts at Wickes" have got to say by way of reply
" By Wickes Timber Team, 31 August 2012 Timber is a natural product and as such is prone to distortion. This particular product is supplied as a ** green timber ** with a high moisture content. Warm conditions can cause the product to dry out quickly and distort. In an attempt to keep this to a minimum, Wickes stores are visited by our timber supplier regularly who remove such pieces from sale."
Which is of course absolute bollocks. "Green timber" is indeed undried timber, but the "green" in this timber is the colour of the preservative and has nothing to do with the drying. If the timber wasn't allowed to dry sufficiently then it wouldn't have been possible to then impregnate it with preservative.
A point which has clearly never occured to the Wickes Dopey Timber Team.
The claim that the stores are visited by timber suppliers is again a downright lie as the majority of faults in the bundles of this timber - for anyone unwise enough to buy it in this form which the majority of customers presumably do - are only apparent once the bundle is opened. If all the bundles were opened and all the faulty timber removed by the supplier, Wickes sawn timber racks would be 80% empty. Presumably the rest would then go straight to chipboard or MDF.
michael adams
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