do i need pressure treated wood if i'm staining it anyhow?

[Dica]

i'm building an arbor and plan to stain it. do i need pressure treated wood? if so, can i still stain it? if not, what kind of wood? i'm in ontario, canada, so douglas fir?

[WillR]

Cedar, Ipe etc.

PT will work - I have used it -- don't don't like the chemicals. People do stain it. I think you can get green and maybe there is a non-green PT wood here. Local building supply usually has answers...

Not Fir unless treated...

Call Century wood, A&M wood or similar and ask for a recommendation.

Look here for a couple of wood suppliers...

[David]

PT wood is used primarily to deter termites. Wood in contact with the ground should be PT. Above ground you can go with non-PT. Fir isn't going to last long when exposed to the elements. Redwood would be be better, but that might be an option for you. How about cedar instead? That's the usual wood when redwood is not available or too expensive in your area.

Dave

Dica wrote:

[David]

oh, one more thing. Staining doesn't provide any benefits equal to the properties of PT wood.

Dave

Dica wrote:

[Dica]

thanks dave. so staining won't deter termites? if i do go with pressure treated, can i stain it?

[David]

yes, you can stain it. I've done that myself.

Dave

Dica wrote:

[Edwin Pawlowski]

IIRC, you should wait some period of time before doing so that stain will adhere properly.

[Old Nick]

Maybe use red cedar? It has natural camphor (?) content.

Or use another wood that stands the elemsnts (usually hardwoods), but use stirrups to stand the columns up from the ground. SOP over here in West Oz, where TermiteZ RULE man!

PT tends to be evil stuff. It will exude poison to people touching it, and I am concerned about the long-term effects of getting rid of quantities of something that has a 50 year _guarantee_ against rotting! Nice idea, but the usual eco-problems.

[Dica]

if i stain it, is there some kind of sealer i can use that will keep the chemicals from bleeding through?

[David]

I whole heartedly agree that PT should not be used where anyone would come in contact with it. Splinters can be quite nasty due to the chemicals. don't use in a children's playground area.

Dave

Old Nick wrote:

[TaskMule]

Keep in mind that Canadian pressure trested wood is not like that found in the US. Can. pressure treated wood is usually spruce, which does not pressure treat properly, and usually of poor quality. It also rots fairly quickly.

Your best bet is western red cedar, usually available at good Ontario lumber yards.

[Patriarch]

"Dica" wrote in news:TN-dnTQ [e-mail]:

Several of your fellow Canadians have recommended quality local suppliers. Go have a chat with them about local requirements, practices and products. What David does in California works here, and the Aussies know Oz, but you need an experienced Canadian supplier.

Bugs, chemicals and laws differ greatly around the world.

Good luck with your project. Take pictures to share.

Patriarch

[Phisherman]

[Steven and Gail Peterson]

When does the period of time start? When you buy the PT wood, or when you get around to using it?

Steve

[Jason Quick]

And "saturated" is the correct word in spades. That stuff is *wet*. I'm surprised it doesn't drip when you make a fresh cut.

Built a deck out of the new PT lumber coupla years back. What an utter pain in the ass it was to work with and on, and hardly worth the trouble to make it look decent. Though after about a year of exposure, it stained up okay with a cedar-tone stain from Pittsburgh Paints. Still, next time I build a deck, I'm going with something - anything - else.

I picked up some ipe stock last week and caught myself thinking a deck made of ipe 2x2s would look pretty cool. That said, next time I might go with cedar or cypress due to cost, unless some other alternative (cumaru?) is available more cheaply.

Jason

[Old Nick]

shrug. Sorry Dica

[Old Nick]

shrug. Sorry Dica

[Prometheus]

Could be just me, but when I build structures, I only just PT wood for sill plates- not the whole thing. If someone is spending enough time laying on the ground touching the piece of timber *under* the framed structure, they've probably already got more problems than poison from PT lumber is likely to cause. On the other hand, your naturally decay-resistant woods are likely to look better, and if it makes you happy, go for that option. As far as I know, Cedar, Redwood, Mahogany and Teak top that list.

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