Wood Preservatives

You can't get good stuff anymore. I researched this awhile ago and came up with this product:

Although it is said to be green, it actually dries much closer to black (when it dries, which can take weeks even in the summer). It winds up being a decent color match to railroad ties, which we have used rather extensively in our yard.

Isn't color an issue for you?

GWE

Zinc or tin napthenate; colorless, antifungal, not terribly expensive. Water soluble, though, so get the sort that's in a varnish or oil vehicle.

LLoyd

Thanks, Grant. Color is an issue - which is why creosote (if I could get it) or the green Cuprinol would be out. Although I have heard that the green of the Cuprinol fades after a while.

I like the grays that the pine and white cedar have weathered to, and would prefer a clear preservative that would keep that color.

John

Have you actually tried to use Cuprinol?

I did, and every time I would use it, it would give me a headache. It is not something that I would want to put on my house. At best, I would put it on feet of a garden bench or some such.

i

Posted to RCM only

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:52:49 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, John Martin quickly quoth:

You're OK with creosote? Then you'll love the stinky stuff I found recently for the brown Wolmanized (pressure treated) boards. It's Jasco Termin-8 H2O Brown. $10 a pint at ACE Hardware.

- Metaphors Be With You -

Not really OK with the creosote - it does stink and is far from a clear finish. I might consider using it - or the Cuprinol - on a couple of problem areas only. To do the whole house, though, I'd want something clear and a lot less fragrant.

I will admit, though, to having some affection for those smells. There was an insect repellent years ago called Old Time Woodsman - mostly pine tar and similar ingredients. Worked well, but it stunk and was about the color of creosote. If you were going to spend a week in the woods, you might as well smell the part. It was off the market for some years, but has recently come back.

I see that there is also a Jasco Termin-8 in clear, and will have to check it out. I do hope that $10/pint was a mistake, though!

It is disappointing to go into a dedicated paint store (a Benjamin Moore dealer) and then a large lumberyard/building supply and not have either one have exactly what I want.

John Martin

It depends wether your in an urban area or in a farming one. Here, in the UK, for what its worth you cannot buy creosote in an urban DIY store, but go to an agricultural /farm type of store , they have creosote in a light brown in 5 gall drums. Also our Telephone co, BT still has all its poles pressure creosoted, as nothinbg last longer. I put in 100 or so fence posts that had been pressure creosoted, they were guaranteed to last 25 yrs. Its now 30 yrs and weve only had to replace about 3. Cedar siding is nice, Ive some Western red,that I had from a demolition site some 25 yrs ago, Its as you say light grey but hasnt deteriorated in our wet climate. The best is heart oak. With no sap wood. I used t on my upper storey of my house some 35 yrs ago. Sawn 7in by 3/4 in. Its grey now but 1.16th in in its as hard and sound as the day I put it up. With no treatment at all. Its the tannin in the oak that preserves it. theres another post material that lasts as long. Thats sweet chestnut. One possibility for you, is to look for lt brown creosote, then mix it

50/50 with kerosene. youll find that will dry virtually colourless. Best thing is to run a trial on an unobtrusive part.

John,

Did you miss my tickler about zinc or tin napthenate? Clear, odorless (except for the vehicle), and a good preservative.

LLoyd

RCM only

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:32:39 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, John Martin quickly quoth:

I'd hope so.

Pine tar is fine. I love the PineSol smell.

'Twas. $9.85 for a -quart- at ACE. It just felt small, like a pint. It's surely cheaper at Blowes/Homey's Despot/online, etc. by the gallon.

My local ACE hardware store is Fields Home Improvement, a local entity which has nearly everything in there--like the old farm supply places. Nice folks, free popcorn, extremely good lumber prices. What more could a guy want? Oh, yes. They have metal, too. Roofing, flashing, strapping, bolting, screwing, piping, and othering.

- Metaphors Be With You -

How is their ammo prices? The local Ace is really spendy, even for .22s

Gunner

Lloyd - I saw it, and thanks. Any particular brands you like?

John

John, I haven't bought any in years. The last time I needed a few gallons, I made it. Bein' in a "chemical industry" 'n all...

I don't even remember now where I bought the material, but I do remember dispersing it in ordinary oil-based wood preservative.

LLoyd

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:06:48 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner Asch quickly quoth:

I'll have to check. I didn't know they carried it, but I wouldn't put it past 'em.

- Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.) -----------

We lived in FL about 18 years ago, and used Thompsons weatherseal on a couple of things, but it was only good for about a year in the FL sun and rain, so the following year I heated a gallon on the Coleman stove outside and dissolved a couple lbs. of paraffin into it. That did the trick. I sprayed it on using one of those garden pressurized sprayers with the air pump handle. The thin oil (whatever it is) soaks into the wood and carries the paraffin with it.

We moved 4 or 5 years later, and still no need for retreatment. I have no idea how long it actually lasted, but it was a definite improvement over the Thompson's alone. Oh yeah, clear as water. Treatment puts the wood about a half shade "fresher"... yeah, ok, that sort of translates to "darker," but it's more like unbleaching it rather than actually darkening.

For spots like that, I might try 3 lbs. (or more) of paraffin to the gallon.

Good idea! I've used dissolved paste wax on bare steel ... never occurred to me to use it on wood. What surfaces did you use it on? E.g., wood deck? It seems that waxing a deck might not be a good idea. Or did your treatment not leave a waxy finish?

Thanks, Bob

I use a similar approach. Mix Varsol and double boiled linseed oil. Usually about half and half.

The idea of the Varsol is to thin out the linseed oil so that it penetrates the wood.

You can use just about anything that can be disolved in Varsol and will act as a barrier to protect the wood from moisture and heat.

DOC

Buy my junk!

Lots of deck, siding and fence finishes out there, the more you pay, the longer they last. You can either get stain versions or clear versions, since you want that weathered look, get the clear. You can buy UV protection or not, depends on whether you want it more grey or not. It's common item at the big box home improvement places, have whole aisles full of different types here up to 5 and 10 gallon buckets. Apply with a brush or by spraying. Be careful with any rags afterwards, they're all drying oil hazards. Olympic was the brand I used on my trailer. Runs right around $20/gal, how much it covers depends on how porous your wood is and how rough the surface is. Ain't none of it going to be cheap. You aren't going to find coal tar derivatives for $4/gal that'll cover 1000 square feet/gal anymore, no matter how hard you try. Any other stuff is either going to be black like tar or green with copper salts, both types meant for buried wood, not siding. And I've read somewhere they want to ban the copper stuff, too.

Stan