For lumber ends, that is.
I’d like to build (in Arkansas) a copy of a shed I had built in Reno. My ‘base” was a little different from most, in that the shed used pier blocks for the foundation, and the design further raised the shed a few more inches above the ground. The only parts of the shed that touched the pier blocks were the very end faces of the vertical frame members.
Here, I am told there are terrible problems with termites, and I am not to have untreated wood in contact with ground or concrete. Sure, I could use pressure treated lumber for the vertical members, but I’d rather not. It seems sort of ‘wasteful,’ and introduces all manner of corrosion issues for my fasteners. So, I ask …
Is it feasable for me to purchase some product, and simply dip / soak the lumber ends in it, and get adequate protection? What would such a product be called?
Thanks for your suggestions.
Replies
elevate.....
Having spent most of my career working in Arkansas I figure to have some insight. Not even a book would suffice to address your issues.
Termites won't eat treated wood but they have no problem going around it to get to the good stuff if everything else is right. Wood a few inches above the ground is at risk in any event. Mechanical barriers [flashing ] help as does sunlight.
Coppernapthenate is my choice as treatment to untreated wood or even to end cuts for most of the treated wood now available.
I have used it a lot over the years at 20% strength with great results but all I find now is 10% and the jury is still out there though I expect it will be o.k.
Anything wood less than 1' minimum above dirt is asking for it. Build it and they will come......
Right- hence the design.
The pier blocks - whose depth with provide the leveling - ought to raise everything 3-4", even at the closest point. The framing - apart from the 'feet' of the vertical pieces- will be another 4" above the tops of the blocks. The finished floor will then rest about a foot off the ground (with 3-1/2" 'joists' under a 3/4" deck). Free air all around.
My lot has shown free of termites, but why tempt fate? Previous owners had plenty of wood in direct earth contact, and got lucky. I've removed that stuff!
Don't forget the flashing.
Just corner posts
If I understoand yuor project, would it really be worththe searching for a "solution" rather than spending a small amount of cash, and a lot less time, for the pressure treated at the corners?
Just a thought, not trying to offend.
Jim
You're not going to be able to pressure-treat wood without pressure. Pressure is needed to force the treatment chemical into the wood more than the 1/4" or so you can obtain by soaking.
And if you just treat the ends the termites will simply crawl beyond the treated portion to have their meal.
Were I to frame this in the conventional manner, only the bottom plate would be expected to be pressure treated - that's just 3-1/2", maybe 5-1/2" of wood - the height of a 2x4 or 2x6 set on edge. My unconventional framing - similat to that of a post barn - places only the but ends of the vertical members anywhere near the pier blocks.
How high would you have one go with pressure treated wood? Would you make your two-floor house entirely of pressure treated wood, including the kitchen cabinets?
On the other hand, I don't think it's impossible for a treating fluid to wick up several inches through the end grain, just by capillary action.
Flashing is a good detail; my 50-yr+ home probably never had a 'treatment' before I bought it, yet the original construction details (flashings, etc) did their job and the house remained vermin free.
Which, of course, brings up the possibility of doing what they do with new homes today: having the ground saturated with bug-x before I build the shed.
I don't even know what I would use to soak the lumber ends in- thus the thread. The first reply mentioned one product, which I will look into.
Drill a 1/2 inch hole near the bottom of the posts faced down about 45 degrees. Fill an oil can with preserative and use it to fill the hole with preserative. Plug the hole with a removable plug. Refresh the preservative in the hole every couple of years. I used to do this with creosote and it worked wonders.
Pressure Treated
Don't forget the carpenter ants. The folks that built my house set a row of 6 pressure treated 2 x 4's that supported the center opening of my 2 car garage in/on the concrete. The carpenter ants hollowed out the centers about 12 inches up.