In a back issue of Fine Homebuilding there was a very good article about stopping rot in porch posts. The best I remember, the author was in New Orleans. He talked about using borate plugs to stop wood from rotting. My questions are: 1). Which back issue is it in? 2.) Does anyone know where I can get some borate plugs?
Thanks,
vincethecarpenter
Replies
There's a good article in the May, 1993 issue (no. 81), but I didn't see any mention of borate.
I have the online subscription and searched for "borate". None of the 14 articles found referred to porches.
There is an article in the March, 2007 issue (no. 186) about rot-resistant framing materials which talks about preservatives such as borate.
the rods are marketed as IMPEL
They come in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" diameter. You probably want the 3/8" for posts.
They stop the spread of rot organisms but do not fix existing rot.
To do that you need to dry the wood, inject a low-viscosity epoxy such as "Git-Rot" brand following instructions, then patch with filler like Minwax wood filler or bondo.
The way the Impel rod work is that borates will dissolve in moist conditions and follow the water through the wood.
So if the wood gets wet so does the rod, a little of the borate travels through the wood, and it prevents the growth of the micro-organisms that eat wood.
The way the Git-Rot works is ( You have to have dry wood first) that it is thin enough to wick into the wood fibres and travel where the water would, then it hardens over 24 hours.
So once the Git-Rot is hardened, the borates would not migrate to those specific places, but water would not penetrate either.
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Thank you sir. That is the information I was looking for. The borate plugs are more for insurance than anything else. The lady won't get gutters, and the rain slashes back up on the porch columns something awful . I just didn't want some other poor carpenter having to go through this again in 5 to 10 years if I can help it.
Thanks,Vince
This reminds me of another question I've been meaning to ask: has anyone seen table salt used in a similar fashion? I was over in Korea a while ago and noticed that, in traditional architecture, they put salt at and under the post footings. They reportedly also soak wood in brine; this batch didn't get soaked for some reason. Attached is one example. You can see the salt at the footing, and the absorption up the grain.
Hadn't heard of that, though I can see how it would help resist some kinds of growth.at the cost of damage to ferrous fasteners thoughTh IMPEL is boron salts - I suppose they are less corrosive than sodium salts
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Actually I have heard of that, but it was about 20 years ago when I was in NC Outer Banks on vacation. I saw "Salt Treated" lumber for sale for decks etc. in several places. I always wondered if they meant pressure treated but never followed up on it.
Around here, "salt treated" used to refer to regular pressure treated materials. Don't hear the term much anymore.
I don't remember the issue, but would guess it's from this century. The author was John Michael Davis.
Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
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"I don't remember the issue, but would guess it's from this century."
Sometimes you editors are about as helpful as the government.
(-:
Some people hear their inner voice with such clearness that they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, but they become legends
Hey - I don't work here anymore. Whaddaya want fer nothin'?Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Once and Future King
I got a free copy of Decks magazine the other day. Has some nice articles in it and advertisments for new items I didn't know about. One was a disc to suspend ledgers off the wall for building attached decks. They any good?
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I don't have enough to go on to form an opinion on that product. Assuming we're talking about the same thing, he does have an engineer's report (not to be confused with an ICC ES Report), and it sounds plausible. It does rely on silicon caulk for the seal, which I don't like. OTH, the penetration is small, which I do like. And, there's a space behind the ledger, and you don't remove the siding. I suspect they work just fine and my caution is just the result of living in New England, where all change is bad. Andy
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." Robert A. Heinlein (or maybe Mark Twain)
"Get off your dead #### and on your dying feet." Mom
"Everything not forbidden is compulsory." T.H. White, The Once and Future King
I recall that article, because I had just taken a bunch of pictures of a job I'd done with epoxy thinking it would make a good article. got home that night to a new issue, and there it was...already written;)
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There was an article by John Michael Davis in FHB 156 P.77 on repairing rotten trim, but he was using epoxy. No mention of borates in that article.