I’ve been following this forum for several years now and I’ve never seen a mention of Thompson’s Waterseal or any of the other similar products. There’s lots of talk about flashing and termite murdering and dry rot and disintegrating OSB and so on but no mention of these preservatives.
Has anyone used them? Do they work? Do termites eat stuff treated with them?
Most importanly, does a water-based glue work with wood treated with one of these water-proofing agents?
~Peter
Saudi Arabia delendum est.
Replies
Thompsons sucks.
Prodek has suggested something here that I have seen a few times, might want to try the advanced search
Thompson's is just a wax treatment, parafin and thinner. it dries and oxidizes within six to eighteen months and is gone.
It is not intended as a preservative, only as a water repellant.
There are water repellant/ sealers
There are insecticides
There are fungicides
Is there a specific purpose you have in mind?
There are masonry sealers too, for chimneys and such
Excellence is its own reward!
No specific purpose, just looking to expand the knowledge base.
For instance, if dry rot occurs only in wet wood and the wood is soaked with some sort of water-repellant, then dry rot wouldn't happen, would it? Do you use anything better than Thompson's? Would this be a good idea?
~Peter
Why can't people pronounce "Sioux City" correctly?
A water repellent is only what it says , not water proof. There was a class action lawsuit over snake proof boots or snake repellent. See the difference ? The only treatment for wood that is snake proof is pressure treated.
However ; there are many things in this world better than Thompsons .
Gag , you supprize me with your youth and knowledge combined.
Tim Mooney
Gag? , you supprize me with your youth and knowledge combined???
Typo or Jab?
View ImageGo Jayhawks
Edited 3/11/2003 3:08:39 PM ET by CAG
haha Typo!
Tim Mooney
Wow two compliments in one day, Guy at work today said I was smarter then average bear :)
Carefull or I just might get a big head.
And thanks
NeilView ImageGo Jayhawks
Well, before you get too full of yourself, bear in mind (no pun intended) that in the kingdom of mammals, 'the average bear' ain't the sharpest pencil in the box! :-)
However, I agree with you; Thompsons Water seal is to wood protection about like that car wax you spray on your rig in the DIY car washes.
Always wondered what kind of idiot would fall for that wax. If it actually worked, you wouldn't be able to see out the windows?
Joe H
Many years ago when I was in school taking marketing, I was taught that it's not what the product does, but what the consumer/customer's PERCEPTION of what it does is most important. That's why Thompson's continues to sell. Advertising and water beading for the first rain after application convinces people that it is a worthwile product. What it actually does over the long term is less important.
Jon
Nope, but aint the dullest either.View ImageGo Jayhawks
" if dry rot occurs only in wet wood and the wood is soaked with some sort of water-repellant, then dry rot wouldn't happen, would it? Do you use anything better than Thompson's? "
#1 - You can't really soak wood with Thompson's because it is not a penetrating product but a surface protectant. Your reasoning is good that keeping wood dry prevents rot but there is no such thing as dry-rot. Rot only happens when you have three things. Food for the parasites, whether bacterial or fungal - the wood. Warmth - because those parasites won't grow, eat and multiply in the cold. And Moisture which is necessary for reproduction and life.
Eliminate any of those three and no rot occurs. The other way of dealing with rot prevention is the placemnent of chemical or mineral agents in the wood to make the habitat environmentaly obnjectionable to the little wood eating buggers.
So the preservatives used, for instance, by the window manufacturing people start with a penetrating liquid that contains chemical to make bacteria and fungus feel unwelcome, preferably in a way that bonds with the wood cells in the same spaces that water would like to occupy when possible. Oil based solutions did this very well but the govt told us that this was unhealthy so it is now done with water based products. Isn't it interesting that we use water to prevent water damage now?
Many window manufacturers had claims to settle based on this fact about ten years ago. Marvin was one of the big ones. They managed to get some of the blame passed on to the (PPG?) preservative manufacturer in the courts. So they now tell us that everything is all fixed. We'll know in another ten years for sure.
My head is filled with wonderment and doubt though. The factory workeers were protected from a questionable health concern when the oil based products were done away with and the homeowners were subjected to an increased danger (also questionable) in their homes and a significant repair cost to be shared with the manufacturers.
Notice how when the govt fixes something, they break something else?
Tim was right, that it is only by forcing chemical into the wood under pressure in a vat, that you get snakeproof penetration and protection from rot.
But that still doesn't protect you from water damage which is a separate issue. Water that penetrates wood can freeze and expand as it does so. That expansion causes tiny splits that grow everytime that it referezes with water in them. That, combined with UV rays, will age and destroy the wood in the total absence of rot. Surface protectants is what are used to keep the water out and to shield from the UV rays. It is best when those protectants (paint or oils or polyurethynes or varnishes or [thompsons]waxes) can penetrat the wood to grip and last.
Thompsons doesn't do that and the wax oxidizes rapidly to disappear. The others have varying life spans. You have to chose according to application and climate.
.
Excellence is its own reward!
Oh Great Piff,
I understand all that about dry rot which is really wet rot. My thought was just that if you could waterproof the wood, then you would eliminate one of the three ingredients for the infestations [or damage].
I am leery of the idea of water freezing in the wood cells, expandingg and then doing damage. How do trees survive in winter? I would think the wood cells can expand and contract a little bit.
Anyway, is there any better water seal, treatment, waterproofing out there that anyone could recomend?
~Peter
You've heard it about a dozen times, in answer to that question, almost anything is better than Thompson's. A specific recomendation depends on what the use or application is. Different products for different uses. You haven't been specific other than general knowledge. There are a hundred products to satisfy that question..
Excellence is its own reward!
OK, I've been following this thread, and I have a relevant specific application:
My front porch, 6' by 45', covered. Decking is 5/4 x 6 pressure treated, across the short diminsion (6'). House faces NW in the South. What would yall recommend?
PB (yet another spring project)
Consumer Reports has been tracking the performance of various deck treatments/stains/sealers for about I think 5 years now. Thomson's was the first to be rated unaceptable after about 2 months. CAG is right, the stuff gives very limited and temporary protection. Given it is a wax I would think it would reduce the ability of anything treated with it to bond to anything. By they way, CR seems to update this test every year or so, usually in the spring.
Jon
This won't necessarily answer your questions, but for your info Consumer Reports has compared water seal with other similar products reguarding durability. Check your local library.