The Need to Treat Wood:  There are a multitude of reasons for treating timber or wood before use.  In many instances, the treated wood does improve on appearances as well as long life of the finished product.  Treating wood also helps remove any microbes and organisms that might have bored into the wood.  It also gives a good sheen to the patina and most furniture made with such wood would stand out for the grains produced.  Decay and rot are normally not found in wood that has been sufficiently treated.  Most louvre’s maintenance Pretoria, uses the best available hard wood to ensure long lasting and quality wood pieces that would stand out from the crowd. 

Treatments Available:  Most commonly found treatment is to soak the timber in water.  Alternate drying and moistening of timber has seen to produce wood that is hard and tough on the exterior.  It has been noticed that the timber used in construction of piers and platforms tend to take a very tough exterior.  They were inadvertently subjected to seasoning by the sea water and sun.  There are special chemical timber treatments that are used for specific purposes.  Most borers and insects are kept away from causing harm to the wood by using chemicals that eliminate them and their larvae in the wood.  Specially treated wood is used in the construction of home and office furniture that would be presentable as well as durable. Since appearances make a big difference in getting the carpenter a premium price, the wood used for such uses are put through specialized seasoning. 

Waterproofing Wood- There are a number of types of wood that by their inherent nature are waterproof.  No amount of water on them would cause damage or swellings.  One such wood, the pine, is used extensively in the manufacture of furniture for the kitchen.  In the days gone by, specially treated wood was used in the building of ships that took to the seas.  Most timber by nature is damaged by water.  It is the treated timber that can withstand water falling on to it.  There are specialized laminations applied to the outer surface of the wood to bring about a waterproof type of wood. 

Newer Methods:  As time goes by, better and more thorough methods of treating timber would be available.  This would only cater to the already existing market for treated timber and would help reduce the time factor that most wood treatment requires.  Any method that eliminates decay in wood would be welcome in the market.  With more applications being brought up for the use of treated timber, it is only natural that the best available work material is used. Most chemical treatments help keep the wood free from fungus, insects, termites, and water.  It is important that tested and tried chemicals be used in the seasoning of timber.  Otherwise it could lead to a health hazard for user of such wood.  There is indeed a difference between wood for interior and the exterior wood.  Although both look similar, the safety aspect is important for internal uses. 

 

This article is about the uses and benefits of treated wood or lumber. The author talks about the different timber treatments methods here.