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paulsmth2

new deck

paulsmth2
9 years ago

My old deck is rotting out and has to be replaced. I have two proposals both recommending treated yellow pine...acq. I am not a fan of pine especially because of the knots in it. However, it seems that this is the most economical approach.

One proposal also uses the term wolmanized wood along with the term acq. I thought these are two different processes. Did the contractor make a mistake or do I simply not understand the process that well.

It is my understanding that treated yellow pine has a green tint to it but that it should take a stain just fine. In looking at the posts it seems that a Cabot semi transparent stain is the way to go. If so, do I simply tell the contractor that I want to purchase and apply.... Cabot semitransparent stain color x...

What are your thoughts on the use of treated yellow pine...

Thanks

Comments (10)

  • handymac
    9 years ago

    Treated pine is the least expensive wood with which to build. If maintained well, it lasts acceptably.

    There are better woods---for water resistance and rot resistance---which, of course, will cost more. Cedar, teak, cypress, white oak, and others.


    ACQ is the popular(by manufacturers) replacement for CCA pressure treatment.

    CCA( Chromated copper arsenate ) stands for copper, chromium and arsenic--the first two for water repellant and the last for bugs.

    ACQ stands for (Alkaline Copper Quaternary) copper, a bactericide and fungicide which makes the wood resistant to biological attack, and a quaternary ammonium compound (quat) which acts as biocide, increasing the tolerance of treated timber to copper-resistant bacteria and fungi, and also acting as an insecticide.

    All ACQ treatments accelerate corrosion of metal fasteners relative to untreated wood. Hot-dipped galvanized, copper or stainless steel fasteners must be used. There are brands of coated screws(easily found at hardware/home improvement stores) as well for use with ACQ treated wood.

    Copper azole (Wolmanized)

    Copper azole preservative (denoted as CA-B and CA-C under American Wood Protection Association/AWPA standards) is a major copper based wood preservative that has come into wide use in Canada, the US, Europe, Japan and Australia following restrictions on CCA. Its use is governed by national and international standards, which determine the volume of preservative uptake required for a specific timber end use.

    Copper azole is similar to ACQ with the difference being that the dissolved copper preservative is augmented by an azole co-biocide like Tebuconazole instead of the quat biocide used in ACQ.[8] The azole co-biocide yields a copper azole product that is effective at lower retentions than required for equivalent ACQ performance.

    It is marketed widely under the Wolmanized brand in North America, and the Tanalith brand across Europe and other international markets.

    The AWPA standard retention for CA-B is 0.10 lb/ft3 for above ground applications and 0.21 lb/ft3 for ground contact applications. Type C copper azole, denoted as CA-C, has been introduced under the Wolmanized brand. The AWPA standard retention for CA-C is 0.06 lb/ft3 for above ground applications and 0.15 lb/ft3 for ground contact applications.

    The copper azole preservative incorporates organic triazoles such as tebuconazole or propiconazole as the co-biocide, which are also used to protect food crops. The general appearance of wood treated with copper azole preservative is similar to CCA with a green colouration.

  • paulsmth2
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is what I am going to do...

    I will build a new deck using yellow pine. It is my understanding that I should wait at least a couple of days after the deck is finished before I stain it. My guess is that I should wait a couple of days after staining before I apply a coat of water proofing to it. My guess is that the water proofing will take at least a day to dry out before walking on the new deck.

    If I am going in the wrong direction on any of this please let me know before I get started.

    Thanks

  • handymac
    9 years ago

    Tre4ated wood needs more than a day or two to dry out as a rule.

    It is fairly easy to determine how wet the wood is---cut it with any saw and watch for moisture. The other gotcha is not every board will have the same moisture content. To find out how soon treated wood can be stained/finished, check the suppliers (not the store, the company that treats the wood) recommendations.

    Check the following for use as a stain/finish.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stain and finish

  • ctnchpr
    9 years ago

    We built our deck with treated yellow pine, and were told to wait a minimum of 3 months before staining, 6 or 7 months would be better.

  • renovator8
    9 years ago

    The deck lumber must be relatively dry before a stain or paint can be applied in order to avoid blistering of the finish. The time it takes for that to happen depends on the wood and the climate.

    Before being treated the moisture content (MC) might have been 19% or less but after treatment it might be as high as 75%.

    The MC will drop if the wood has been stored in a dry location or if the wood was kiln dried after treatment. It will continue to dry if the climate is dry. Since there are so many variables you will find different opinions about the time needed before finishing treated lumber.

  • paulsmth2
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok...I will hold off on the stain part for months. Thanks

    Ctnchpr... the setting for your deck is beautiful. What part of the country do you live in. Not sure if I see some mountains in the background or not. Did you waterproof your deck after you stained it.

    The furniture looks like it might be wrought iron. So you don't cover it in the winter and I assume you have no problem with rust.

  • ctnchpr
    9 years ago

    Thanks, Paul.

    Tennessee, just hills - no mountains. The stain had a sealer in it, I think it was a Cabot. I don't cover the welded furniture, only an occasional speck of rust - nothing that a steel brush and a can of spray paint won't fix. It sure beats the constant covering and uncovering.

    The pic above was looking almost due North, this is looking East. I love the woods!

  • paulsmth2
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What a great approach to set up multiple feeding stations. Not too many people would think of doing this on an enlarged scale. Looks like you have many feathered friends who like it too. How do you keep the squirrels from having a feast.

    It is hard to see but I think I see some red and perhaps a hummingbird. Two years ago we had some occasional hummingbirds and kentucky cardinals but nothing this year...not even a butterfly. Our setting is a cityscape.

  • ctnchpr
    9 years ago

    The birds with red are male House finches.

    The pipe that the hanger swivels in is about 10 feet long, so the squirrels can't climb it. We did have feeders along the handrail, but we would spend lots of time each Spring getting seed hulls out of the spaces between the decking boards. Now they fall to the ground.

  • scrappy25
    9 years ago

    Not meaning to hijack the thread, but ctnchpr does not have email enabled.

    ctnchpr, have you posted how you made that bird feeder?/ I love it especially since we have so birdfeeders from scout projects and many squirrels in our yard.

    Can you email me at ncyue @ mac dot com thanks!

    For the OP, we have had a pine pressure treated deck for 20 years, I have it cleaned and restained with a semitransparent stain every other year and the deck is still going strong. The cost of cleaning and restaining is about $300 for a 12x20 deck rimmed with built in benches so we have spent $3000 on the cleaning thus far which is a lot less than we would have spent on the plasticized wood if it had been available at that time.

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