If you are shopping for treated lumber at a do-it-yourself retail centre, you may be confused by the choices and store staffers may not know much more than you do. Whether the treated wood on display is green, brown, or bears a brand name, it's all been treated with a copper-based preservative. The brown products have merely been coloured to mask the greenish tone of the preservative.

The zeolite is a naturally-mined mineral. Because it is mined, its pigment qualities can be affected by outside elements - time of year, air and water most specifically (in the spring time, there may be more rain or snow run off as opposed to the fall). The color variations of zeolite can and do range from an off-white/beige color to a light green. Although these are very slight variations, they can cause great differences in the organoleptic properties of the product (taste and smell).

Treated wood is necessary if the wood is expected to stay wet for extended periods of time or is contact with the ground. Guidelines to define "extended periods" are under development at Forintek. Treated wood is also recommended if wood is used in an area of termite or wood-boring beetle activity.

Although once considered to be separate species, today brown and grizzly bears are classified as the same species, Ursus arctos. Brown bears on Kodiak Island are classified as a distinct subspecies, U. a. middendorffi, from those on the mainland (U. a. horribilis) because they are genetically and physically isolated. The shape of their skulls also differs slightly.

Treated wood can last virtually as long as you want it to, given the correct specification, quality control and installation. For example, service lives of over 60 years have been documented for treated fence posts in ground contact. However, as with any product, incorrect specification, inadequate quality control or major errors in installation can result in service lives less than expected.

Screws cannot be hot-dipped galvanised but are generally available in stainless steel. There are other types of coated deck screws on the market for decking.

No. The finishing properties of wood treated with waterborne preservatives such as CCA or borate depend primarily on the wood properties, not the preservative treatment. However, you'll get more life out of your wood finishes, and especially stains, when you're using CCA-treated wood. CCA-treated wood contains chromium, which is known to decrease the effects of weathering. The effects of the newer preservatives (CA and ACQ) are unclear.

The outside of a wooden hot tub doesn't require any type of treatment and nothing is required to extend it's lift. If desired for an aesthetic look, painting, staining or some other finish can be applied to match a surrounding deck. Nothing should be applied to the inside of the hot tub.

Our wood is kiln dried, not treated. Kiln drying is a process of heating the boards to reduce the amount of moisture to less than 10 percent. Kiln drying helps prevent the boards from cracking and warping after installation. For more information about MAR-K bed wood and the different options available, see our Online Catalog.

The heartwood of naturally durable species such as western red cedar, yellow cypress and white cedar will all resist decay to some degree, but it is variable. The amount and type of natural fungi-toxic chemicals deposited in the heartwood determine how durable the wood is. The sapwood of all species is considered non-durable. Heartwood of second growth may be less durable than the best of the old growth but probably less variable.

Only hot-dipped galvanised or stainless steel nails should be used with CCA, CA or ACQ-treated wood. If CCA, CA or ACQ is specified, extended periods of wetting are presumably anticipated, and common nails corrode in wood under moist conditions. Electroplated galvanising is not thick enough to resist the corrosion effects under moist conditions. Stainless steel should be used in areas near salt water.

We do not make our products in pressure treated wood as it tends to crack and warp, due to the extra moisture content often present after the pressure treating process. There are a couple of good alternatives: Cellular PVC and Cypress. Please see Wood Choices to research these options.

EPA has factsheets about disposing of treated wood, including Questions & Answers about wood treated with chromated copper arsenate.

In a word, NO. PT wood is used for it's resistance to insects and decay, but it gets these properties through the use of modern science. It contains arsenic as well as insecticides, fungicides and solvents. When burned these are released into the air in the smoke. It is not fit for man nor beast!

Wood is a plentiful and economic building material that comes from a renewable resource. However, untreated wood is subject to attack by insects, micro-organisms, and decay by fungi. To ensure structural soundness and long service life, wood must be protected from its natural predators. This is especially important in hot and humid climates or wherever wood comes into contact with ground or water, since wood is subject to decay and attack.

No. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted an extensive eight-year study where it determined that the benefits of pressure-treated wood products outweighed any potential risks. Responsible questions by concerned individuals, government officials, and legitimate scientists have resulted in ongoing research programs and study of treated wood products. These studies have produced-and continue to produce-data that support the safety of these products. No.

First, it is important to remember that pressure-treated wood is not a pesticide, is not a hazardous product, and has not been listed as hazardous waste. It is completely proper and legal to send treated wood to a landfill. However, due to the growing shortage of landfill space, many industrial users are selecting recycling of treated wood as their disposal option. There is a growing movement to "manage" the disposal of treated wood.

All Penofin wood finish colors can be used on any type of wood. However, Chestnut, and Sable blend out the green the best in new pressure-treated lumber and give it a natural wood tone.

Very safe when used as directed. The preservative injected into lumber reacts with the wood substance to form an insoluble complex. It won't evaporate or vaporize. Treated wood is clean, odorless, non-staining, safe to work with and handle. Its locked-in protection is nonirritating to children, adults, animals and plants. The minute amounts of preservative released over time due to wear-off of the product or water contact have been carefully studied.

Yes. Treated timbers used to construct raised vegetable and flowerbeds are increasingly popular and practical. Recent scientific tests prove that the preservative does not significantly leach into surrounding soil. And treated wood used for tomato stakes, flowerbed edging, planters, retaining walls, trellises, and compost bins have the added advantage of lifetime durability.