My question is: is there a way to treat (let's say oak) non-conventional posts that have ground contact? I've heard of people using spray bed liner for post bottoms. Is there any other ideas out there? I don't have a lot of access to cedar wood around here. We have lots of oak and Pecan.
Pecan? running-doggy
I like the spray bed liner idea....never heard of using it for post.
Nope, it will not work. As strange as it seems, you would not be keeping moisture away from the wood, but rather trapping it so that it could not leach into the ground. White Oak back filled with gravel may be your best option. Do you have Black Locust? Surely you can get some ERC??
At one time we could buy "Penta". The "below ground" portion of the post were left to soak for several weeks in a barrel.
Quote from: Magicman on March 22, 2014, 09:14:46 PM
At one time we could buy "penta". The "below ground" portion of the post were left to soak for several weeks in a barrel.
I still have half a barrel....great stuff, but don't get much of it on you....I learned the hard way. :-X
John
When I built my barn I picked up some green stuff at Lowes for rolling on all the timbers under the floor, still kept the timbers off the ground a foot. Not sure how good it is but it is what was avalible.
Pecan tree-haven't you had pecan pie?! Yummmmm. It's a great tree. We have quite a few around here.
Penta...... I would use it if I new where to get it. Is it expensive? Does it keep bugs and rot out of the wood (that's in the ground)? If I can find it I'll use it. I don't have any good ERC around me unless I buy it. I was just wanting to use what I have here on my place.
The liberal goody goody's have taken away anything effective. Use white oak pack with crushed stone for drainage and figure on replacing when they get punky. Frank C.
Never used Penta. But for years I had some cheap pails of roof tar on hand. I brainstormed and did 50/50 with kerosene. stood my spruce posts (cuz its what I had) to soak a few days and then set a few days, about 4"-6" above ground level...added drainage gravel too. I dont expect them to last forever, but they're about 6 years in the ground now.
I knew a guy that used to soak the ends of his posts in used motor oil; EPA would not like that but it worked.
yeah Den-Den, I doubt mine was environmentally friendly...but what really is these days? :)
I was googling "creosote last week being curious and found different formulas for preserving posts.
One was driveway sealer with diesel fuel.
I have painted them with old motor oil. It can't hurt, they might rot but won't get eaten.
im going to try postprotector from lowes. they are a liner that you stick the post in. i will keep something poured in between post and liner. dont know if it will work but im going to try it.
A wood treating plant will usually accept dry wood from an outside source for treating and then actually charge a fee that is quite reasonable. Such pressure treated wood will last for decades with ground contact. Home treatments may last for a while with some pieces and not so long with others. So, the real question is "What is the cost of a failure in 10 years (or other time period)?" If the cost is high if the post fails (cattle get out and get hit by a car or stolen; a house porch fails and hurts someone, etc.), then it is prudent to have the wood pressure treated. There are rules or suggestions for attaining proper pressure treatment, including drying prior to treating and using a wood that will accept treatment (white oak and Douglas-fir inland are two that will not accept treatment easily).
We've got some Larch posts that were split from long butts with a "powder wedge" in the 40's that are still in the peat meadows here, and are still so hard and solid you can hardly drive a staple in them! We pulled a few out a couple years ago, and reset them, as they were sinking in the peat.
Copper Naphthenate is a good preservative that is still available. I don't know how well your oak or pecan would absorb it though. I've seen post on here where oak has just been charred with pretty good results.
i wonder in my case using the liners if i wood be better off using soft wood like poplar or wood instead of oak.
You would probably be better off using gravel instead of the liners.
I have used oak outside (not with ground contact) that has lasted for years with nothing more than deck sealant (not Thompsons). I have also soaked wood in copper napthanate for ground contact even though the label said that it would not "wick". So far ok.
I'm no expert but I don't think poplar or another soft wood would last very long without some sort of pressure treating.
Pecan is way to good looking for outdoor use for me.
Quote from: hardtailjohn on March 23, 2014, 12:00:11 AM
Quote from: Magicman on March 22, 2014, 09:14:46 PM
At one time we could buy "penta". The "below ground" portion of the post were left to soak for several weeks in a barrel.
I still have half a barrel....great stuff, but don't get much of it on you....I learned the hard way. :-X
John
I had to do an extensive research paper on wood treatment in college. Pentachlorophenol is nasty but effective stuff. I would leave the application to the pros.
If I were to try to create a home remedy, I would get the post as dry as possible then soak it in a concentrated boric acid solution, then let it dry again. I would then soak it in a petrol product such as used oil or one of the tar mixtures above. Generally boric acid will leach out of the wood but I would expect that the petrol coating would help hold it in. For all that trouble, my money and time would be better spent buying the post.