Pressure treating your post

Rockn H · April 25, 2005, 12:04:45 AM

If anyone has any experience with having your lumber pressure treated, I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter. I have a fence to build and I'm thinking about having some of my post pressure treated. Testing the water so to speak. I'm looking for questions to ask and what to be looking for when I contact the company I'll be using. Thanks

DanG · April 25, 2005, 12:24:41 AM

I've talked to one of the large mills in the area that will do custom treating. They seem real friendly and reasonable. They quoted me $100 per thousand bf a couple of years ago, but I haven't had any done yet. That comes out to about a buck for a 7' 4x4, which is dirt cheap for fence posts. All the stuff he treats is at .40, which is for ground contact use...be sure to ask about that. This guy likes small batches, which he can use to fill in the voids in larger orders. He will also treat bundles on stickers, so you get better penetration...ask about that, too.

As I said, its been a couple of years since I contacted him, so the price may have gone up a bit. Even if its twice as much, it is still cheaper than steel t-posts, which are well over 3 bucks and going up.

Rockn H · April 25, 2005, 12:43:04 AM

DanG, That's some good questions for me to ask. Thanks. The plant I'm looking at using is just east of conway on I40. Maybe Arkansawyer has some info. The last prices I have are a little old an was $200/mbf. I was thinking of using white oak, overkill or just extra insurance?

DanG · April 25, 2005, 12:52:28 AM

I dunno about the W/O. ??? I don't think anybody around here is treating anything but pine. I've heard that gum takes treating rather well, too. Pine is what I got, though, so that's all I've considered.

ellmoe · April 25, 2005, 06:59:09 AM

With the change over from CCA, treating costs have increased alot. I expect that you'll pay Between $200-$300/mbf for ground contact. My understanding is that with oak, they normally put many small cuts in the surface to help the treatment penatrate.

Mark

beenthere · April 25, 2005, 09:13:41 AM

Rockn H
They might not refuse to treat your white oak, but they wouldn't get any treatment into it (just charge you for it) as white oak won't treat.
White oak is use for whiskey barrels because it won't let liquid pass (no open cells like the red oaks) through it, so same with trying to treat it.

So, thinking it would not be 'efficient' for you to try the white oak. Pine will take treatment in the sapwood (not the heartwood) so something else to keep in mind.

Rockn H · April 25, 2005, 12:55:35 PM

Yall are right about the w o . Don't know what I was thinking, well yeah I was thinking I've already got some cants. ;D Found another company closer, but I haven't got their name yet. Should have it tonigh and call'em tommorrow. Thanks yall.

DanG · April 25, 2005, 01:54:40 PM

This brings me to a question I've been wondering about. If they are treating fence posts with ACQ, are there fasteners and wire that is treated to avoid the corrosion problems?

ellmoe · April 25, 2005, 07:23:58 PM

DanG,
I understand that the treaters can still treat agriculture products (round fence posts) with CCA. As far as I know the local plants are doing this. Otherwise you need hot-dipped qalvinized, stainless steel, or one of the other new fasteners they have developed.
Mark

chet · April 25, 2005, 08:16:27 PM

CCA treatment of fence posts is still permitted, a .60 treatment is usually recomended. But I think CCA treated posts are only OKed for farm use.

wiam · April 25, 2005, 11:34:54 PM

We can still use them for gaurdrail posts.

Will

Furby · May 01, 2005, 11:27:12 PM

The new ACQ requires the better fasteners as I'm sure you know, and they are about 3 times the cost of the older ones.
I really don't think I could afford a roll of wire with the "better" treatment.
If they are offering CCA posts, and you are planning to use a treated post, I'd use the CCA.
I still would rather NOT use treated posts of any kind, but that's just me.

Rockn H · May 02, 2005, 12:50:16 AM

No worries about the wire Furby. I plan on using oak boards. So just double galvinized nails. Trying to fence up a horse pasture and use what I have. ;D

Furby · May 02, 2005, 01:01:39 AM

ACQ requires triple coat I belive. :

I can't belive the WO would fail that soon anyways. Most I've seen the fasteners or the boards giveway first.
Just my 2 cents.

Rocky_Ranger · May 03, 2005, 04:28:23 PM

I thought cca was gone forever, I guess I'm just out of the loop. I've heard of a "new" saltwater process but don't know anymore about it. I'd sure like to see something environmentally friendly for the processer that would allow them to make some money, I've got a kagillion lodgepole a'waitin'.

chet · May 03, 2005, 10:43:24 PM

Rocky,

You may find This link interesting.

Jeff · May 04, 2005, 10:35:23 AM

I seen them on this old house using tar paper "gaskets" between mounting hardware and the treated lumber in order to use the older, cheaper hangers. If I remember correctly, they were doing this to floor joist hangers on an attached deck

Larry · May 04, 2005, 05:48:43 PM

Jeff, that reminds me of the two deck jobs I did last summer using ACQ. Got all my hot dip fasteners and hangars...at double and triple the cost of regular stuff. Got to thinking about what to do at the aluminum thresholds for the sliding doors. Went back to the lumberyard...had to threaten the manager until he came up with an answer. They make a flashing that is copper on one side with elasticmeric on the other side. Of course it is priced like gold...also special order and ya might get it in a few months. Went with the old tar paper trick. On the second deck I framed under the threshold with black locust.

After these two decks I did a little figuring. If a guy had a steady supply of black locust he could give the customer a better deck, at a cheaper price...and make more money himself.

Rocky_Ranger · May 09, 2005, 04:31:33 PM

Great Website and info Chet, thanks!

lamar · May 20, 2005, 11:04:01 PM

I just brought back 3000 bf of syp.cca treat at .12 bf any amount.It took a long time to find this place but they will work with you and I can leave a load there is long as I want so I dont make special trips

lamar · May 20, 2005, 11:10:25 PM

I just brought back 3000 bf of syp.cca treat at .12 bf any amount.It took a long time to find this place but they will work with you and I can leave a load there is long as I want so I dint make special trips(about 50mi.) and it looses a lot of weight.He says a load will double in weight out of the tube.I prefer cca. to others and theres nothing wrong with it.I probably wouldn't make a picnic table out of it .