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DIY pressure treating

Started by DPForumDog, August 19, 2014, 11:36:24 AM

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DPForumDog

Good Morning,
I want my husband to build us a large picnic pavilion  (24ft x 40 ft)  from the trees on our land.  Does it need to be pressure treated?

If so, is there a way we can do it ourself.  I think we would use pine, although we do have a good bit of cedar.  But I have heard the cedar in Alabama is not that good.

Thanks
Granny DP
DP Forum Dog
Granny DP
DP Forum Dog
lumber pro hd 36

Den Socling

Won't you need a crane to move it?  ;)

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

The heartwood of cedar is good, especially above ground.  For below ground, you really need pressure treated.  Home treatments above ground are not needed and are not good enough below ground.  It is best to use a water repellant on the wood subject to rain wetting.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

DPForumDog

Quote from: Den Socling on August 19, 2014, 02:05:35 PM
Won't you need a crane to move it?  ;)

Not sure I understand the question We would build the pavilion on the property.   We have tractors, a backhoe and big loader to move the logs.
Granny DP
DP Forum Dog
lumber pro hd 36

bushhog920

good to see other central alabamians on here. how long do you want it to last? pine in the ground untreated will last about 5yrs in the weather. I would put it on a concrete pier with a metal bracket to hold it but then you have to brace the post. we have white oak i made into post untreated that seem to hold up good. also power poles in the ground with your wood to make up the trusses. then there are diy treatments not as good as comerical but give you a few more years. a soak in old motor oil works and www.loghomestore.com sells treatments.

Cedarman

When we had our mill in Boligee AL, we probably sawed more than 12,000,000 feet of cedar over about 8 years.  The cedar in Al tends to be a more uniform red than some other areas.  Cedar heartwood will not be eaten by termites and the oil is a fungus or rot inhibitor. Some cedar did have 1" or more sapwood which makes those post problematic if planted.  Squared posts with most sapwood removed should be fine planted.  If someone has some sawn posts where the heartwood has rotted, I would be very interested in seeing them.  How long were they in the ground, what soils were they in etc.  i like to know as much about cedar as I can find out.
I have personally pulled round posts that had plenty of sapwood that I put in the ground in 1980.  I pulled  some of them 2 years ago to see how they faired.  From about 1 foot below to about 6" above ground the sapwood was completely gone.  The bottom of the post had about 2/3 of the sapwood sound, but very off colored and water saturated.  From about 1' above ground over 1/2 the sapwood was gone and it seemed to be gone from where there was bark on the post when planted.  Some posts still had some sound sapwood.
Heartwood showed no deterioration anywhere on the post.  Cross sections at ground level showed good sound red heartwood.
This is 32 years in the ground.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Magicman

I have seen many instances where termites have destroyed ERC that had ground contact, and not necessarily below ground contact.
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Cedarman

Termites will eat ERC sapwood, but I would have to see where they have eaten heartwood.  Millions upon millions of sawn cedar posts were used to fence central Indiana in the past.  Never was a single post eaten by termites.    We have termites eat wood in houses, sheds, boards on the ground, but never a cedar fence post.  I am a doubting a Thomas until I see the post with heartwood eaten by termites.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

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