TREATED LUMBER
Treated lumber is a proven building material. It is impressively strong, cost-effective, renewable in large quantities (we are currently making more southern yellow pine than we use), and visually appealing. Lumber's foremost drawback is its susceptibility to attack by insects and other natural enemies but modern treatments have made this concern nearly irrelevant.
Call Building Products Plus at (800) 460-8627 or contact us online to purchase treated lumber and timbers.
Pressure Treated Southern Yellow Pine
Southern yellow pine is the most commonly used wood in the United States. In addition to being the strongest softwood structural pine, it is especially "treatable", abundantly grown, and dimensionally stable. The combination of these characteristics makes pressure treated southern yellow pine an excellent choice for numerous construction projects from both the design and economic points of view.
Treatment Options (Chemicals Used to Treat Lumber)
Although there are numerous treatment options available most modern construction projects call for one of the following three waterborne pressure treatment chemicals:
- CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate) – used mostly in commercial, industrial, & marine projects
- ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quat) – used mostly for consumer & commercial projects
- MCQ (Micronized Copper Quat) – used mostly for consumer & commercial projects
Each of the options is effective for protecting wood against wood boring insects, fungus, and bacteria but each chemical has its unique set of pros and cons. For instance, ACQ can be noticeably corrosive to hardware and fasteners while CCA & MCQ cause little to no corrosion.
Call the knowledgeable project consultants at Building Products Plus at (800) 460-8627 or contact them online to get the best treated lumber for your project
CCA Pressure Treated Lumber
CCA is considered by many professionals to be the best lumber treatment. It is clean to work with, long-lasting, and relatively non-corrosive to metal hardware and fasteners. In fact, the largest problem with CCA is effectively one of perception because it contains arsenate, a naturally occurring form of arsenic. After extensive research by the EPA, no proven instances of harm from CCA treated wood have ever been recorded but, as a matter of precaution, CCA treated lumber is no longer permitted for residential applications such as privacy fences or decks. CCA treated wood is permitted and safe for industrial, marine projects.
ACQ Pressure Treated Lumber
ACQ treated lumber is an effective treatment approved for consumer use. ACQ has been in use since 1990 for projects ranging from decks to docks to piers. While it is approved for use in marine applications, the copper in the formula tends to leach from the wood more than in CCA and MCQ. ACQ is also slightly more corrosive to hardware and fasteners than CCA and MCQ so coated hardware and fasteners (readily available from BPP) should be used with ACQ treated lumber.
MCQ Pressure Treated Lumber
MCQ treated lumber is an excellent choice but is not yet as widely available as CCA and ACQ, though this is changing rapidly. MCQ is relatively non-corrosive to hardware and fasteners and does not leach into marine environments as much as ACQ. It is odorless and colorless. In fact, MCQ treated lumber looks so natural it is sometimes returned by customers who argue it was delivered untreated.
The Pressure Treating Process
This ultra-brief explanation of the lumber treating process gives a basic understanding of the process of how your lumber is treated:
- Wood (in large quantities) is put into a large sealed treating cylinder
- Fluid containing the wood preservatives is pumped into the cylinder
- Pressure is applied to the cylinder to force the chemicals into the wood fibers
- The wood is drained and the wood is removed from the cylinder
Can You Partially Pressure Treat Lumber? No. This is a common question but now that you have a little understanding of the pressure treating process, you can see that lumber is either pressure treated or not. It is an all or none process. You can, of course, vary the level of treatment (retention level) applied to the wood depending upon the application for which the wood is destined.
Treatment Levels for Waterborne Treatments
CCA, ACQ, and MCQ call for the same retention levels for various applications:
- Above Ground - .25 pcf
- Ground Contact - .40 pcf
- Freshwater Submersion - .60 pcf
- Saltwater Submersion – 2.5 pcf
Other treatment retention levels, such as .80, 1.00, and 1.50 pcf, are available and often specified for specific uses, regions, or applications.
Order What You Need
Building Products Plus has been supplying pressure treated lumber and timber products for residential, commercial, industrial, and marine projects since 1993. Your treated wood requirements can be made to order. Our friendly professionals are experts in treated wood products and projects and are happy to assist with your treated wood questions.
Call us at (800) 460-8627 or contact us online to discuss your treated wood project.