# Cutting pressure treated landscape timbers; the cuts ?



## Sven (Dec 25, 2007)

We have twenty-eight 6"x6"x8' pressure treated landscape timbers coming in a few days. We're going to use them for a very rough set of landscape-stairs up the hill.

For obvious (?) reasons we don't need an 8' wide path so we are planning in cutting them in half. We haven't practiced "supersize me" so 4' is just about the right width.

My question is what should we do to treat the cut ends ? Since the cut end will probably be 90% untreated we're assuming that it is a bug/termite banquet unless we apply something to it. We aren't going to set up a hot-cold preservative treatment facility, but we would like to know what might be a less involved alternative ?

As usual; all expert/informed/reasonable suggestions are most appreciated - Thanks.


-Sven


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## timber (Nov 30, 2007)

Sven, I've installed many timbers and I've got to say we've never re-treated a cut end. However, it made me think about it quite a bit. I've always purchased acid treated timbers for longevity and they've always seem to have done pretty well over the years. I would think you could use some type of borate solution that pest control people use to treat new home construction as a insect deterent. Any GC people out there that can elaborate on this process would be helpful.


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## EZ Rider (Jan 1, 2007)

If they are good quality pressure treated timbers you should not need to re-treat the cut ends. 'PRESSURE TREATED' means just that. The chemicals are forced into the wood. In fact, we have had timbers that appear to have a heavier concentration of preservative in the center than on the outside, the reason being that sunlight and rain can cause the chemical on the outside of the timber to start to leach out during storage.


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## Mike Swearingen (Mar 15, 2005)

I used to work at a large Weyerhaeuser mill complex, which had a pressure-treated wood facility there.
Properly treated p-t wood has a 50-year limited warranty. The key is to make certain of the treatment level for your use. For ground contact and in-ground use, such as you're planning, it should be .60, .80 or up to 1.0 treatment level, if it were me. 
.40 treatment means that there is 4/10th of chemical per cubic foot of wood, and that p-t wood is good for only above-ground (decking, etc.) applications, for instance. Each piece should have the treatment level stamped on it or a small plastic treatment level tag with it stapled to it. 
The pressure-treating process means that they place the pine wood inside long large metal tubes on small "railcars", close the end doors, create a vacuum to remove moisture from white wood cells, then flood the tube and add pressure to force the chemical into the white wood cells. Red wood cells will not accept treatment and don't need it...they're naturally rot and bug resistant. 
You should not need to treat the ends of properly treated p-t wood because it has the same treatment inside and out throughout the lumber.
Mike
P.S. There are a lot of independent "dippers-and-shippers" in the pressure-treated wood business, so go only with a brand name supplier, or you could end up with half of it rotted within a few years. (Happened to me many years ago.)


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## Sven (Dec 25, 2007)

Thanks for all the answers and excellent insights.

It will be interesting to see what a cut end looks like and to compare the look with whatever the .xx treatment number turns out to be. The yard we're dealing with has been around for ages and has treated us well in the past so I feel we're in trusted and competent hands.

Time to break open the box of breathing filters !

Thanks again,


-Sven


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## timber (Nov 30, 2007)

Sven, I think Mike S. has the total lowdown! I know I appreciated all that info. I know whenever I have a timber job I hand pick all my timbers and only get the ones that are extremely heavy. I know those are the dense ones, which is what you want. If any of the timbers you have now are really light when you handle them, don't use them, trade them in for new ones. I would also not recommend getting them from a home center. Find a good quality lumber yard or landscape supply facility. Good luck!


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## Oldskool (Jan 20, 2008)

You could use something other than wood if it's going to be there a long time. A termite guy told me once to keep wood away from my house, to cut down on termites.


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