Altered Wood Counters Mother Nature

I remember a commercial for margarine on TV from my youth and its motto was “It’s not nice to fool mother nature!” It showed a woman playing the part of mother nature who eats a bakery item with a spread that she thinks is real butter. When told it was actually this brand of margarine, she gets angry and shouts, “It’s not nice to fool mother nature!” with dramatic sound effects and accompanying lightning!

Pressure-treated (sometimes abbreviated as PT) lumber doesn’t fool mother nature, but it does counteract her effects. Water, snow, termites, carpenter ants, and other destructive insects all contribute to the destruction of wood when touching soil or even concrete!

People have known about this for a very long time, and around 1902 a process was invented to apply pressure to wood and infuse it with chemicals to help counteract natural decay. At first, the chemicals were a copper compound and arsenic! The chemical makeup was later changed but still contains copper and other chemicals, however arsenic is no longer used because it is poisonous.

The process is very effective and interesting. The treated wood is placed into a chamber, and a vacuum is created to remove air from not only the chamber but the wood as well. This is critical because when the chemicals are introduced into the chamber they can penetrate deep into the fibers of the wood.

Pressure-treated wood lasts much longer than untreated wood and it maintains its structural integrity. That is why it can be used to support decks and other structures.

Currently, Zion Builders, Inc. also goes the extra mile and paints all deck support structures black. This helps extend the life of the wood even longer than pressure-treated alone. And it looks better!

Contact Zion Builders, Inc. for information about how we can build you a premium deck with a low-visibility substructure that is protected from wood-rot for durability and maximum life. And let us help build your dreams of an outdoor living lifestyle that can be enjoyed year-round!