Untreated cedar playsets9/21/2023 Hence why softwoods are pressure treated to prolong their usage time. Softwoods are naturally wetter because they contain more sap compared to hardwoods. Most of them come from coniferous trees like Douglas fir, yellow pine, white pine, and spruce. What Are Softwoods?Īll softwoods are pressure-treated wood. If the wood is older than 2003, just cut a piece from the wood to check if it is pressure treated or not. What’s even more alarming is that it doesn’t have a distinct odor, so you might mistake it for non-treated wood. However, if you know that the wood is older than 2003, don’t even try to smell it. Treated woods will have traces of oil or chemical smell. Non-treated wood will have a pleasant, fresh, and natural smell. Pick up a piece of wood and smell it heavily. If it is impossible to find a stamp or end tag as well as identifying color tint, then go with the smell test. Look for a stamp that reads “Bor”, “Hi Bor”, and or “Tim Bor”. Another safe treated wood is one treated with borate. This wood is generally used as the base underneath home floorings. If you want to know the safest treated wood, look for wood that has a stamp that reads “FDN” meaning foundation. It’s not that toxic, however, it’s better to be safe. Wood with a stamp that reads “L P2” should never be used for your classic Canadel furniture, Medallion kitchen cabinets, or playset for kids. Arsenic is one of the safe varieties for wood treatment. Wood treated with arsenic has a stamp that reads “L P22” indicating it was treated using arsenic. Most now use alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) for treatment. If your home or other structural assets were made before 2003, the wood it used might be treated with CCA. Some constructors and commercial builders still use CCA-treated wood until its prohibition in 2003. Hence, why wood treated with CCA is banned for use in decks, playgrounds, and most structures and residential areas. CCA contains a type of arsenic that can possibly increase the risk of causing cancer. You should be wary about treated wood that used Chromated Copper Arsenate for treatment. Name of the preservative used for the treatment.It is usually an end tag commonly found in treated wood. Most lumbers also contain a stamp or label that tells you the lumber is pressure treated. Generally this will be on one end of the lumber, but it might not be on every piece. Look for Stamps: Many times if wood is treated for construction, then they might have stamped it with a seal to notify you of what it was treated with.But if you have some wood left over from a work site, then there’s a good chance it is. Origin of the Wood: If you find a pallet, then I would doubt it would have been treated before use.Tint: If it has a greenish tint that generally means its treated with CCA or ACQ.That being said, just try to take notice of the following things: If the interior color is yellow or white, this generally means that the wood is untreated! How to Tell if Wood is Treated Or Not?Īfter getting some background info on the different types of treated wood, you should finally be able to tell if the lumber you have is treated or if its untreated. If you see that the wood has a grayish exterior color, you need to make a cut into the middle to find the true color. No that you have seen the options for treated woods, if you don’t see any color does that mean it isn’t treated? This is a possibility.
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