pressure treated wood cut ends.

[johnr53]

hi all
im about to make a 12x8 base for my new shed.
going to make it out of 3x3 uc4 treated timber posts,
i was just wondering how to treat the cut ends of the posts, and how long it would last?
because its going to have a shed on top of it, its got to be treated to last for at least 25 years
without and further treatment.
any advice or opinions would be welcome.
thanks in advance
john

 

[motorbiking]

Wood preserver/fence paint etc.

 

[johnr53]

Wood preserver/fence paint etc.

thanks for the reply.
i think ive been over thinking this problem,
i was looking at creosote and bitumen to prolong the life.
it wont be in contact with water as its going to be raised off the floor with paving blocks.

 

[conny]

Depending how big the cut pieces are you may be able to immerse the cut ends in a dish of preservative for a few hours and let it soak in. Then allow it to dry out before painting/staining but if it's not going to be in contact with water then simply painting or applying a good preservative will probably suffice.

 

[big-all]

make sure the timber is off the ground and well ventilated dry without any earth or build up off leaves and rubbish to hold moisture and it will last far far longer

 

[MisterBoy]

You can buy "cut end preserver" or "end grain preserver". It's specially designed (they claim) to soak further into the grain although how it differs from regular timber stain I don't know.
People often advocate soaking it end down in a tub of the stuff.

You could also use something like "Black Jack" which is a bitumen sealer, if the look is not important.

All this said, if your timber is safe from standing water and long-term damp, you don't actually need any treatment apart from maybe insect/rot preserver. Kept dry, timber has remarkable longevity. Only when allowed to stand damp for prolonged periods do you have issues. You might as well use pressure-treated timber but you don't actually need it.