Wood Preservatives

We apply wood preservatives to protect our outdoor lumber and wood fixtures. Most understand that moisture is a problem. Few realize there are bigger issues than water. The elements which will aid in breaking down a wood surface most is sunlight, heat, and cold.

Place any item you wish outdoors to have exposure to sunlight and you will soon see what UV light will do. Additionally heat and cold can wreak havoc on many things. Eventually even concrete will succumb to the sum of each of these elements.

If you are interested in preserving indoor wood surfaces I have two categories for you to review. You have an option to use natural wood oils or also sealers for interior uses.

Why What I Say Here Matters

I am a Wood Artist and not a deck builder. I know wood quite well and in ways few builders ever will. You need to also know that I am not being paid for what I say here.

This leads me to my next critical point, you will see almost no product names listed in this article. I avoid them. I will use wood preservative as a catch all term. Why?

I want you to really know what you face in trying to protect wood items around your home. You need to really understand what it is that you are selecting and why it is or is not good for an application.

I have experimented with more products than most will ever use. Some products you have never heard of. I will give you the real truth of what is the most common issues and solutions to be had.

Hidden Truth About Preserving Wood

There are two very different principles to understand when it comes to preserving wood outdoors. You need to treat horizontal fixtures differently than those which stand vertically. This means a deck should be treated differently than a wall.

How many hours of light exposure the fixture gets from the sun also matters. The southern exposure for those of us above the equator will need more care for wood structures facing this direction. How much shade does your wood fixtures get in a day also will play a role.

You will soon discover that the rating on the can of wood preservative which you bought at the hardware store means nothing. In reality it is a joke. Some fixtures will need a lot more care than others.

Decks can often need coating once a year to once every two years. Walls can last a little longer. A southern exposure may need re-coating after 3 years. Generally almost all exterior wood will need another coat of preservative at that 5 year mark.

This time line is marking ones ability to maintain the wood before problems begin to show. Human nature being what it is will often let the wood go until it looks like it needs work. When it reaches this point surface integrity is already compromised.

Which Preservative Product Is Best?

Each of the common products offered today can be great if used within reason and specifications of product design. That is if you keep to the above rules of maintenance according to product needs.

I wish to show you what I mean by each product can be great. If you are looking for a maintenance free option, I am sorry but this does not exist. You must select which treatment is best for you and with it the maintenance schedule that it will require.

Oil Based Preservative Vs Acrylic

Oil based preservatives outperform acrylics or commonly called “latex” versions. Oil naturally repels water by design. It also fares better at penetrating the wood fibers and locking into that surface.

Acrylics have come a long way. In fact when it comes to paints they outperform oils. Yet when it comes to products like wood stains this is not the case. You will find yourself needing to reapply an acrylic preservative far more often and see degraded performance of your wood surfaces.

As a general rule, acrylic paint is good but acrylic preservatives in stain like products is bad. Oil as an exterior paint is bad, but oil as a wood preservative such as stains or toners is very good.

Using Toner Or Solid Colors As A Preservative

When you read online you will see the following common narrative. “Toner will allow more wood grain to be seen but not protect across time as well as a solid color stain.” This is not true.

The idea behind this comes from keeping UV light from breaking down the wood surface. This false belief is based upon the wood being completely covered in a similar way as paint would do. Solid color stain may appear like paint when dry but it is important to realize that it is not paint.

Allow me to say that if you get a quality toner from someplace like Cabot you will see better performance than many solid stain options. Why is this the case?

The real answer to this comes back to how these two products function in different ways. Solid stains form a thin layer at the surface binding only to the top layer of the grain. A toner or penetrating stain gets into the wood fibers and locks into that surface.

I have seen acrylic solid color stains used on homes that after a year of southern exposure by a lake needing to be re-coated. Additional issues arise in that colors fade quickly. Note that color fading is also an indication of product degradation.

Time and again I have seen quality oil toners that penetrate the wood surface outperform the semi transparent and solid stain versions. Brands like Cabot come to mind.

Know that many store options offered are merely the beginning of what is available to you in the market. While I have mentioned Cabot they are by no means the best. It is merely one option of many.

Sheen Matters On The Finish

Acrylic versions rarely ever provide any kind of real sheen to the finish. Yet this is a critical element to helping buy you time. What does sheen do for you? It reflects light.

I understand that not everyone likes a shiny surface. Yet here is a place where you should not let your dislike of shiny get in the way of performance. It is a small edge in the fight of preserving your wood and every edge you can gain matters.

Why is reflection of light important? You are allowing the sheen to work at bouncing as much of the UV spectrum away from the wood surface as is possible.

Colors Matter In Temperature Reduction

Some have claimed that sheen also aids in temperature reduction. This is actually not true. What determines this more than anything is the color of the wood and toner or stain.

Most of us common folk have decks made from treated lumber. Yet for those who have Cedar, Redwood, or Teak, natural wood color can play a role in your color selections.

Generally speaking lighter colors are cooler and darker colors will have higher temperatures in the heat of the day.

A toner which has bonded into the wood grain fibers will withstand higher temperatures before it is compromised. A surface bonding solid stain will easily form micron size cracks repeatedly until they become visible.

Higher temps means more problems for the acrylic stain. It speeds in its breakdown as the surface is tortured and cracks form. This easily explains the lake house experience I described earlier.

The cooler you can keep the surface of the wood the better. A deck or southern exposure remaining in constant direct sunlight will take a beating.

Where Problems In Wood Preservation Come Quickly

So how does this play out when you make a less desirable selection? Lets say you choose an acrylic solid color stain of a dark color for your wood fixtures. In this case what brand you choose really will not matter.

The stain will reside on the surface of the wood much like paint. The fibers of the wood itself will expand and contract with heat and cold. It will not take long for cracks to appear in the summer heat providing a path of entry for moisture in the freezing temperatures of winter.

After a year you will notice some wear and this will concern some but not others. At this point the wood should have an additional coat of preservative put on it. If this is not done then the clock is merely ticking to the seasons of what nature will do to the wood.

In this case it does not matter how much money you spend on the name brand. The design of the product may not match your needs. An oil stain which will penetrate the surface would have performed far better even if this requires you to sacrifice the choice of color you desire.

Painting Vs Wood Preservation Stain

Being a wood artist I hate painting wood. Yet I know it happens…. A lot. So the question becomes how good is painting vs using wood preservation stains or toners?

Vertical lumber fixtures like walls do best with painting. This includes pickets or other things which water can run down, drip off or dry quickly. Anywhere that water can rest or sit becomes the problem.

Paint will outperform solid stains which do not penetrate the wood surface. The matter at hand here is the end thickness that the product dries down to. Exterior pains provide a thicker surface and also have more elasticity than stains.

It is commonly better to not paint horizontal wood surfaces. It can be done, but be prepared to have more regular upkeep and maintenance on that surface.

Sheen also matters here much in the same way as discussed earlier with the wood preservative. Yet more importantly is the color which you select to use. Be aware that dark colors can become a problem for you rather quickly.

Note On Pressure Treated Lumber

With pressure treated lumber there is a temptation for homeowners to stain them right away. Do not do this. Pressure treatment uses chemicals that require them to be evaporated before any wood preservation methods are applied.

If you have bought your lumber from the store and the wood feature is newly built it could take as long as 6 months for it to fully dry. While that is on the outside window do not expect to wait a mere three to four days.

You can apply a sprinkle test spot on the lumber, preferably a scrap piece. Just drip some drops onto the lumber. If it absorbs quickly and dries then the lumber is most likely ready.

If it takes more than a few minutes for the stain to be absorbed then beware. The lumber may require more curing time before any application is given to the wood.

Costs Of Not Using Wood Preservation Methods

At the end of the day using some wood preservation method is better than none. The cheapest sealer you can find in the store will work, though you may be reapplying it near every six months. Consistency is the key to winning the fight.

Raw lumber is not very appealing when it is something like pressure treated wood. Teak and Redwood though can be beautiful in its natural state. Never be tempted to delay preservation longer than you must because it looks good for now.

Wood is fairly resilient considering how long it lasts while facing abuse. You can get away with a little time without it sustaining any real damage. Just keep in mind the longer you allow it go to, the clock is ticking on it being a real problem.

The issues which can arise range from splitting and cracks which are minor compared to worse issues. Cupping, warping, and bent boards are also common. Rot being about the worst scenario though is in the latter stages of letting wood go too far without care.

While splitting and cracking will happen with time, the worse signs and indicators should let you know it is time to replace boards. Not practicing a protective regimen can cost you thousands of dollars in repair.