Best Techniques to Preserve Timber from Decaying

Timber may decay and perish faster as it is an organic material. Having said that, with time, several processes have been acquired for preserving timber from internal decay, moisture, insect attacks, and dry rot before shipping. Some of the top conditions that allow timber to decay faster include:

 

●        Moist state: This initiates the expansion of small insects and plants on wood tissue.

●        Fungi attacks: White rot, brown rot, mold, and blue stain attacks the cell wall of wood tissue for their growth and destroys it. 

 

However, processes like charring, tarring, creosoting, and impregnating work towards keeping the timber dry and safe for a longer time.  

 

Why Opt for Timber Preservation?

 

Preservation treatments aim to ensure the long-lasting and enduring life of the timber. Preservatives are chemical compounds injected into the timber to turn it poisonous for fungi and insects without affecting its structural integrity. 

 

Some of the most common types of timber preservatives are:

 

●        Chemical Salt: These are water-based preservatives that include sodium fluoride, copper sulphate, mercury chloride, and zinc chloride. These non-inflammable and odourless salts are applied on the surface of the timber for the best effect.

●        Coal Tar: This process involves coating timber surfaces with hot coal tar with a brush. It has an unpleasant odour which makes the timber ill-suitable for painting. However, timber going through this preservation process is adopted for framing windows and doors, among others.

●        Solignum Paints: These keep the highly toxic white ants away while preserving the timber. These paints are mixed with colour pigments & applied on the timber with the help of a painting brush. 

●        AsCuTreatment: This also protects timber from white ants. The timber’s surface can be varnished, polished, and painted with this preservative typically available in powder form. It can also be found as a water-based preservative that can be applied on the timber surface by spraying or brushing.

●        Creosote Oil: This method includes coating creosote oil over timber surfaces to keep away white ants' attacks. This ensures the double life of the timber normally used for poles, railways, sleepers, and piles.  

 

Top Timber Preservation Techniques

 

Based on the preservative type, the various methods of preservation include:

 

●        Brushing: Preservatives are applied with the help of a brush on the surface.

●        Charring: The charred surface is kept wet for half an hour, burnt up to 15mm over a wood fire, and then turned down with water. The surface turns into coal, and layering this process preserves the timber from white ants and fungi. 

●        Fireproofing of timber: Though timber cannot be completely fireproof, soaking it in ammonium chloride, phosphate, zinc chloride, and sodium arsenate; spraying sodium silicate, potassium silicate, and ammonia phosphate recount fire-resistant properties.

●        Hot & cold open tank treatment: Timber is drowned in a tank of preservative solution and heated for an hour at 85°C to 95°C. It also allows cooling down in the same tank. This process is followed during creosoting.

●        Dipping and steeping: Timber is dipped and soaked into the preservative solution in this process. 

●        Spraying: This process is performed with the help of a pistol used for spraying the solution on the timber surface under pressure. 

 

Timber Exchange is a trusted supply chain automation platform for global trade management in the forestry industry. We offer automated processes for logistics, documentation, and trade while maintaining transparency and compliance for global counterparties.

We accept requests for cargo inspection from importers so that you can be sure that the timber is preserved and of high quality. Our assigned inspector will visit the location to verify the quality after the preservation process and right before the shipment. The inspector will check each bundle randomly to determine the overall quality of the cargo. We then prepare a report based on moisture inspection, dimension, and quality of preserved timber for our customers and send it across within 48 hours of inspection.

For the best deals and smart trading processes, visit- https://www.timber.exchange/

Top 4 Questions to Ask Timber Exporters About Their Wood Quality

 When we talk about wood, the two names that immediately crop up in mind are timber and lumber. Now, timber refers to the wood still in the form of an undisturbed tree whose roots are seated in the ground, which means that it is yet to be harvested. Lumber, on the other hand, refers to processed wood products commonly used in the construction of homes. You may find lumber in either finished or rough-sawn versions available in hardwood and softwood variants.

 

Buying timber or lumber, however, can be a very intimidating process and you need to make several considerations for the best results. To ensure you get the best quality products, there are a few questions you need to ask timber exporters before finalizing the deal. Let’s take a look at the top 4 most important questions about timber quality that you need to ask!

 

1.      What Kind of Timber Do You Stock?

 

The first question to ask any potential hardwood timber supplier is the kind of timber they stock. If you’re looking for a particular type and the merchant doesn’t have it in stock, then there’s no use in wasting any more time talking to them. However, if you’re unsure about the type of timber that would suit your project the best, you can partner with a stockist who has a wide variety of choices.

 

2.      Which Timber is Ideal for My Construction Project?

 

As mentioned, choosing the ideal timber for your project depends solely on your requirements. You can always take the help of the timber supplier to make a list of the relevant features and benefits you get from each type of wood. You can then choose the best one based on your property and project. This will ensure that the final product stands the test of time.

 

3.      Is the Timber Supplied Sustainably Sourced?

 

Once you’re done ascertaining the stockist, you need to know if the timber sold by them are sustainably harvested and grown or not. This refers to the fact that the wood should meet all regulations and have a transparent chain of custody history. As you choose sustainably sourced timbers, you can be sure that they will be long-lasting and not do any harm to the ecosystem in the process.

 

4.      Could the Timber Be Used Even in Bushfire Prone Zones?

 

In case you require wood for construction in a bushfire prone zone, you should choose timber or lumber suitable for those areas. If not, you might be placing yourself in the midst of undue risk. Always ask the timber exporters if the wood has fire-resistant properties and is suitable for Bal 19/29 areas.

 

Once you’ve ascertained the quality of the timber you’re getting from the seller, you can finalize the deal, and your construction will be good to go! To keep track of your shipment from the seller’s factory to your location, you can get in touch with an end-to-end supply chain platform like Timber Exchange.

 

Loaded with multilingual features that inform you of your shipment’s location, condition, and price amongst suppliers, Timber Exchange makes keeping track of your products easy without requiring any physical documentation. For more information, check out https://www.timber.exchange/.