Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Design and Construction => Topic started by: madcat on January 16, 2017, 11:46

Title: Ground contact wood preservative - what would you use?
Post by: madcat on January 16, 2017, 11:46

We had a stock of ground contact wood preservative stuff (I don't know what it is called - OHs dept) which is used for posts and supports and stuff around house and garden which is running out.  Looking on the web for replacement brush on stuff and of course the world has moved on and so have regulations ....  much head scratching is resulting.  Even the Cuprinol site doesn't say which of their products is used for ground contact.  And the forums just say use pressure treated wood ...  which isnt much help.  Sort of involves reverse engineering life and history.   >:(

So - what do you guys use?  Any recommendations??

Title: Re: Ground contact wood preservative - what would you use?
Post by: Swing Swang on January 16, 2017, 18:44

Since the demise of proper creosote, and whilst not cheap, I have used a home-made mix of Stockholm tar:boiled linseed oil:turps substitute in a 1:1:1 mix with a bit of (optional) red oxide for colour which is what has been used in scandinavia for 100s of years. Smells great, but takes weeks to dry, and is VERY messy to clean up from skin and clothes.

Stockholm Tar is sold by horse feed merchants/online and is used to paint on hoofs - small quantities cost £££, but the price does come down once you get to 5l or so.

For something more economical I'd probably use the creosote substitute that is available for domestic use. Posts I'd leave soaking in a bucket of the stuff for a couple of days, in the case of brush-on then I'd use at least two coats. If we're talking fencing then when replacing I use concrete posts and gravel boards which keeps the wood off the ground and which makes it last much longer.