How to Treat Wood for Indoor Use
If you are one of those who enjoy doing things themselves and home renovations, you would have wondered how to treat wood for indoor use. Wood serves different purposes. Hence, they are used for various home renovations such as frames, doors, bookshelves, and wardrobes.
Also, wood comes cheap most times, so it easy to see why they are in high demand more than metals. They are also a prominent source of upcycling material. Before we discuss how to treat wood for indoor use, let us know the things to consider when selecting your project piece of wood.
Check if the wood is clean.
If you notice a large stain, spill, discoloration, or spots on the wood, it is contaminated by the spilled chemical. If the stain source remains unknown, it would be best to leave the piece of wood.
Furthermore, you need to check the wood for any unrecognizable scent. Wood has a distinct smell, so it shouldn’t smell like a mixture of chemicals. You may never know the source of the wood, so it is best to pass over any that might have contact with toxic chemicals.
Avoid a piece of wood with an “MB” on it.
The “MB” sign stands for methyl bromide, and that implies the wood has been fumigated with a pesticide. Although it is treated, it is not safe to have such a piece of wood in your home. However, if you see any of the following signs – HT ( heat-treated), DB ( debarked), or KN ( Klin-dried), they are safe to use indoors.
All at a Glance
Where you can get wood for indoor use
If you are looking for pieces of wood for home renovations and decorations, you can find them in many places. Often, the prices are pocket-friendly.
- Constriction sites
Wooden materials are found in constriction sites simply because cement and metal rods can’t support a stricture only. Hence, wood is necessary to provide support to the building.
- Lumberyard
Here is another place to find piece-of-wood that has good quality. Often, you will find pieces of wood lying around. Most of these wooden planks are perfect for use since they are primarily surplus materials.
- Gardening and landscaping businesses
You can find a large number of hardwood at landscaping businesses or garden centers. The reason is that hardwood has the strength to bear the weight of and plants.
How to Treat Wood for Indoor Use
After learning how to select and where to get the wood you need, the next step is to know how to treat them for your project. It is a simple process, and all you need to do is follow the instructions listed below. These steps are not complicated, and anyone can assimilate them quickly.
- Could you clean it up?
Scrub the wood down with soapy water mixed with bleach. If you own a power washer, you can use it. After cleaning and rinsing, leave it out to completely dry before you start working on the wood.
- Break it down
Depending on the project you want to use the wood to complete, this could be your next step. It would help if you had tools for breaking the wood. These tools include,
- Hammer and crowbar – you can use them for loosening tight planks and separating them.
- Nail punch – for driving stubborn screws, rings, or spiral-shank nails free.
- Oscillating tools – these are used for removing rusty nails.
- Sand and finish it
If you want to use the wood intact, the second step is to use a sander for smoothing out the wood and eliminating surface-level dirt. Also, it makes the wood east to paint. However, if you are going for a perfect look, you will not want to send your wood down to ruin the rustic aesthetic.
If you want to see a tarnished veneer look, natural beeswax finishing products will enable you to get that exceptional, well-worm finish.
- Cut and shape it
Cut the wood into whatever shape you desire. However, ensure that the splits, holes, or cracks are not cut in the wood when you do this because it will cause more splitting and breakage in the wood.
Why you should use treated wood
There are many types of wood in the market. Nonetheless, treated wood has to be on top of the list. Irrespective of what you intend to use the wood for at the time. We shall look at the importance of using treated wood for indoor use.
- Life span
The longevity of treated wood is higher than regular wood because of the preservatives used in the production process.
- Durability
Treated wood has good durability because it can withstand were and tear.
- Resistant to fungi and insect
If you treat the wood, some chemicals are employed in the process. These chemicals help repel insects and stop fungus that often triggers wood rot. This is an essential advantage of using treated wood because it would eliminate insects in your home, which can be an alarming sight.
Some of these insects are harmful to kids if you have one, and they can attack whatever you keep in your cupboards, wardrobes, or shelves.
- Price
This depends on the kind of treated wood used. The majority of the time, wood is slightly higher in price compared to basic sawn timber.
- Security
Plyboard can be an excellent product to block up building entrances because of its strength and resistance to the elements.
- Prolonged immersion in water
Products like plyboard are utilized in the production of boats because it is perfect at fighting decay from seawater.
- Protection
Many people stain outside wood to protect it against weathering, but treated wood already has a barrier against this problem. Over time you will have to take steps to sustain this protection.
- Versatility
Treated wood can serve multiple purposes as it can be used to complete many tasks during the constriction of a building.
- Fire resistant
You can find some treated wood that is fire-resistant hence prolonging the time it takes to catch fire and slow down the burning process.
Differences between treated and untreated wood
Treated wood is a kind of wood infused with chemicals to keep off decay and harmful bugs. It is the vital construction material for the wooden outdoor project such as benches, decks. You can use it for making sliding doors, wood shingles, etc.
Treated wood has existed for a long time. In ancient times, the Romans brushed olive oil on structural bridge support to ward off moisture. In modern times, wood preservers are more sophisticated. However, it still has the primary goal of preventing wood rot and stopping it from deteriorating when exposed to the element.
On the other hand, untreated wood is a type of wood left in its natural state. When untreated wood is left to the element, it deteriorates quickly. Examples of untreated wood are cedars, cypress, redwood, teak.
Conclusion – How to Treat Wood for Indoor Use
Now that you have learned how to treat wood for indoor use, you are set to commence any project of your choice. Always remember to check out the cheap source of wood from the places we listed here. If you are not convinced that you need to treat your wood, look at the advantages of treated wood over untreated ones.
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