I was planning on building a bunch of shelves in my basement, and
bought a whole bunch of reclaimed 2x4's. Then my parents gave us a
heavy duty plastic shelf, which impressed me, and I decided to use those
down there instead.

This leaves me with a bunch of old 2x4's. They were very inexpensive
- about 90 cents each, and are in good shape.

One project that I've been wanting to do is make some square shaped
borders around a couple of fruit trees, and around the blueberry hedge I
just planted. I have the lumber, but my previous experiences of:

1) painting
2) staining
3) Thompson's Water Seal
4) polyurethaning

did not turn out that well. I am tempted to try using boiled linseed
oil on the wood, and see how well that works as a preservative. The
other times I've tried it in the past, the wood has always cracked and
warped within a couple of years. Considering how cheaply I can get
these, I'd be happy if they just lasted 6 years laying out there in the
yard.

Can any of you recommend a widely available method for treating these
boards so that they will last a bit better when used as borders for beds
and for mulch around fruit trees? I'd like to get on this project
within a few days, to make my yard look neater, so I thought I'd check
on here to see what the experienced folks had to say.

Thanks!

Ohioguy wrote:
I was planning on building a bunch of shelves in my basement, and
bought a whole bunch of reclaimed 2x4's. Then my parents gave us a
heavy duty plastic shelf, which impressed me, and I decided to use
those down there instead.

This leaves me with a bunch of old 2x4's. They were very
inexpensive - about 90 cents each, and are in good shape.

One project that I've been wanting to do is make some square shaped
borders around a couple of fruit trees, and around the blueberry
hedge I just planted. I have the lumber, but my previous experiences
of:
1) painting
2) staining
3) Thompson's Water Seal
4) polyurethaning

None of these will preserve timber that is in contact with the soil. For a
start they have no preservative effect (they don't kill microbes that attack
timber) and they are only shield the surface which will soon crack allowing
water and bugs inside.



did not turn out that well. I am tempted to try using boiled linseed
oil on the wood, and see how well that works as a preservative. The
other times I've tried it in the past, the wood has always cracked and
warped within a couple of years.

This isn't going to work either. To preserve a vulnerable type of timber
(eg radiata pine) in contact with the soil takes some heavy duty poison and
that is usually pushed into the timber by pressure treatmnent. You cannot
do this at home.

Considering how cheaply I can get
these, I'd be happy if they just lasted 6 years laying out there in
the yard.

Can any of you recommend a widely available method for treating
these boards so that they will last a bit better when used as borders
for beds and for mulch around fruit trees? I'd like to get on this
project within a few days, to make my yard look neater, so I thought
I'd check on here to see what the experienced folks had to say.

Thanks!



You have left out a key item. What kind of timber are these posts? This
will determine how long they last, if they are timber that is not suitable
for external use (and many are in that class) then there is no chance of it
lasting long in contact with soil.

David

You have left out a key item. What kind of timber are these posts?

I am going to have to assume they are pine. Note that I don't need
them to last "long", just "longer". I can put them out there with
nothing more than a stain and probably get 2-3, or even 4 years out of
them if I don't care how they look, and focus only on functionality.
That is especially if I secure them by pounding small pieces of rebar
down through the pieces. (bent at a 90 degree angle at the top)

I'd just prefer that it have *some* sort of protective soaked into
the wood.


I may have to go back and look at a book I read from the library
about a year ago. It was from the 70's, and focused on building a wood
log home with no foundation. (deep posts only) There was a recipe in
there for making your own "log dip", which I think was a kind of
creosote preservative. I believe they dipped the wood in the trough for
a couple of days, then let it dry in the air & sun for another couple of
days before use.

Ohioguy writes:

You have left out a key item. What kind of timber are these posts?

I am going to have to assume they are pine. Note that I don't need
them to last "long", just "longer". I can put them out there with
nothing more than a stain and probably get 2-3, or even 4 years out of
them if I don't care how they look, and focus only on
functionality. That is especially if I secure them by pounding small
pieces of rebar down through the pieces. (bent at a 90 degree angle at
the top)

I'd just prefer that it have *some* sort of protective soaked into
the wood.

I may have to go back and look at a book I read from the library
about a year ago. It was from the 70's, and focused on building a
wood log home with no foundation. (deep posts only) There was a
recipe in there for making your own "log dip", which I think was a
kind of creosote preservative. I believe they dipped the wood in the
trough for a couple of days, then let it dry in the air & sun for
another couple of days before use.

If you want to dispose of the wood, just leave it lying on the ground.
Depending on the climate, insects, etc, it could be gone in as little
as 3 years.

Most lumber yards take returns.

If you are going to spend any time fabricating this, get the right
wood, pressure treated rated for ground contact.

Most lumber yards take returns.

I didn't get this at a lumber yard. These came from a thrift store
which has volunteers that go out and "reclaim" lumber from homes in the
area that are being torn down. Surprisingly, many of these 2x4's are of
superior quality to the new ones I've bought at Lowe's. Anyway, they
were just 90 cents each, and I felt good because using them did not
create any new demand for cut lumber.


If you are going to spend any time fabricating this, get the right
wood, pressure treated rated for ground contact.

Not really an option at this point - I already have the wood I want
to use, I can't take it back, and I need to get it out of the basement
to make room in the next couple of months. Since I also have a need for
some sort of border edging, I might as well just find out what the best
wood preservative I can use is. If I can't find anything else, I'll
just use a copper naphthenate solution.


I guess my question right now is - what chemical is soluble in an oil
based solution, with little or low solubility in water, and acts as an
insecticide, and possibly with fungicide qualities as well? That is
what I need.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:15:02 -0400, Ohioguy wrote:

Most lumber yards take returns.

I didn't get this at a lumber yard. These came from a thrift store
which has volunteers that go out and "reclaim" lumber from homes in the
area that are being torn down. Surprisingly, many of these 2x4's are of
superior quality to the new ones I've bought at Lowe's. Anyway, they
were just 90 cents each, and I felt good because using them did not
create any new demand for cut lumber.


If you are going to spend any time fabricating this, get the right
wood, pressure treated rated for ground contact.

Not really an option at this point - I already have the wood I want
to use, I can't take it back, and I need to get it out of the basement
to make room in the next couple of months. Since I also have a need for
some sort of border edging, I might as well just find out what the best
wood preservative I can use is. If I can't find anything else, I'll
just use a copper naphthenate solution.


I guess my question right now is - what chemical is soluble in an oil
based solution, with little or low solubility in water, and acts as an
insecticide, and possibly with fungicide qualities as well? That is
what I need.

Paraffin wax dissolved in kerosene makes a pretty good completely non-
toxic (after the kerosene evaporates) wood preservative. On a hot day
you can make a solution of more than 50% wax, which will work better as a
wood deck preservative than any readily available sealer/preservative you
can buy.

If you can get the wood and wax hot enough during application you can
skip the kerosene. I have some maple log sections used as campfire
stools which I preserved by melting wax blocks on both ends in the sun on
a hot day about 8 years ago, still in good condition long after the
untreated sections have rotted away.

The price and flammability of wax are drawbacks, and probably accounts
for the lack of much wax in commercial deck sealers these days.

Ohioguy writes:

Most lumber yards take returns.

I didn't get this at a lumber yard. These came from a thrift store
which has volunteers that go out and "reclaim" lumber from homes in
the area that are being torn down. Surprisingly, many of these 2x4's
are of superior quality to the new ones I've bought at Lowe's.
Anyway, they were just 90 cents each, and I felt good because using
them did not create any new demand for cut lumber.

Not surprising. 2x4s used to measure 2x4 and protected wood just gets
better with age.

If you are going to spend any time fabricating this, get the right
wood, pressure treated rated for ground contact.

Not really an option at this point - I already have the wood I want
to use, I can't take it back, and I need to get it out of the basement
to make room in the next couple of months. Since I also have a need
for some sort of border edging, I might as well just find out what the
best wood preservative I can use is. If I can't find anything else,
I'll just use a copper naphthenate solution.

I guess my question right now is - what chemical is soluble in an
oil based solution, with little or low solubility in water, and acts
as an insecticide, and possibly with fungicide qualities as well?
That is what I need.

My feeling is that it's a waste of time and money.
You can paint on a copper preservative but for the money spent,
time taken, I don't think it will add more than a year or two.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:15:02 -0400, Ohioguy wrote:

Most lumber yards take returns.

I didn't get this at a lumber yard. These came from a thrift store
which has volunteers that go out and "reclaim" lumber from homes in the
area that are being torn down. Surprisingly, many of these 2x4's are of
superior quality to the new ones I've bought at Lowe's. Anyway, they
were just 90 cents each, and I felt good because using them did not
create any new demand for cut lumber.


If you are going to spend any time fabricating this, get the right
wood, pressure treated rated for ground contact.

Not really an option at this point - I already have the wood I want
to use, I can't take it back, and I need to get it out of the basement
to make room in the next couple of months. Since I also have a need for
some sort of border edging, I might as well just find out what the best
wood preservative I can use is. If I can't find anything else, I'll
just use a copper naphthenate solution.


I guess my question right now is - what chemical is soluble in an oil
based solution, with little or low solubility in water, and acts as an
insecticide, and possibly with fungicide qualities as well? That is
what I need.

Since this salvage lumber is not rated for ground contact, before
investing anymore money or labor you find some suitable above ground
use, sell it, give it away, or use it for firewood. If this lumber is
clean and as good quality as you claim why not donate it to your local
high school for use in wood shop... they'll give you a receipt that
you can use for a tax deduction. Typical builder grade framing lumber
(fir/spruce) is not even suitable for outdoor use, not even if you
paint it. Maybe you can use it to frame a new tool shed... roofed and
sided it will be fine... but exposed to the elements you'll be lucky
to get three years from it.