Protecting wood from moisture and decay: impregnations, antiseptics, folk remedies

Wood products look great, are pleasant to the touch, and with proper care are durable. Pre-treatment and care during the entire service life are very important. Without this, the wood will lose its appearance or rot. Varnishing and painting is far from the only way to protect wood. In many cases, impregnation for wood from moisture and decay helps. It protects both structural details and decorative and functional elements. They just use different compounds with different properties.

Why protect wood

Wood is a traditional building material. The traditions of construction have remained, but the requirements for aesthetics, comfort and safety have changed. Previously, no one was particularly worried that a log house, floor or fence turned dark gray and cracked over time.

Now we want for years and decades our wooden houses, floors or decking to look like they were finished and just installed. And in addition to a long service life, it is desirable that it also does not burn. Therefore, before making something from wood, it is processed. And not just one, but two or even three.

Over the past decades, wood has been treated from moisture and decay with the help of various impregnations. They can be water soluble or oil based. The compounds penetrate deep inside, making wood fibers immune to moisture, killing fungi, insects and reducing the possibility of fire. This allows you to maintain the appearance of wooden products for a long time, avoiding drying out, swelling, damage by woodworms, the appearance of fungi and discoloration.

The primary treatment of wood from decay occurs after drying. Raw wood can also sometimes be treated against decay. But the standard order is to dry, then process.

How to treat wood for durability

Why does wood deteriorate? First of all, from high humidity, at which fungi develop in it, which leads to mold and rot. If you do not fight them, they will turn the tree into dust. How to treat boards from rotting and moisture? Antiseptics. Their cost is 25–30% of the cost of the material, but now this processing is indispensable.

Types of antiseptics and their use

Which antiseptic to treat the boards depends on what you are going to do with them. If they need to be prepared for storage, then you can use transport antiseptic. It is inexpensive, does not change the color of the wood, penetrates to a sufficient depth, killing spores and microorganisms. Remains in wood up to 6 months.

Protecting wood from moisture and decay for a long time should be different. Requires more expensive preservative impregnation. Such products form a film on the surface that prevents the penetration of moisture for a long time. It is important to choose the right antiseptic at the place of use of the material.

For structural elements – beams, rafters, strappings, the quality of processing and properties are important, and changing the color does not play a role. For these elements, antiseptic impregnations with a high degree of protection are used. They paint the material in brown, greenish or reddish (fire-fighting compositions) colors. The same compositions are suitable for painting with dark or opaque paints. The change in color also helps to control the quality and density of the application of the compositions – there should be no untreated areas.

• To protect wood without discoloration, there are special formulations that preserve the natural color. There are so-called water-soluble antiseptic primers, and there are oil-based ones. Oil-based protection can be organic or inorganic and is chosen depending on the next layer.
• If tinting is planned, then antiseptics are applied that give the selected shade. With one material, you protect the wood and paint it in the desired color.

As already mentioned, antiseptics for wood processing are expensive, even domestically produced. There are cheaper formulations that may be less effective and/or more difficult to apply.

Folk remedies for wood impregnation

Not everyone has the desire or the ability to buy expensive wood processing products. Purchased options are good because they have pre-known properties and certain quality and do not require lengthy preparation. Opened, mixed and start working. Folk methods used to protect wood are much cheaper, but their preparation is a whole process. And the properties and the result depend on the observance of proportions and / or the sequence of actions.

Copper sulfate as a wood preservative

Copper sulphate is transparent blue granules. It is sold in small packages of 20-500 grams, there are kilogram packages, sometimes in bags of 20-50 kg. It is inexpensive. Means based on it, you can treat the tree from mold, fungi and other biodefeats.

Copper sulfate actively corrodes metals, so do not use metal containers or tools for work. Only plastic or glass.

How to make impregnation for protection from copper sulfate

An aqueous solution of copper sulfate is a good antiseptic for wood. Does not change color after processing, but fades or is washed out over time. So such a budget replacement is suitable instead of a transport antiseptic. It is suitable for processing dry or dried wood.

• Aqueous solution for wood. For a liter of soft warm water, 5–10 grams of copper sulfate. Stir until completely dissolved. When applied with a brush, the treatment is at least two times when the first layer is completely dry. The approximate consumption for double application is 0,9-1 l / m². This method is good before storage or before finishing. It is important to dry the material after coating.
  

• For wooden elements that will be in direct contact with the ground, soaking in a solution of copper sulfate is required. The solution is made more concentrated – 20% or higher. That is, in 1 liter we dissolve 200 grams of copper sulfate. We immerse the wooden elements in the resulting solution for 2 days. Having taken out, we dry for a month under a canopy in a ventilated stack. Poles treated in this way can be buried in the ground without any fear, and floor or deck boards will last at least 20 years.

This is an inexpensive way to protect wood from decay and fungus. With the help of copper sulfate, incombustibility can be achieved. To do this, copper sulfate is added to the lime solution. A board whitewashed in this way becomes non-combustible.

Ferrous vitriol for wood protection

Another inexpensive antiseptic that can replace a factory antiseptic is iron sulfate. It is used in gardening, so you can find it in stores of this specialty. The properties are about the same, but the formulations for processing are more complex, both in terms of the number of ingredients and the technology of preparation. These compositions were invented by the Swedes and Finns, whose traditions of building from wood are no less ancient than ours.

Finnish protective paint recipe

Finnish recipe for protective impregnation of wood. It will even keep the fence for decades. The accuracy of the dosage and the sequence of preparation is important here. We take the following ingredients:

• 9 liters of water;
• according to 1560 iron vitriol and dry lime, ground into powder or dry lime pigment;
• 720 g of rye flour;
• 360 g of kitchen salt.

If you want to have a guaranteed result, do everything exactly, do not change anything. There are already many options with the replacement of ingredients, but how long the modified recipe will last is unknown.

How to cook

The sequence of preparation is as follows. Gradually add 6 liters of water to the flour, stir until a homogeneous mass is obtained. You should get liquid sour cream. It will be easier and faster when using a construction mixer. With a wooden stick, you will interfere for a long time without heating. As a compromise solution, stir with a stick until the lumps are completely dissolved, then warm up a little.

Boil the rest of the water (3 liters) and gradually pour in, without ceasing to interfere. It turns out a paste of medium density. We put it on fire, stirring, pour salt, iron sulfate and lime powder or dry lime pigment. The result is not only impregnation, but also paint, the color is brownish-brown. That is, with one composition, we not only protect the wood, but also paint it.

How to get a different color and how to apply

If you need a color other than brown, we get it using lime pigment. But remember that the original color is brown-brown. Based on it, you will not get blue or light gray. Redbrick, ocher and others like it are easy to get. Specifically, you can choose the color on trial batches.

The paint is applied to the wood with a brush in two layers. The second layer after the complete drying of the first. Over time, the color changes slightly, becomes lighter.

Swedish Wood Preservation Paint Recipe

It differs in composition, but the preparation technology is similar. The base color is brown. The ingredients needed are:

• 9 liters of water;
• 520 grams of iron sulfate, salt and lime pigment;
• 480 grams of natural drying oil;

The cooking procedure is similar, drying oil is added at the end of the process. There are options in which iron sulfate is taken 260 grams and the same amount of iron minium. The color of the composition is shifted towards yellow. That is, on its basis it is easier to get green shades.

Rules of application

Both wood protection impregnations – Finnish and Swedish – are applied to boards or logs that have not been painted before. Resinous varieties are best deresined. To do this, they are treated with a solution of soda ash (50–100 grams of soda ash per liter of water). Apply a warm solution (temperature not less than 40 ° C) twice, then rinse with warm water. Dried wood can be painted.

It is better to apply the Finnish and Swedish wood protection compound on a cloudy day. Or choose the time so that the sun does not shine on the treated surface. After drying, the paint, even with mechanical action, is not erased. During precipitation, tinted water may flow, but this does not particularly affect the appearance. Such processing will keep wooden products that are on the street for 20 years or more.

Finnish and Swedish impregnation paint is applied in two layers. Wait until the first is completely dry before applying the second. This may take more than one day. The thick binder is absorbed slowly. The drier the wood before painting, the faster the drying will take place.

Professional tools

To begin with, about how, when, how and what is the best way to impregnate wood from moisture and decay. In order for the treatment of the boards with an antiseptic to make sense, the composition must be absorbed by at least 5-7 mm inside. It is better if the composition penetrates 1 cm. This is possible only if the wood is dry.

Treatment of wet boards with an antiseptic does not make sense, since the agent will only remain on the surface and will be washed / weathered very soon.

Ideally, if the product is applied immediately after chamber drying in a pressure bath. But this is possible only in the enterprise. Such material costs 4 times more than freshly cut. To obtain a good effect, a number of conditions must be met:

1. 1. Treat dry wood. Dry means less than 20% moisture. In order not to order more expensive dry lumber, freshly sawn timber is laid out in ventilated stacks and left for at least a month under a canopy. The canopy can be temporary – put slate or other similar material on the stack.
   2. For a good result, dry wood is dipped in a bath with a solution for at least 10 minutes. Then they take it out and dry it in a ventilated stack for another couple of weeks. After that, you can put the lumber into work.
      

   3. The result will be worse if the product is applied with a brush. If you apply 2-3 layers, it will be somewhat better, but still, dipping gives the best effect.
   4. Do not use a spray bottle to apply antiseptic. For protection, it is necessary that the product is absorbed into the wood fibers. In this case, we are not talking about impregnation, it is only surface spraying.

The rules are not too complicated, but their observance is a necessary condition for the quality protection of wood from fungus and mold.

How to do it right

A few words about the stack and the bath. A ventilated stack is when the lumber is stacked with a gap and is surrounded on all sides by air. Wood – a board or a bar – is laid out on dry slats / bars in a row. The bars are laid out in increments of 1-1,5 meters across the lumber. We lay out the lumber on them not one to the other, but with a distance of at least 2–3 cm. We laid out a row, again the bars across and the next row. The stack ends again with slats on which the roof is laid. We do this if we store it not in a barn or under a canopy.

A bath for impregnating a board or a bar is also easy to make. Knock down a rectangle from a bar. The length should be greater than the length of your lumber. Width – on several boards or timber laid one next to the other. Cover the inside with a thick film and fasten along the edges staples from a construction stapler, forming a bath. Pour the product and load the lumber. Depth – so that you can drown a board or timber.

If there is little money (dry wood absorbs it well), then you can turn the bars over, holding each side for 10 minutes in the impregnation. You can avoid wasting money if you hold the impregnated lumber over the bath for some time. We put bars across the bath, we lay out the material already impregnated with antiseptic on them and let the excess flow back.

How to treat boards from mold

Blue and black mold is most often found on wood. There is also decay mold, the color is gray, often present on lower grades of wood, classified as a defect. Later, this “defect” can spread all over the board. In wood that is in direct contact with the ground, white mold is more common.

To avoid the appearance of mold on boards and timber, it is necessary to dry the material and cover it with any of the antiseptics, choosing according to the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbapplication (inside the house or outside) and depending on the next layer.

How to process a tree in the house

To work in the house, wood impregnations with a slight odor are needed. For the most part, these are aqueous compounds that are applied as a primer under the finish layer. There is another way – to use formulations based on natural oils. They are not paintable, but are themselves a finish, due to the content of antibacterial components.

Does wood always need to be treated before painting or varnishing? No. If the house of permanent residence with normal ventilation, it is possible not to impregnate with an antiseptic.

• Wood preservatives for interior work. This group includes water-based formulations. They are absorbed into the fibers, do not have a strong odor. They can be washed out, so do not use for wet rooms. For dry only. These are the following means: Pinotex Interior, Tikkurila Supi, Ecohouse bio; GOODHIM V250; BELINKA IMPREGNANT; SENEZH ECO-BIO; VALTTI EXPERT BASE.
  

• Wood preservatives for outdoor use. Compositions for external use are based on:
  • Oils – organic or inorganic. On an organic basis, it can be used in rooms with high humidity (including baths). Examples of PINOTEX WOOD&TERRACE OIL, protective oil BIOFA. Inorganics – only for timber and boards outside non-residential premises (sheds, garages, etc.). In this group, popular compositions are: GOODHIM facade oil, VALTTI TERRACE OIL. The latter composition is also suitable for protecting wooden terraces.
  • Solvent based wood preservatives (usually based on white spirit). Their plus is that they are natural, at the same time they are washed out a little. Can be used both inside and outside. They also improve adhesion. This means that the finish will fit better. Examples: Senezh Universal, Texturol biosecurity, VERES GOLD and PLATINUM LAZURA.

Some antibacterial impregnations are made on the basis of natural oils and have a dual purpose. They contain antibacterial components and tinting agents. After application, do not leave a film on the surface, being absorbed inside. The texture of wood remains, only the color changes. And it’s not always brown or yellow. There are even blue ones, green ones, or others that are no less exotic for wood.

Practical notes

Water-based antibacterial impregnations for wood do not form a film on the surface. In case of emergency, they can process wet wood. It will be ineffective, since deep penetration cannot be achieved and conditions for the development of mold and fungi will remain.

These are not paints, but compounds that change the color of wood. That is, with one treatment we achieve a double effect – we protect and apply a finishing layer.

How to treat boards from fungus and rot

What to do if there are already defeats? If the fungus and mold have already changed the color of the boards or lining and they have darkened? There is “heavy artillery” in the form of so-called medicinal antiseptics for wood. They destroy fungi, mold, bugs and traces of their vital activity, brighten it. This is not only bleaching, but also conservation, that is, the prevention of re-infection.

In addition, biocomponents remain inside, protecting the material from re-infection. Examples of therapeutic antiseptics for wood:

• SENEJ BIO;
• GOODHIM N300;
• PAF-LST;
• MOLD REMOVAL.

With wood bleach

There is another way to remove blackness and darkening from the boards. Apply wood bleach first, and when it lightens the affected areas, fix the effect with an antiseptic that is suitable for the conditions. Such a phased processing of the board from rotting and moisture is more costly in terms of money and time. You can process the boards from the fungus as many times as necessary so that the blackness or blueness disappears completely.

Wood bleach can be based on chlorine, oxygen, oxalic acid. Chlorine preparations have a characteristic odor and a poisonous effect known to all. Therefore, for the most part, they are used for outdoor work. Oxygen compounds are odorless, also destroy blackening well, can be used for residential premises, but also work well outside. Oxalic acid based wood bleach is suitable for loose types of wood, it does not penetrate well into others.

Examples of wood bleaches based on organic solvents: SAGUS Standard for unpainted wood; Bioshield 1 and 2 are effective against bugs and mold; PROSEPT 50 and SAGUST standard – based on chlorine; NEOMID 500 – for deep lesions.

Selection features

If you decide to apply two compositions – bleach, then antiseptic, make sure they are compatible. It is also worth choosing a finish coating so that it can be applied to the type of antiseptics with which you covered the boards, lining, etc. To avoid problems, it is easier to take the compositions of one company. Many manufacturers have standard kits to solve the most common problems.

Before buying, carefully read the manufacturer’s recommendations. Some compounds are only suitable for previously unpainted wood, others will only be effective on dry boards. There may be special requirements for operating conditions, temperature conditions or ultraviolet intensity.

How to process a tree in a bath

The bath differs from all other buildings in severe operating conditions: high humidity, plus a temperature difference, because often these rooms are unheated. Antiseptics that would cope with such conditions, based on inorganic substances, cannot be processed in a bath. They are not suitable for indoor use. When heated, all the chemistry will be in the air, and instead of healing from bath procedures, there is a chance to get poisoned.

You can treat the boards in the bath with oil with antibacterial additives for severe operating conditions. Usually the description says that they can be used in baths. Examples of such compositions:

• You will see Classic Lazura.
• NEOMID 430 ECO. Hard-to-wash composition. You can process floorboards in the bath.
• GOODHIM DW 400S is a therapeutic antiseptic for baths.
  

• GOODHIM S200 is a water antiseptic for the treatment of boards in the bath. Does not react to high temperatures, does not wash out.
• KRASULA® FOR BATH AND SAUNA. Protects against dirt, moisture, grease and soap stains. You can process the boards in a washing or steam room.
• Tikkurilla Sauna. This composition can be called a classic for covering boards in a bath. Gives a lasting result when applied to dry, seasoned wood.
• Senezh HMF and HMF-BF. Hard-to-wash antiseptic, well resisting fungi, mold.
• Kartocide-Compound. Therapeutic, hard-to-remove impregnation for wood.

If there is a need to save money or there is no desire to use substances of unnatural origin, then you can cover the boards in the bath with natural oil. Hemp, flaxseed, and even from pumpkin seeds, except for sunflower seeds, after it remains a sticky film, to which dirt sticks.

How to treat boards from rotting on the street

In order for the fence, gazebo, flooring, wooden board on the terrace to look attractive for a long time, they must be processed before painting. And here the question is, which is better? Non-washable or poorly washable antiseptics, no matter on what basis.

There are special antibacterial impregnations that also protect against ultraviolet radiation, withstand both overheating and frost, and adhere strongly to wood fibers so that rain and snow do not wash them out.

The composition must also be difficult to wash out. Wood that is outdoors has contact with water, so the protective substances must be fixed inside and not washed out by precipitation.

Impregnation for wood outdoors

The easiest way to choose a board impregnation is to look at a manufacturer you trust. If this is not the case, carefully read the description of those that come across in your stores. You can buy on the market, but it is not desirable – during long-term storage, the conditions may be violated. Not all of them withstand freezing without consequences.

Good characteristics for the following compositions:

• Senezh HM-11. Foreign analogue – Selkur (made in England and the USA). Suitable for protecting wood in direct contact with the ground, it is poorly washed out. With proper impregnation of wood, it will retain it for 40-50 years. Suitable for both fence and decking. It is not suitable for indoor use, as it will not protect against domestic fungi.
• Rogneda Biosept and Biosept-Ultra. The first option does not change the original color of the wood, the second gives a greenish tint. Both are difficult to remove, suitable for long-term weather and UV protection. Dry material must be kept in a bath with a composition for at least 15-20 minutes, then for several days avoid contact with water.
  

• Neomid Extra Eco. A safe product that can cover a fence, terrace or subfloor. Suitable for walls, but not for those parts that are in contact with the ground.

Processing timber from decay and moisture will be of high quality only if the lumber is immersed in a bath with a solution. Although the description says that it can be applied with a brush, roller and spray gun, the guaranteed effect will be only when immersed.

How to treat a tree from rotting in the ground

How to make sure that wooden poles do not rot? The cheapest and most reliable way is to burn the ends of the posts that will be dug into the ground until coal appears. Charcoal is excellent protection against bacteria and fungi. And you can reduce the absorption of moisture if you turn the column upside down.

If you want to treat boards, round timber, boards, lining and other lumber that will be in contact with the ground for a long time, choose from the group of hard-to-wash antiseptics. This will guarantee long-term protection against fungi and insects.

• Senezh HMF, a variant of HMF-BF, is used to impregnate supports, HMFS also does not corrode iron. That is, it is good for impregnating the strapping beam.
• Senezh HF-solution. Suitable for processing lower rims, supporting structures both outside and inside the building.
• Neomid 430 Eco. This composition is suitable even for berths. Environmentally friendly, can be used to process boards for beds.
• Pinotex Impra. Good for processing pillars, beds, but does not tolerate open weathering.

Application rules will be in the instructions.