Lumber is treated with preservatives for many reasons; it makes the wood stronger, holds up against insect damage, etc. This process has been used all throughout history. Olive oil was used to treat bridge wood in ancient Greece, the Romans protected the hulls of their ships with tar, and in the late 19th Century, commercial pressure treatment began with the protection of railroad crossties; they use creosote.
It wasn’t until the 1970’s that homeowners began building decks and backyard projects; until then, treated wood was primarily used for industrial, agricultural and utility applications.
•Pressure treated lumber was first patented in 1938, it was used for 60 years generating 40 billion annual sales.
•First formulated ingredients were CCA (Chromate Copper Arsenic).
•2002, Forest Products Journal did a study that showed in 1 year 12-13% of the chromate copper arsenate leached out on to wood chips, making this unsafe.
•2004 EPA asked voluntarily the lumber industry to change the product, it was changed to ACQ, which is not arsenic based.
•This process added more copper to the wood which makes it more metal corrosive.
•ACQ has no arsenic it, however, aluminum will start to disintegrate within 3 months of contact.
•It is very hard on all metals, which is dangerous as metal bolts hold your deck to your home.
•Most builders do not know these alarming statistics, and are still using ACQ.
At Advanced Home Improvements, we care about your home and your safety. With that in mind, we take the necessary precautions to ensure that we use the best and safest materials we can; we use AC2 treated lumber. Midwest manufacturing is the only producer of AC2, which is much safer than ACQ. The process is done by osmosis, and requires ½ the amount of water – it takes longer, but uses less chemicals and produces the same results. In ACQ, 2-4 gallons of water or 16-32lbs of water is in a 2x12x8 ft board…this is a big reason why warping and uneven joists occur. AC2 not only uses less water, but it is kiln dried 6-8%; most treated lumber is not kiln dried at all. AC2 has a less amount of chromium added to the wood; a greenish look occurs when there is more added.
For more information; contact us.
