Thread: Treat New Dock?
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Old 09-27-2022, 07:44 PM   #26
John Mercier
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It isn't an agree/disagree issue.
It is a fact of basic science.
It is the underlying reason that composite decking was designed.

Also the pressure wash strips the top cellulose layer away to remove the gray. Forces the water under pressure back into the wood grain, and repeats the process.

PT wood is wet. As it dries, it shrinks. When wet again, it expands. The expansion and contraction along with the frost/thaw cycle of New England breaks it down.

Cedar was used because it is dry to start with... and has a tighter grain.
It resists the wick effect, thus making it more rot resistant - less cracks, checks, twisting, cupping, and splinters as a result. But it will still gray... and the gray, when power washed away, is the mechanical stripping of the top layer of cellulose.

The first generation of composites was not ''capped''; so they would ''gray'' unless stained with specific acrylic latex for a color. There was no savings in the maintenance, the extra price was a matter of not have that wick effect... and maybe a small handful of people that purchased because it was recycled plastic bags mixed with sawdust.

So to ''fix'' the PT, products like the Bronze Native Exotic that I use was invented. But it is still old tech, where the pressure treating process adds the stain color resulting in the color going all the way through the board. The wick effect is reduced, but not eliminated, and the gray takes many years before it becomes noticeable.

They say the new Yellawood stain infused is even better.
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