Wood is an excellent building material; it is structurally sound, visually appealing, and cost effective.  The only potential downside is that wood is subject to attack and decay from insects, fungus, and other bacteria.  Pressure treating can protect the wood against these natural enemies.  Southern Yellow Pine, in particular, is a perfect host for pressure treatments.  SYP can be treated to high retention--suitable for submerging the timbers in saltwater environments. 

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Gone are the days of dipping/soaking treating processes.  Modern methods involve loading dry lumber into a pressure vessel and pulling a vacuum. Once that is done, the preservative is pumped in to fill the vessel and then pressure is applied to force the preservative into the wood until the desired retention is reached.  Afterwards, the excess preservative is pumped back out and the material is left to dry for several hours. This process allows the preservative to penetrate several inches into the wood, creating a protective envelope. Note that on thinner pieces, the penetration can be totally though the entire piece.

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The American Wood Preservers Association (AWPA) sets the standards on the minimal preservative retention required by  materials and end use. These standards can be found in AWPA U1.

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Call Bayou Forest Products at 1 (888) 430-9663 for more information on available pressure treatments.

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