There have been many discussions and comments pertaining
to the cedar oil based all natural timber treatment fluid being traded as
Cedarshield Petri-Wood deck, dock and fence and as Permatek as it is known in
Canada. Both are identical products
with the only difference being in the name and label. I joined and made comment on one thread yesterday and felt it was
time for someone to start a real discussion where perhaps we can enjoy some
critique, compliment, or discussion of an open and sensible nature.
I work in timber sciences and as such, have access to
equipment and testing facilities that most people never have an opportunity to
even see, never mind use. As per my
reply to yesterday's CR4 thread that asked for comments, the Cedarshield fluid
is genuinely natural and other than having a strong fermonal odour of cedar, it
is completely safe to use and apply with no real need for endless protective
clothing. Safety glasses and a pair of
latex gloves was all any of our people ever used and at no time did we
encounter any issues or even irritation to skin. Indoors, the odour can be strong though not unpleasant.
One of the most common questions I am asked about the
product is with regard to how long the treatment is likely to last on
timbers. There is no conclusive answer
to this question as such. However, if
we take into account that the initial treatment is applied correctly in three
full coats, allowing for drying between each coat, then from the results of our
testing we have concluded that saturation is indeed complete and penetrative to
every fibre of the wood. We have also
ascertained that the capillaries, fibricidal chambers and molecular structure
throughout the wood were completely lined and sealed by the Silanes and
hydroxyl tail drops. Even after
strenuous and rigorous testing that included simulated extreme weather, severe
UV exposure, extreme temperature variations and prolonged ageing and stress
tests, the product remained intact and true with continued dimensional and
structural stability being recorded and absolutely no ingress or penetration of
moisture or water to the treated wood.
These results are by no means some kind of miracle, as the basic
principal of any wood that can be fully saturated by Silanes is almost
certainly guaranteed to remain permanently impervious to moisture, as there is
no way possible for the moisture or water to enter. The problem has always been trying to find an appropriate carrier
that could successfully penetrate all of the wood and one that could at the
same time, scavenge and remove all existing moisture within the wood. Cedarshield's all natural product has
successfully achieved all of this and more too, as we did conclude that insects
would not attack, lay their eggs in or eat any of the timbers that have been
treated by this product.
Accordingly, my conclusion of just how long this treatment
will last is basically as long as we want it to last. It is a one time life time treatment but only if applied
correctly and we have no reason to believe the dimensional and/or structural
stability and integrity of correctly treated timber is ever likely to
change. This in itself must represent a
major boon to almost all aspects of the lumber and milling industries, where
Joe public has been screaming for years now to find long lasting timbers that
have not been treated with a mish mash of toxins and poisons. Finally, I am hoping that this information
may help to stimulate a more appropriate discussion thread for those CR4
Members who always seem to decry almost any new "Too good to be true"
product. Five years ago it would have
been too good to be true to be able to purchase a huge LCD flat screen
television for under $5,000.00. Yet,
here we are rushing Around buying loads of them for Christmas and amazingly
enough, these huge screen are now way under $800.00…or maybe that also is too
good to be true?