Western pressure treated woodts citing market potential

f f OST homeowner customers lfl know about pressure treated western wood because either they or someone they know used it to build a deck, fence, a retaining wall or a walk border.

Out beyond the backyard, you have potential customers in architects, engineers, and contractors who know pressure treated wood as foundation piling, dock construction material, sill plates, and much, much more. Pressure treated wood has become one of the construction industry's most essential building materials.

The wood the professionals rely on for its decay and termite resistance and long service life has been treated under pressure in a closed cylinder, or retort, just like that sold to d-i-yers and home builders. Chemical preservatives or fire retardants are forced deep into the wood cells, to protect it against fungi, insects, or fire.

Engineers familiar with pressure treated wood's high strength to weight ratio know that it is highly resistant to short duration loads that occur when earthquakes or hurricanes strike. Wood is resilient enough to resist battering by the ocean and docking ships, and is naturally resistant to the destructiveness of salt water. Specifiers know it won't rust or spall, and is significantly less affected by corrosion. That is why, historically, it has been used for constructing terminals, marinas, bulkheads, and dolphins, both in fresh and salt water.

In coastal waters where marine borers such as teredo, pholad, or Limnoria tripunctqla are present, industry standards require that wood in the water must be pressure treated with a preservative that will resist the local borer hazards. This is often a combination of creosote and a waterborn preservative.

In commercial buildings, pressure

Story at a Glance

Sales extend beyond hom+ owners to architects, engineers and contractors... how a dealer can sell those markets.

treated wood is specified for foundation piling, foundation sillplates, exterior decks and railings, and for application in fertilizer storage facilities. Where wood is permanently exposed to the weather, building codes require either naturally resistant or pressure treated wood.

Architects and designers specify pressure treated wood for a broad range of recreational applications in parks, golf courses and playgrounds, for bulkheads, gazebos, observation towers, light standards, play structures, and benches.

The inherent structural efficiency of pressure treated pole frame construction for resisting wind loads makes this method of construction popular for warehouses, bulk storage, equipment storage, and industrial buildings. In buildings such as those used for bulk fertilizer storage, pressure treated wood successfully resists the corrosive action ofthe fertilizer.

Fire retardant treated woods are another market for a building material dealer to pursue with professionals. Engineers like the life saving features of fire retardant treated (FRT) wood. Chemicals in these treatments react in the event of fire to form a protective char which prevents wood from igniting, minimizes flame spread and reduces smoke development.

These are but a few of the opportunities to sell treated wood. If you're just concentrating on sales to homeowners, you're missing a chance for some big orders.