Treated wood giues mold the blues

A NEW environmentally friendly. .CLborates-based treating process designed to protect structural lumber from mold, moistsure, rot fungi and termites is headed west.

Lumber is an ideal host for retaining moisture and fostering the growth of fungi. Dealers and contractors have long been searching for an effective means of protecting wood from unpredictable job-site conditions, household humidity, leaky pipes, and water intrusion from roofs, chimneys, windows and doors.

Only a very small portion-typically 27o-of the lumber in a home is pressure treated to offer some level of protection against rot, fungus and insects. A new product, BluWood, offers protection to all of the other wood components in a home-dimensional lumber, engineered wood, OSB, trusses, rafters and sheathing.

BluWood is produced using the two-part Perfect Barrier system. First, the treater applies an infusion film to wood components, encapsulating the substrates and forming a water-repellent, vapor-permeable barrier to control liquid moisture absorption yet allow moisture vapor to escape. In effect, the treatment lets the wood "breathe." which helps maintain a normal moisture balance, while preventing mold growth on the dried film.

The second part is a DOT wood preservative, a proven fungicide and insecticide borates solution that resists decay and provides exceptional protection from rot fungi and woodingesting insects, including subterranean and Formosan termites-all without adding carcinogens, heavy metals or solvents to the treated material. It transforms the wood from a welcome host for rot and bugs to an environment that's simply uninhabitable.

The lumber is treated on all six sides, creating a powerful cocoon of protection. And because the process takes place before lumber reaches the job site, moisture never has the oppor- tunity to infect it. The final product reportedly can sit unprotected on a site for up to six months, and still provide all the resistance to moisture and fungi it had when it was first delivered. Over time, the ingredients continue to migrate below the topical surfaces, providing intense, sub-surface protection. They actually bond with wood fibers at the cellular level.

The product's resistance to moisture has been thoroughly tested by independent labs and universities to American Wood Preservers Association standards. It has also undergone extensive testing in "real-world" conditions over the past three years in numerous locations around the country. WoodSmart Solutions, manufacturer of the BluWood chemical, even created a "mold house" in Lakeland, Fl., where 25 species of its product are being studied against untreated samples of the same species.

BluWood lumber is warranteed against mold growth on the dried film, as well as against fungus and termites for the life ofthe structure.

The product is off to a fast start in the South and is looking westward, with moist climates given preference. Portland, Or., and Bakersfield, Ca., are among the areas targeted for new treating plants in 2006 by BluWood licensee Perfect Barrier LLC, a subsidiary of Banks Corp., Elkhart, In.

Perfect Barrier LLC already operates treating plants in Asheville and Raleigh, N.C.; Winter Haven, Fl., and Dallas, Tx.; is readying to open facilities in Knoxville, Tn., and Elkhart, and also plans facilities in Atlanta, Ga.; Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, Fl.. Charlotte. N.C.: Cleveland and Columbus, Oh.; Houston, Tx., and six locations in the Louisiana area.

Regional licensee EnviroGard of the Southeast has plants in Conway and Andrews. S.C.. with facilities on the way in Richmond, Va.; Savannah, Ga., and Washington, D.C.

According to Envirogard owner Shane Holley, the rapid plant expansion is being driven by the explosion of mold complaints in buildings.

"Our goal is to keep supply ahead of demand," said Charles Morando, c.e.o., WoodSmart Solutions. "As awareness builds, demand is growing by leaps and bounds."