Having many upcoming projects is a very common thing for a DIY lover or simply someone who loves doing home improvement projects. The outdoor deck of yours may have caught your attention lately. Or perhaps the shed is what you’re thinking to work on. One thing that relates to both of these and many other projects is use of untreated woods. Will they last outside and are there any negative impacts of including them? These are some common queries in such a scenario.
Finding out how long will non pressure treated wood last outside seems the right thing to do in such a scene so here we go. From how long they actually last to tips on increasing this period, let’s go through some important chat today. Also, maybe a few special species of wood that you can use without any fear even if they are untreated, we will mention those…
Exactly How Long Will Non Pressure Treated Wood Last Outside?
This can vary between two to five years specifically. There are a few factors that will decide the whole duration. For example, the sunlight exposure ratio as well as structure maintained. Also, the matter of which wood you are referring to. And your region’s weather conditions. These are all important criteria that decide this duration.
If you are thinking of using non-pressure treated wood for wood vegetable gardens, then it will deteriorate quickly. However, since the wood gardens usually need quite small budgets, this isn’t actually a bad thing.
And that’s just one scenario. Depending on your circumstance, the duration will impact differently. Suppose you want to use the wood for a deck. Then this can be a bit tricky and risky actually. Because in such case, it’s hardly going to last more than 5 years.
And the reasons behind this are microorganisms infesting, water as well as termites. However, without those conditions interfering, you can expect the deck to last almost 10 years. There are different non-pressure treated woods that comes with a diverse outdoor lasting period.
Pine can serve outdoor for 5 to 10 years in a typical scenario. It’s not always the best choice for outdoor projects depending on certain climate and surrounding conditions.
Cedar fences can work fine for 15 to 30 years. If you give it proper maintenance then this much longevity expectation is fine. The non-pressure treated variety is still fairly good. But not when you compare it to the treated cedar that can last 40 years.
Tips to Increase Longevity of Non-Pressure Treated Woods.
One thing that greatly impacts in a negative way when using not treated wood is the existence of microorganisms. As these will allow decay and rot issues. If you maintain the wood in a dry state, this will be less likely to happen. Because microorganisms need moisture to survive.
Due to too much sunlight exposure, sometimes the durability of non-treated wood gets problematic. And that can be not an issue if you manage to keep the wood under some shade for most time. Or else bleaching, degradation, and lignin depletion will take place.
Oxygen is one of the reliable sources that fungus needs. Including moisture and certain temperature. And when the sources are available, wood becomes food to fungus leading to decay and rot issues. Temperature controlling can highly help in improving the longevity of non-pressure treated wood.
During the spring and fall climate, you want to bring furniture made of non-treated wood inside your house. As that’s the main time when the most damage can take place.
Wooden Species That Are Excellent Even with Pressure Treating.
The wood has this common nature of deteriorating too soon due to being in contact with the outdoors. However, there are certain species that have natural capabilities of fighting the external harsh factors that cause damage. Let’s know a bit about those species specifically.
Standing up against several outdoor elements is popular praise heard about Redwood. The beautiful grain is next thing that people love it for. With the beautiful soft reddish color tone, you’ll find a lot of outdoor projects working gracefully with it. However, there’s a shortage of this wood type as the production is pretty slow. Because of that readily available redwood is quite rare.
From light yellow to a reddish dark brown, Cypress has its own beauty and the ability to resist decay. This beautiful southwest soggy soil-grown variety often works for marine application. It’s also commonly seen as fence posts. The stability is really good and there are fewer chances of crack and split.
Boatbuilding usually includes the classic teak wood. As the wood variety has a fantastic ability to fight harsh conditions outside. However, it can be available in limited quantity. And so, maybe getting it in a certain region will be hard. Also, the price isn’t very cheap, quite premium to be fair. However, those who can afford it will be buying exceptional outdoor beauty with longevity no doubt.
Find out more woodworking tips on WoodworkerHelp.com
Wrap Up
And that was some note on how long will non pressure treated wood last outside plus information related that can come in help to you. With other factors, you can however improve the longevity of no matter what type of non-pressure treated wood you’re using. For example, sealers and stain application.
Also, there are products for preservatives and insecticides available to apply for fighting the problem of extreme conditions caused by insects. No matter what you chose to apply on the wood for improving its performance, make sure you’re paying attention to manufacturer’s guide and characteristic of that particular wood type.
