Treated Or Untreated Wood For Attic

Active steps can be taken to make untreated wood still be a viable option outside if need be.

Treated or untreated wood for attic.

Treated wood was designed to defy the effects of natural aging. I was wondering if it was allowed to be used in an attic. Treated wood also known as pressure treated wood or pt is widely available to consumers for home and garden projects. Pressure treated wood in attic while performing an inspection on a home built in 2004 i noticed that several 2 x 4s were pressure treated wood.

The cost is that many chemicals for wood treatment are not necessarily safe for people and pets. These chemicals add all sorts of protection for the wood but they come at a cost. Untreated wood is vulnerable to moisture as well as insect pests such as termites. Any location where pets and kids spend time regularly should be built with non treated wood.

When used indoors there is little possibility of chemicals leaching or releasing toxins into the air because houses are typically dry environments. Yes untreated wood can be used outside. You can safely use treated wood for indoor furniture but only under certain circumstances. What s the major difference.

You can use pressure treated wood but it s more expensive than untreated wood. If treated wood can last much longer than normal but to make sure your treated lumber lasts as long as possible you need to match its treatment level with the right use. The major difference between treated and untreated wood is that treated wood is steeped in chemicals. This is why non pressure treated wood is still required for use indoors and why builders recommended that you only use pressure treated lumber for the support structure of a deck and switch to untreated wood for the surface.

In most instances untreated wood will work just as well is much safer and will look nicer too. Steps such as sealing painting or using other bonding agents increase the life of untreated wood. Sometimes hemlock western pine and spruce are treated with borate but douglas fir and yellow pine are the most common. Treated wood used to have arsenic in it as an insect repellent but the newer wood is all environmentally friendly.

Although there are health hazards to consider treated wood does have its advantages. Moisture is especially hard on wood. Yellow pine and douglas fir are the types of wood treated with borate. Reputable manufacturers offer warranties of 15 to 30 years against rot decay and insect attack.

If you are interested in attempting to use pressure treated lumber indoors these types might be worth considering. As wood is exposed to the natural elements it slowly breaks down. You can find treated lumber plywood lap siding and even specialty items like lattice and pre cut stair parts.