This is a good question, and it definitely deserves attention. Using the wrong products on wooden posts within walls can cause serious health problems and, in the worst case, even death. I know it sounds extreme, but I have personally had experience with a house that was built by a do-it-yourself who thought that if he used all the pressure-treated wood in the walls, his house would never rot. Well, the house didn’t rot, but it reeked of poison, and the owner / builder eventually died of brain tumors related to excessive exposure to toxic chemicals.
What you did not realize is that all the protective layers that are placed on the outside of a house to prevent rain and insects form a kind of jacket around the house. And while you keep the elements outside, you keep the living space or ‘air conditioning space’ inside. That is why it is important to keep the air conditioning space free of toxins. There are building wrap products that help the home breathe better, but this won’t stop the poison odors on the wall because the 1/2 ″ gypsum board on the inside of the wall is so much thinner and so much more porous than 1/2 ″ plywood. the other side of the wall. Also, on top of the plywood, you have construction paper or house wrap, then siding and paint. So it is much easier for smells to travel inside the home than outside.
Treated wood is used primarily for contact with the ground or direct contact with concrete. While treated wood costs about half the price of rot-resistant alternative wood (redwood), it is about 2-3 times the amount of untreated doug hide, which is the material of choice for most builders. Most of the treated wood is actually cowhide that is injected with many different poisons (this is why you see all the little dash marks on the treated wood, they are from the injection process). Since they are taking the same doug skin wood to inject as they are, they will generally use the number 2 boards or the bottom end.
Between you, me, and the rest of the world reading this, treated wood is not a safe alternative to wood that is resistant to natural rot and pests like redwood. States like California have recently banned treated wood from all landfills and landfills due to groundwater contamination. The recent standard change has also reduced the amount of toxin levels by approx. fifty%. While these efforts are a step in the right direction, it is not considered green or green construction to use products with copper or zinc napatane.
When properly protected, Doug’s fur-built houses can last a long, long time. However, when left unprotected, it can rot very quickly.
