Advice On Structural Wood Posts Wanted

[stevehaigh]

hi all

can anyone help me? i need 20 or so 3m 8"x8" wood posts to hold up my roof. my builder knows a guy who knows a guy that can get 8" trees from the forest, no questions asked, for B1000/m (yes B1000/m, paing maak maak!)

i can buy 8"x8" square from the wood shop (special order so i can't see it first) for B880/m. The wood is "maai tdua-lang", it's reddish and medium hard and since it's cut from a bigger, older tree i assume it's god stuff.

my builder says that dtua-land will crack and split after a few years but i don't know if i trust him since he is obviously making a buck on his freinds trees.

of course the wood shop girl says dtua-lang is fine.

does anyone have any advice about choice of wood for structural supports.

thanks, steve

[Gary A]

My question is why do you want wood? The termites will love you. The ready made concrete columns are cheaper and if you want the wood look put wood around them. At least that way in ten years you can replace the boards without the building falling down.

hi all

can anyone help me? i need 20 or so 3m 8"x8" wood posts to hold up my roof. my builder knows a guy who knows a guy that can get 8" trees from the forest, no questions asked, for B1000/m (yes B1000/m, paing maak maak!)

i can buy 8"x8" square from the wood shop (special order so i can't see it first) for B880/m. The wood is "maai tdua-lang", it's reddish and medium hard and since it's cut from a bigger, older tree i assume it's god stuff.

my builder says that dtua-land will crack and split after a few years but i don't know if i trust him since he is obviously making a buck on his freinds trees.

of course the wood shop girl says dtua-lang is fine.

does anyone have any advice about choice of wood for structural supports.

thanks, steve

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[stevehaigh]

My question is why do you want wood? The termites will love you.    The ready made concrete columns are cheaper and if you want the wood look put wood around them. At least that way in ten years you can replace the boards without the building falling down.

i don't have any confidence that putting will around a concrete post will look good and i think i can protect the wood against bugs with the right chemicals. at least i hope so!

steve

[buadhai]

Against all advice, I built a wood home here on Saipan in 1980. We have a huge termite problem, plus massive typhoons (200+ kmh). I used treated utility poles to support the roof and treated lumber throughout. I put Chlordane in the pole holes and on the ground. I treated the ground with termite poison about every five years. After 25 years there is no sign of termites or dry rot. The only problem is a couple of rotten boards that were constantly exposed to the rain.

So, it is possible to build a storm-proof, termite-proof wooden home, but you do need to use chemicals both on the wood and in the soil.

[Maka]

I agree with the concrete column theory. And you CAN cover them effectivly and asthetically with wood or plaster or ....the list goes on.

Im from Termite country, and now living in Thailand.

We built w/ treated wood, Treated soils, constantly kept ground termite bait stations, and tented our houses every 5 years. What a hastle and not cheap, and not 100% effective.

My advice. Use as little wood in a house here as possible. And be prepared to replace that wood in the future.

Besides Concrete or CMU's is cooler to live in.

Termites are the devil on homes. The less oportunity you give them the better.

[stevehaigh]

Against all advice, I built a wood home here on Saipan in 1980. We have a huge termite problem, plus massive typhoons (200+ kmh). I used treated utility poles to support the roof and treated lumber throughout. I put Chlordane in the pole holes and on the ground. I treated the ground with termite poison about every five years. After 25 years there is no sign of termites or dry rot. The only problem is a couple of rotten boards that were constantly exposed to the rain.

So, it is possible to build a storm-proof, termite-proof wooden home, but you do need to use chemicals both on the wood and in the soil.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks again for all the anti-wood advice (and some pro wood too). it's a 2 story house anyhow and the 1st story is all concrete so the little buggers will have to be good climbers to get up 4m of concrete to the wood.

steve

[buadhai]

thanks again for all the anti-wood advice (and some pro wood too). it's a 2 story house anyhow and the 1st story is all concrete so the little buggers will have to be good climbers to get up 4m of concrete to the wood.

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Although I am pro-wood, I have to tell you that 4m of concrete is no challenge to termites. I've seen ground termites attack the cabinetry on the sixth floor of a concrete and steel building....

[Gary A]

If you get a good carpender he can bevel the edges of the boards and you will be hard pressed to tell they cover concrete. Boards are quite expensive too so even that will not be cheap.

[Thetyim]

Wood should be seasoned before you use it.

Anything coming straight from the forest will not last long.

The prefered wood in Thailand is teak.

Seasoned heart wood will last 100 years, soft fresh new wood will last until the termites find it.

[frequentatore]

thanks again for all the anti-wood advice (and some pro wood too). it's a 2 story house anyhow and the 1st story is all concrete so the little buggers will have to be good climbers to get up 4m of concrete to the wood.

steve

They don't always come from the ground...

Have you ever seen wings of insects stuck on mosquito screens? They are wings of flying termites. They are attracted by lights; most lose their wings by going through the screen but some of them don't... If you suddendly see some insects flying around your lights in your house, you'll know...

That's how they also arrive on higher floors...

[buadhai]

They don't always come from the ground...

Have you ever seen wings of insects stuck on mosquito screens? They are wings of flying termites. They are attracted by lights; most lose their wings by going through the screen but some of them don't... If you suddendly see some insects flying around your lights in your house, you'll know...

That's how they also arrive on higher floors...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even though they arrive by air, they end up nesting in the ground, close to moisture. Then they build tunnels up from the ground to the food source: wood. You need to constantly inspect; looking for the tunnels and characteristic damage. It's a challenge, but it is doable. As I said, I kept them at bay for 25 years in my wooden house in a place where termites are endemic. I love wood, but unless you're willing to be constantly vigilant you'll end up infested and disappointed.

[stevehaigh]

As I said, I kept them at bay for 25 years in my wooden house in a place where termites are endemic. I love wood, but unless you're willing to be constantly vigilant you'll end up infested and disappointed.

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so what's your secret? what kind of preservatives do you use and how?

thx steve

[buadhai]

so what's your secret? what kind of preservatives do you use and how?

thx steve

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All the structural lumber I used, including the support poles and plywood used in flooring and roofing, was treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) at a level designed for wood having ground contact.

CCA

Treated Wood FAQ

25 years later there is no sign of dry rot or termite infestation. This in a tropical climate where both are endemic.

Edited March 21, 2005 by mgnewman

[stevehaigh]

so what's your secret? what kind of preservatives do you use and how?

thx steve

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All the structural lumber I used, including the support poles and plywood used in flooring and roofing, was treated with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) at a level designed for wood having ground contact.

CCA

Treated Wood FAQ

25 years later there is no sign of dry rot or termite infestation. This in a tropical climate where both are endemic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks again. good links.

how do you apply? brush, roller, spray? how often?

on wood that's varnished (polyurathane) do you also treat with CCA, how? before of after the polyurathane?

thx steve

[buadhai]

I had the wood pressure-treated by the lumber yard before I had it shipped here to Saipan. I bought wood preservative locally to treat the places where we cut the pre-treated lumber. I also treated the ground and post holes with chlordane at the time of construction. I treated the ground with chlordane at five year intervals. When chlordane became illegal in the US I changed to whatever was available.

I guess the bottom line is to use the strongest treatment that is legally available and supplement with surface and ground treatment at recommended intervals.

[tango]

hi all

can anyone help me? i need 20 or so 3m 8"x8" wood posts to hold up my roof. my builder knows a guy who knows a guy that can get 8" trees from the forest, no questions asked, for B1000/m (yes B1000/m, paing maak maak!)

i can buy 8"x8" square from the wood shop (special order so i can't see it first) for B880/m. The wood is "maai tdua-lang", it's reddish and medium hard and since it's cut from a bigger, older tree i assume it's god stuff.

my builder says that dtua-land will crack and split after a few years but i don't know if i trust him since he is obviously making a buck on his freinds trees.

of course the wood shop girl says dtua-lang is fine.

does anyone have any advice about choice of wood for structural supports.

thanks, steve

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Checked Homepro the other day. They price a 1"x 1" x 2.5 meter slat of basic wood at ~300Baht. Hmmm? The Thai style restaurant complex behind Carrefour used concrete pillars to which were glued strips of wood....Now, you'd think they were all log pillars. Why not check it out.