Should I Chose Tanalised Gates?
The process of high vacume pressure treating timber with fluids such as arsenic is known as tanalising which is proven to be a long term barrier to wood rot or other common problems when constructing out timber. regularly used in the tops of garages, sheds and gate constructions for dwellings, the tanalised wood does have to be treated with a certain level of respect purely due to the chemicals involved as part of the tanalising process… so are tanalised wooden gates required to see your driveway gates last in excess of thirty years without rotting?
Alternatively, there are other methods of treating timber for long lasting applications outside. The green tint is not the desirable finish in many cases and high quality wood stains tend not to stick as well as they are designed to when being applied over the top of tanalised timber. Tanalised timber is asily noticeable from distributors of timber products for its green tint in colour, it can be of a rough sawn finish, however you can find gate manufacturers who do supply smooth finished tanalised gates to hang in driveways or be used as attractive wooden garden gates.
After some time the pale green coloration does subside and become a more suitable honey brown but die to the the treatment process still doesnt react too well with other color coatings. There are other methods of treating timber suitable for outside use and even large construction where the timbers preservative value can last an initial 60 years. Its a good idea to consider the alternatives as burning tanalised wood releases arsenic, a cumulative poison, into the immediate atmosphere. Whereas theres a copper azole formula pressure treatment as an alternative to the arsenic type tanalising process which provides an excellent protection barrier from causes of decay to ensure long life. There’s a water based version too which is in wide use in construction uses close to agricultural countryside uses such as field gates.
