How to Seal a Wood Foundation

Wood foundations are an alternative to using the conventional concrete foundations for a building. These wooden foundations are becoming popular because they are normally quicker and cheaper to construct.

Few people realize that wood is a fantastic material for foundations. Although wood may not be thought of as a strong material, it is actually extremely strong. There are reasons for and against using wood. Even concrete isn't perfect and wood foundations are actually better in certain circumstances.

As wood is a natural product it's important to seal the wood to prevent it becoming damaged. If the wooden foundation experiences any damage then the structural integrity of your whole house may be compromised. Planning to use wood foundations can help to speed up construction, but you can't hope to cut all of the corners by avoiding sealing your wood foundations.

Step 1 - Safety First

The most important thing when doing any form of DIY project, regardless of what it actually is, is to ensure that you look after yourself. You must take your safety seriously. Pressure treated wood is pumped full of some pretty nasty chemicals, this means that the dust can be an irritant when inhaled and splinters are dangerous. Wear gloves whenever working with pressure treated wood. Wear a mask when cutting the wood and also try to collect as much of the sawdust as possible.

Never burn the offcuts of pressure treated timber. This doesn't produce toxic gasses when burning, but it will leave behind a lot of arsenic in the ashes.

Step 2 - Why Protect

Pressure treated wood seems like the perfect building material, after all it's rot resistant and pest resistant. However, this doesn't make it invincible. The environment will take its toll on pressure treated wood in exactly the same way as an ordinary piece of wood. Using preservatives is essential to protect the wood foundations. It's also important to try and apply the protective material as soon as possible.

Step 3 - Slowing Drying

Pressure treated wood has a high moisture content inside and this means that it's liable to twist and bend when it dries out quickly. Using pressure wood treatment can slow down the whole drying process and minimise the chances of the wood shrinking and bending.

When buying wood preservative make sure that it is suitable for use on pressure treated timber, it's different to normal wood preservative.

Step 4 - Applying Preservative

The pressure treated wood preservative can be applied by painting it onto the wooden foundations. This is a very easy technique which can make taking care of pressure treated wood very easy.

Step 5 - Sealant

Existing wood foundations are not a danger to the environment as long as they are not disturbed. In fact removing them can could more damage than good. The EPA have suggested that applying a penetrating oil finish sealant can reduce the chances of humans coming into contact with the nasty chemicals.

Step 6 - Sealing Gaps

Once the foundation is fully sealed, all that's left to do is seal  up any gaps in the wood foundation. The easiest way of doing this is to use silicone caulking.

Wooden foundations are nothing new but they are making it faster and cheaper to build properties. This makes them very popular with both professionals and amateurs alike.