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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
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Housing - Renovation: timber preservatives

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    I am trying to find roofing battens that are preserved using borax based preservatives only. I don't want to use copper based preservatives as they seem to be so toxic to the environment. Does anyone have any suggestions as to suppliers? I am based in Hastings
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    There are various of sawmills in Hampshire and Sussex who convert local timber. Chestnut may be an option - there's lots of it around in Sussex and it's naturally durable. Or you can try phoning sawmills and asking if they have douglas fir, larch, or western red cedar which they can cut to your dimensions. All of these timbers will be naturally durable, although small dimension WRC may be prone to splitting when a lot of fastenings are used along it.
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    Thanks for that thought, Henry Sears. I had rung some already but it's hard to get the roofer to use a different supplier. I will persevere and try again.
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      CommentAuthorNovy Mlyn
    • CommentTimeJul 25th 2007
     
    Have you thought about using shellac? I believe that this product is natural and without nasty side effects.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJul 25th 2007
     
    Why do you want preservative anyway?

    Only wet or damp wood rots or gets attacked by bugs. Hopefully your tiles wont be letting the battens get wet will they?

    So no need for preservatives.
  6.  
    Novy Mlyn - Shellac is a varnish made from an exudation of a certain species of beetle dissolved in spirit. As far as I know, it has no particular preservative properties.

    Tony - I believe woodworm beetle attack can occur even in dry wood, and especially wood that is ventilated to the outside air.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJul 25th 2007
     
    I have taken off plenty of 100+ year old roofs and almost never seen anything in the way of problems that preservatives would have prevented.

    The main reason people don't use untreated wood for roof battens is that it is not available untreated. So there is no real choice.

    It is even getting difficult to buy untreated sawn timber.
  8.  
    Well, I found some untreated larch from a sawmill in Balcombe, Sussex so I am using that. It cost me twice as much as the treated spruce from the roofing suppliers, but compared to the cost of the whole roof it's not a lot extra to pay. Tony's comments about 100 year old roofs is re-assuring after all the doom and gloom from the roofing supplier.

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