# Firstly hello all , tanalised timber ?



## Anonymous

Just like to say hello all , I've been reading this board for a few days and have learned so much .

My query is , is it OK to paint or varnish over tanalised timer ? one person said it was , another said it wasn't as the tantalize will bubble the paint/varnish .

I have just made a garden swing seat with sawn tanalised softwood timber which i then planed down and sanded , and coated it with 3 coats of Ronseal exterior satin varnish . The varnish really brings out the effect of the wood and also highlights the tanalise as well ( bonus ) .
A friend of mine has offered to pay me to make one for them and i want to do it right first time . I bought planed untreated timber this time which I'm going to cut to shape and then have it tanalised so that all the cuts are protected as well , but obviously this will be expensive and do not wish to waste money if the tanalise reacts with the varnish .

Many thanks , and a great site .


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## Newbie_Neil

Hi Els

Welcome to the forum.

I've just done a quick search and this is what I found on the forum (it was a discussion on outdoor furniture): -

"Personally, I'd avoid tanalised softwoods, despite what your friendly timber merchant might tell you. These are treated using a cyanic (cyanide) compound which is neither children or animal friendly. The process only treats the top 2 to 4 mm of timber so when you cross cut you need to seal the exposed (untreated) timber. You should wear gloves and dust masks when handling the stuff - even then you may end up with a rash or skin redness from contact with the stuff - and it is forbidden to burn the waste from manufacturing. Also you cannot finish (stain, etc) the timber until it has weathered a few months."

Cheers
Neil


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## Anonymous

The only info I know about it (other than always wear a mask - nasty dust comes off) kind of matches Neils - when I got my shed a while back (all tanalized), the manufacturers instructions were quite explicit about not treating/stainging/painting it until it had weathered for 2 years


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## Johnboy

I didn't know about the not putting any stain etc for 2 years. My workshop is clad with pressure treated feather edge boards and I slapped on a water based fence/shed treatment immediately after it was completed and it looks fine 3 years later. Is it only oil bases finishes you can't use?

John


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## Adam

Johnboy":13knyjq1 said:


> I didn't know about the not putting any stain etc for 2 years. My workshop is clad with pressure treated feather edge boards and I slapped on a water based fence/shed treatment immediately after it was completed and it looks fine 3 years later. Is it only oil bases finishes you can't use?
> 
> John



Same as me, I used a (probably the same) water based fence/shed treatment immediately. I think the water holds a "wax" in suspension - it seems to have worked very well. I got mine from Wickes.

Adam


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## Anonymous

Thanks for the help chaps , seems to be pretty inconclusive then , some say you can , some say you cant  

I could always use a clear pressure vac treatment which is pretty cheap at my local timber merchants , but so far i haven't found any dyes or finishes that really give the seats that certain look . The Ronseal exterior satin varnish really brings out alot of character on planed tanalised softwoods , oh well trial and error .
I have a few pics but cant host them , can anyone help here ?


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## Newbie_Neil

Hi Els

Adam has it all covered in this thread: -

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1991

Cheers
Neil


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## Dewy

The wood is supposed to be pressure treated which means it is put in a large tank and the air drawn out to make a vacuum. 
This removes the moisture from the timber. 
The preservative is then added which gets sucked into the timber to replace the removed moisure.
Approx 35 years ago they tried using polyeurethane so that the timber would have no moisture and the poly would stop the wood warping.
This would have made a perfectly stable timber.
Nothing seems to have happened so it must have had problems.
Either that or is was too expensive so fell by the wayside.


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