Boron treatment for wood supported

Boron treatment for wood supported

17 March 2011

The move to a single boron treatment for all enclosed timber framing is a sensible and timely move says NZ Wood, the industry’s promotional organisation.

This simplification around timber treatment was announced by the Department of Building and Housing last week.

Timber use has many advantages. Not only is it a natural product, locally grown and employing local people, but it is renewable – it can be grown again and again.

As a natural product, timber sometimes needs to be treated to preserve it, but the complexity of treatment requirements had caused unnecessary confusion and had led to many in the design and construction industry defaulting to higher than necessary levels of treatment.

The timber industry has worked closely with government to remove this complexity and at the same time ensure that consumers have access to timber that is fit for purpose.

Boron is a benign substance. It has been used in the timber industry since the 1930s. It is used in personal products such as toothpaste and shampoo with no negative impacts.

This change by the Department of Building and Housing does not prevent the use of any existing treatments, but it gives architects and the construction industry confidence that boron is a safe treatment that provides effective protection for all enclosed timber framing.

This change will simplify the use of that wonderful natural product – wood. At the same time it offers a much needed boost to the timber and construction industries by simplifying supply chains and reducing the cost of timber treatment in houses.

ENDS

.

© Scoop Media