Rohan Baker

Christmas – New Year Closure.

It’s “that time of year” again. This means the Christmas rush is on and it’s time to start planing now for the  Preschem Christmas-New Year closure .

Preschem will close from Thursday 18th December and re-open on Monday 5th January.

For our industrial and retail customers, please ensure you have your last orders in by Tuesday 16th December to ensure you’ll receive it before Christmas. We will still endeavour to get orders out after that date, but we won’t guarntee the ETA will be before the 23rd December, expecially interstate delivery locations.

Lastly, the Preschem Team would liketo thank you for your support during 2025 and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

in News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 0 comments

Deck Restoration Video. To Sand or Not To Sand

Deck Restoration Video

To Sand or not to Sand?

When maintaining a deck, Preschem has always tried to promote the preparation stage, as being as important as the oiling stage. When people decide to take the easy route, they run the significant risk of having an unwanted reaction. For an older deck that gets a lot of sun, it will go very dark when oiled with no preparation, almost black in colour. When asked to recommend a procedure, we always state to use Preschem’s Grey Deck Cleaner. This brilliant oxalic acid based product removes grey weathering with ease. But when do you need to do a Deck Restoration?Let’s xplore that in this post and watch the video.

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in FAQ / News and Updates / Timber Finishes  by Rohan Baker 2 comments

Flooded Home Timber Frame Repair.

Flooded home damage

One of the most heartbreaking things that can happen to a homeowner, is to be the victim of a flooding event. To see your home knee deep or worse in floodwater, is a horrible thing to endure. But people are resilient, so when the floodwaters subside, the cleanup and repairs begin.

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in FAQ / News and Updates / Timber Decay  by Rohan Baker 0 comments

Why Timber Changes Colour

Exposure to Weather | Sapstain Mould | Bluestain Mould | Iron Staining

Earlier this month (May 2016), Preschem was asked to give a presentation on why timber changes colour at the Victorian Woodworkers Association. This got us thinking that this topic would make a great general knowledge post. After all, this will assist with some of those decisions on what to do when building something out of wood.

Why does timber change colour?

  1. Exposure to weather, including UV and rain
  2. Staining due to natural or introduced causes
  3. Chemical changes within the wood resins, or “extractives”
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in FAQ / News and Updates / Timber Properties  by Rohan Baker 30 comments

Timber Properties and Decay

Timber Properties and Decay | Timber decay around homes

This article first appeared in the Professional Pest Manager Magazine June/July edition (Subscription only). Please note it was written with pest controllers in mind.

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Timber decay around homes and properties is generally poorly understood by the general public. Pest controllers will inevitably come across decay that has been miss-diagnosed by the property owner as termite or borer attack. Thankfully, due to the internet, this is less of an issue now than it used to be, but sometimes a little information (from the internet) is a potential recipe for disaster. There is also no doubt that during the inspection process for a potential insect or rodent infestation, that the pest controller will come across decay. There would be hardly a premises in Australia that doesn’t contain it in some shape or form.

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in FAQ / News and Updates / Timber Decay / Timber Properties  by Rohan Baker 1 comments

Preschem’s Commitment to Innovation

Commitment to Innovation | Product Research and Development

 

Preschem’s range of industrial power pole wood preservatives and DIY/Architectural finishes are mostly unique formulations. They are unique due to our commitment to innovation. To achieve this level of innovation and proven product reliability is not an easy undertaking. Behind the scenes, it takes a lot of hard work in terms of Research and Development. R&D can also be a lengthy process, as to prove the formulation works, it can take up to 10 years of field trials and analysis of those trials. In addition, all timber preservatives have to be registered under government legislation, so to get a new product up and over the line with a complete data pack is also very expensive. I have discussed the registration process in this previous post.

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in News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 0 comments

Best Decking Oil Results

Deck Preparation before Oiling | Weathering timber

Previously, I have discussed the problems that people commonly have when they apply Aussie Clear to Merbau decking. As I stated in that post, to achieve the best results, deck preparation before oiling is essential:

  • once the deck has been installed, allow 6-8 weeks for it to weather
  • weathering of decks allows the resins, tannins, waxes and natural pigments (all called extractives) to bleed out
  • the weathering process also starts to open up the timber fibres

All of the points above mean you will be able to apply more Aussie Clear to the timber. Your first application of decking oil will last much longer.

All this theory is very good, but where is the proof in the pudding?

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 8 comments

Preventing Balcony Collapse

Preventing Balcony Collapse | Balcony Maintenance

The Channel Nine Today Show reported that there had been 4 balcony collapses over last weekend, one of which resulted in the death of a man. Earlier in February this year (2014), there was another balcony collapse on the Central NSW coast which claimed the life of a baby that also put his mother into hospital with a suspected broken back. These tragedies are usually result of either poor workmanship or from timber decay.

How do you prevent balcony collapse?

  1. Regularly inspect the timber structure for signs of decay.
  2. If decay is present, determine if its superficial or more substantial.
  3. If superficial, apply a presevative system to kill and prevent further rot.
  4. If you are not sure how to diagnose the extent of the problem or it is substantial, call in a registered builder to repair or replace the weakened structural timbers.
  5. Make a diary note to inspect it again in 12 months time.
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in News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 0 comments

Registered vs Unregistered Pesticides

Registration of Pesticides | APVMA | AgVet Legislation

I receive a lot of technical enquiries from the public about how to control timber decay. Mostly, it’s from someone have needs to repair an issue they have or wish to prevent it from occurring. There is one thing that crops up occasionally which is a concern; they sometimes mention they’ve heard of, or been recommended a product by someone. When asked the products name, I’ve never heard of it. A quick check on the APVMA’s Pubcris database often shows that it’s not a registered product! All products that are designed to kill another living thing are classified as pesticides under the AgVet legislation. So why is the registration of pesticides so important?

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 0 comments

Aussie Clear – Decking oil for all hardwood timber

Decking Oil for all hardwood timber

AUSSIE CLEAR and AUSSIE CLEAR LIGHT are Preschem’s range of decking oil for all hardwood timber. The philosophy behind this is that most hardwood timbers available in Australia are very similar in their properties. Even if their natural appearance are different. Thus a simple range of timber finishes will fit the bill.

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Rohan Baker 9 comments
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