FAQ

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 0 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

Cement Dust and Timber Video

Way back in May 2016, Preschem was asked to give a presentation to the Victorian Woodworkers Association. The topic was Why Timber Changes Colour, which we turned into a news article for the Preschem website. We decided to revisit this topic as we were recently contacted by Shane, who had developed an issue with Aussie Clear Light exterior timber oil on his new Silvertop Ash deck. He noticed that 2 weeks after he oiled and it rained and that the Aussie Clear Light had pretty much disappeared. What was alarming, was the timber had gone quite grey where the rain had fallen.

 

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in FAQ / News and Updates / Timber Properties  by Preschem 0 comments

Borer Treatment

Borer damage to timber is typically less significant when compared to termites. But if left untreated, they will eventually create similar damage. This article will hopefully help you understand how borer damage occurs and what Preschem products can be used successfully for borer treamtment.

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Preschem 0 comments

Videos by Drive Marine Services

Preschem has an old and very knowledgable retail customer who supplies Preschem products for timber boat maintenance. Dave and Scott at Drive Marine Services certainly know their way around timber boats, and have developed a number of specialised marine grade epoxy and acrylic products that perform brilliantly in this tough environment. Dave is also the star of a number of short but informative YouTube videos on the products he sells, including some showcasing Preschem Products.

And the interesting thing about these products for the marine market is that they’re mostly compatible with many of the Preschem timber preserviatives. Head over to the Drive Marine Services website for more details, or give them a call on 02 9533 5470.

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Preschem 0 comments

Beehive Timber Treatment

Beekeeping in Australia faces many challenges. Bees are particularly susceptible to insecticides and other chemicals used commonly in agriculture. So finding the right beehive timber treatment that is safe for your bees and honey is critical.

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Preschem 3 comments

How tall is a Power Pole?

Preschem has been receiving a few questions via email asking, “How tall is a Power Pole?” It’s an interesting question. The answer is based on many variables, so has no one specific answer. Lets explain and get to the bottom of this.

Firstly, we are only going to talk about timber poles. This discussion is not about concrete or steel/concrete “Stobie” poles used in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

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in FAQ / News and Updates  by Preschem 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

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
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