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.
Breaking News: TWA Woodcare Range is now available through Preschem
For retail stores and the general public, please contact us now toll-free on 1800-641-711 for further information.
The RLA Group has recently anounced that the will stop the distribution of the TWA Woodcare range of timber finishes and preservatives. However, this entire range is now to be manufactured and distributed exclusively through Preschem to retail hardware and paint stores and customers Australia wide. This now makes Preschem Australia’s premiere timber preservative specialists. No one else has such a comprehensive range of timber preservatives. With Preschem, you are guaranteed to have all bases covered.
In addition, Preschem are the timber preservation specialists. We are backed by nearly 30 years of cutting edge remedial timber preservative products. These have been developed through extensive research on 4 continents. Preschem back our products with expert knowledge, on call, free of charge.
Our long term plans are to rebrand the TWA Woodcare products under the Preschem label and to rationalise the range where there is an existing Preschem equivalent. However as of this date forward, the entire TWA Woodcare range is available for sale. This includes:
- Water Repellant decking finish in 2lt, 4lt and 10lt cans
- Woodtreat LTF general use timber preservative in 2lt, 4lt cans and 20lt drums
- Woodbrite timber cleaner in 450g jars
- In Ground Paste timber preservative in 350g cartridge, 3.8kg and 18kg drums
- Heavy Oil Preservative in 2lt, 4lt cans and 20lt drums
- Clear Wood Preserver in 2lt, 4lt cans and 20lt drums
- No Rot Gel Catridge timber preservative in 350g Cartridge
Sooner than you think, the warm weather of spring and summer will return. Everyone will be looking forward to entertaining on, or simply enjoying their timber deck. So that means it’s time to start planning the deck preparation as part of its maintenance. After all we all want our decks liking like it did when it was first installed all those years ago.
But before you start oiling you have to prepare the deck to get a great result. This means removing the dirt, grime and the UV weathering that has built up. The best means to do that is to use Preschem’s Grey Deck Cleaner. This is a mild oxalic acid based cleaner that restores your deck to the “as new” colour. This doesn’t take long and you’ll need an hour or so. And I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I did my deck at home last year, it had been 2 years since I last done it. So I’m going to take you through this process step by step, with photos along the way.
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?
- Exposure to weather, including UV and rain
- Staining due to natural or introduced causes
- Chemical changes within the wood resins, or “extractives”
The following article was published by the Professional Pest Manager magazine in their August-September 2014 edition. It was the followup article/conclusion to the June-July 2014 edition.
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The prevention of wood rot falls into 2 categories, moisture barriers and timber preservatives. Moisture barriers can be any membrane like material that physically limits or stops moisture ingress. The most common forms of barriers are surface coatings such as paints, varnishes or specialised synthetic membranes. While these are usually brilliant in preventing moisture uptake, they do have a potential downside. If they begin to fail, the moisture can become trapped behind the barrier.
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.
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.
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?
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?
- Regularly inspect the timber structure for signs of decay.
- If decay is present, determine if its superficial or more substantial.
- If superficial, apply a presevative system to kill and prevent further rot.
- 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.
- Make a diary note to inspect it again in 12 months time.
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?
