Are Tanalised Gates Required?
To tanalise wooden gates a timber processor impregnates the wooden products under pressure with toxic substances which soak deep into the fibre of the timber. This process provides a long lasting barrier against insect attack and the various attributes of the weather which results in tanalised wood lasting in outside environment in excess of 30 years. Therefore products using this process such as tanalised gates and posts for driveway gates for instance would can be considered a good choice for such installations.
Alternatively, there are other methods of treating timber for long lasting applications outside. The green tint is not the desirable finish in many cases and high quality wood stains tend not to stick as well as they are designed to when being applied over the top of tanalised timber. Tanalised timber is asily noticeable from distributors of timber products for its green tint in colour, it can be of a rough sawn finish, however you can find gate manufacturers who do supply smooth finished tanalised gates to hang in driveways or be used as attractive wooden garden gates.
After some time the pale green coloration does subside and become a more suitable honey brown but die to the the treatment process still doesnt react too well with other color coatings. There are other methods of treating timber suitable for outside use and even large construction where the timbers preservative value can last an initial 60 years. There’s a water based version too which is in wide use in construction uses close to agriculture. Farm gates often have a copper azole formula pressure treatment as an alternative to the arsenic type tanalising process which provides an excellent protection barrier fromcauses of decay to ensure long life.
Care should be taken if you do use tanalised wood products as you should avoid burning such products as it releases the toxic substance of aresnic into the local area of the burning.
