Wood is a natural product and the rotting of wood is a biochemical process which leads to a reduction in wood mass and volume. Wood also changes colour as its mechanical features weaken, resulting in gradual wood deterioration. This process can be stopped when a healthy tree is cut down and turned into building timber. That's why timber as a building material needs to be protected from the weather elements to prevent your residnetial log cabin from deteriorating. Here are 9 reasons why it is necessary to treat the wood with wood antiseptics.
1 Wood Antiseptics Prevent the Wood from Rotting
Wood is a material of biological origin, and is used for multiple purposes such as fuel, building material, as a raw material, and food for certain microorganisms. That's why the requirements for wood are different, there are requirements for wood used to manufacture furniture or paper for instance, and there are different requirements for wood used as a building material. When it comes to wood used as a building material, it is essential to treat it with wood preserver or to impregnate it with wood antiseptics. If the manufacture instructions are followed, wooden house treated with antiseptics is much more sustainable and serves for many more years.
2 Protects from Insects
Untreated wooden house is a favourite food for many insects. Many insects' activities lead to the irreversible destruction of timber constructions and also later the insects will move to furniture and neighbours' houses placed in the vicinity. While if wood is impregnated with wood antiseptics, it is not likely to be eaten by insects as it simply doesn’t taste nice for them.
3 Avoids Allergies
Mould can easily breed in wood exposed to too much moisture. Mould does not affect the wood’s mechanical resistance, however, in the places where mould appears soon fungi start to breed which ultimately destroys the wood. Moreover, mould spreads its spores into the air which is harmful for people’s health. A person who breathes in air infected by mould spores often becomes allergic and more susceptible to other viruses and infections. It is very important not to remove mould via dry cleaning as the spores will only spread more in the air this way. Special chemical substances are available for this.
4 Prevents Fungi from Growing
There is a wide range of wood fungi and all of them destroy the wood cellulose which leads to the weakening of the mechanical features of the wood. Due to this, the wood starts to crack and becomes warped.
5 Less Care Required
Before purchasing a log house, wooden garage or any other timber structure it is a good idea to check if the wood has been treated with preservatives. Treatment with wood antiseptics ensures that awooden house will serve you for a long time and will look aesthetically attractive over that period; it also means that you won't need to spend a lot to keep it in a good condition.
6 The Cabin Will Be Warm
Wood that has been destroyed by different microorganisms loses its thermal insulation properties. To avoid paying more for heating, it is wise to impregnate the wood with wood antiseptics.
7 Does Not Allow the Wood to Move
In wood that is affected by UV rays, moisture and temperature fluctuation, a process of lignin split takes place. Lignin, which makes up one third of wood, when affected by water produces melting substances which are washed away by rain water. As a result, wood starts to roughen and can expand or contract depending on the conditions and this also leads to a change in colour to grey. Because of this the wood cracks easily, more moisture gets into the cracks which provides a favourable environment for different microorganisms to breed and spread which eventually leads to wood deterioration.
8 Ecological Awareness
Wood impregnated by wood antiseptics serves for a much longer time, that's why it reduces the necessity to replace an old log house with a new one; hence fewer trees are cut down.
9 It Saves You Money
A residential log cabin constructed from wood treated with wood preservatives needs to be renovated and repaired much less frequently compared to an untreated cabin. For example, if the wood hasn't been treated, after a couple of years of using the cabin the first mould and fungi start to protrude through the floor boards. This means the process of wood deterioration has already begun which inevitably leads to further wood destruction processes. In order to avoid this as much as possible, it is recommended to treat wood with wood antiseptics.
