Hawassa university

Institute of technology
Department of architecture

Restoration and presevation

Summary on major Timber deterioration causes
and preservation methods

Written by Naol Merid

Tech/0772/11
Submitted to Nuredin Mohhamad
Timber deterioration
Timber is the wood cut out of trees which is used for construction, timber was used for
millennia as construction material where it’s found in abundance. Timber was used because of
its good compressive and tensile strength in relative to other materials which are either too
heavy to use or are not durable for long term construction. Although timber is durable in
comparative to other materials found in nature other than stone, it still has limits on usage
because of deterioration.
Deterioration is the aging of materials over time because of different factors. An object
deteriorates when it’s constituents age, or due to exposure to climate, excessive usage and
inadequate maintenance. Timber deterioration happens mainly due to weathering, insects,
fungi and fire. Timber is susceptible to these wood is organic material.
Weathering is phenomenon that occurs when wood is exposed to wind, exposure to direct
sunlight for long time and rain. For example when its exposed to sunlight combined with the
oxygen they breaks down the cellulose and lignin into water soluble materials, which can be
drained because of rain water making the surface gray and denatured. When its exposed to rain
repeated cycle of wetting and drying change the surface and opens cracks which leads to fungal
attack. Timber used in external part of a building lose their natural colors and look grey because
of the above reasons.

Insect attack is another reason why timber deteriorates but is critical in hotter climates where
insects like termites prefer to live. Insects are dangerous to different types of wood and have
different types of attacks. Some bore the core for their larvae which destroy compressive
strength, some introduce a fungus with their larvae which bring greater damage even to living
trees by preventing growth. The larvae can further destroy the timber because it bores it way out
making tunnels. Beatle bore it and consume it directly while termites decompose it and build
their colony rendering the wood useless. Termites destroy the surface making it more like the
soil or the ground but sometimes they leave it for protection living in the center.
Fungal attack is caused by fungus as the name suggests, it’s the main cause of wood decay. It
happens when the wood is exposed to fungus which decompose it constituents for nutrients.
Fungus attack is classified into three wet rot, dry rot and mold activity.
Wet rot is an attack which requires moisture usually about 50 to 60 percent but it has to stay on
that condition for long time and is very common in timber building, timber foundation or piles
specifically is affected to wet when the construction is done on wet ground. Based on availability
of oxygen and moisture content different amount of weight loss occurs. The decay can be
identified by the surface turning to black, the timber feels spongy and soft when touched, when
portion of the decayed wood is dried out.
Dry rot occurs because of fungus like toadstools and mushrooms which only need about
20 to 30 percent moisture content. They create spores for reproduction. They digest
cellulose which is found in all plant cells, leaving the lignin which they can’t digest
making the woods color brown, sometimes this is called brown rot. They form strands
around the place where the attack occurred which can reach surrounding areas, which
helps bring water and necessary nutrients, acting as the root and may have 6mm in
diameter. Unlike wet rot despite the moisture content going lower than 20 percent they
can stay up to a year. Dry rot create deep cracks, a dull brown look on the surface,
change the smell of the wood, crumbling on the surface, loss of weight and mushroom
like bodies can be seen.
Molds and stains are another type of fungal attack which form over the surface of
timber, which cause a rise on porosity of wood to helps on letting water in to keep the
timber wet, making wet rot possible. They metabolize only the starch and sugar of the
plant cells. Finding the dots caused by molds indicate there is excessive moisture.
Fire is another cause for deterioration of timber since it is organic and combustible
unlike stone or concrete, but performs better compared to steels because it doesn’t
transfer like steel and in case of big or thick members when the surface is burned it acts
as barrier protecting the core from further burning and it is easier to predict the
structural failure in case of fire.

Preservation
Preservation of timber is protecting timber from moisture, fungi and insects by applying
different techniques. To protect it from insects and fungus insecticide and fungicide are
used poisoning the food or applying preservatives on the wood. The preservative used
on the timber must not be hazardous must adhere to standard set by authorities, the
must not disturb the visual appearance of the wood. There are different types of
preservatives for timber.

Oil type use coal tar Creosote oil or lignite tar Creosote oil which work alone or with
admixtures like coal tar petroleum oil, fuel oil etc.., For outdoor timbers. It is used for
treatment of marine timber / timber used in water. When used with its admixtures it
provides some protection against splitting and cracking. It is highly toxic and is non
corrosive making it good against termites but has bad smell and it hard to paint.

Organic solvent type preservatives are organic or inorganic salts dissolved in suitable
organic solvents. They are permanent preservatives, should be used lightly for ease of
usage of timber. They are flammable. Organic solvents like copper and zinc
naphthenates/ abietates, trichlorphenol, Chloropyrifos, gamma-bhc (lindane)… are
examples.

Water soluble types are used for multiple purposes for outdoor decks, fences,
playground equipment, structural framing etc. there are two types, water soluble type
(leachable) are salts which maybe organic or inorganic but are subject to leaching,
resulting the depletion of the preservative material. They generally odorless and don’t
present significant fire hazard. It is applied when the timber is dry. Some examples of
Water-soluble (Leachable) Type preservatives are Boric Acid and Borax,  Sodium
Fluoride, Sodium Pentachlorophenate (Na – PCP), Gamma – BHC (Water Dispersible
powder), chlorpyrifos, synthetic pyrethroids etc.
Water-Soluble type (fixed), the second type, usually made of various mixtures generally
having the soluble salt just like the above and fixative salt like sodium dichromate to fix
poisonous elements like arsenic, copper, boron etc. the fixative salt makes it hard for
water to reach the toxic salts. It takes long to dry up to three weeks after application.
Some example of Water-soluble (Fixed) Type preservatives is Copper-Chrome-Arsenic
Composition (CCA), Acid Cupric-Chromate Composition (ACC), Copper-Chrome-Boron
composition (CCB), Zinc-Meta-Arsenite, Borated Copper-Chrome-Arsenic Composition
(BCCA), Ammoniacal copper Arsenite (ACA) etc.

Providing the weathering is superficial, the original appearance of the timber can be
recovered by removing the denatured surface. Treatment is done when the timber is
already damaged and to stop the damage to expand.

Methods of timber preservations

 Brushing of Timber Preservatives. Brushings the simplest method of applying
preservatives. For well-seasoned timber, oil type preservatives are applied with good
quality brushes.
 Spraying of Timber Preservatives. Spraying is an effective technique than brushing.
In this case, preservative solution is sprayed on to the surface using spray gun.
 Preservative Injecting Under Pressure. The preservative is injected into the timber
under high pressure conditions. Generally, creosote oil is applied in this manner
which is already discussed above.
 Dipping and Stepping Method of Timber Preservation. Dipping is another type of
preserving in which, timber is dipped directly in the preservative solution.

Refernces
Deterioration Of Timber - Thermal Insulation - Northern Architecture
What is the Preservation of Timber? - Know More About it! (gharpedia.com)
Deterioration of Timber Foundation - Civil Engineering World (civil-engg-world.com)
Preservation of Timber - Methods and Materials for Timber Preservation (theconstructor.org)