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Avoid treated boards with more than about 20 percent heartwood, especially if they’ll be in contact with the ground. The heartwood is the core of the tree. It usually doesn’t absorb the treatment chemicals as well as the outer layers of wood (sapwood) and is vulnerable to rot. When you use boards with a high percentage of heartwood, install them where they’ll readily dry out after rainfall. And be sure to treat cut ends.
Wear a dust mask, goggles and gloves when you cut treated wood. The chemicals in treated wood are toxic to insects and fungus and they’re toxic to you, too. While they won’t leach out of the wood, avoid breathing the sawdust and keep it out of your eyes. Don’t burn scraps, because the ash will contain a high concentration of the chemicals. Dispose of scraps in your ordinary garbage collection.
Soak freshly cut ends in a wood preservative (available at home centers and lumberyards for $10 to $15 per gallon). Cutting the ends often exposes areas that the treatment didn’t reach, especially in posts and timbers. Let them sit in the bucket for five minutes.
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