The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-06-02
DeCaylng Woodwork One Of
HoTneoWner's Big Expenses.
ADVISE WOOD PRESERVING
When Properly Treated Even Poor.
est Wood Will Resist Ravaue0
Of Time and Weather.
81 HENRY WESTON

uOn 20 his own needs. Inc great
est waste Of timber Is caused by
decay and insects. This can be
materially reduced or entirely elm
mated by preservative treatment.
Increasing lumber prices during
the past decade are directly due to
the action Of the law Of supply and
demand, In which the greatest In
liuence Is undoubtedly the grad
ual depletion Of the timber re-
sources Of the nation and. the shift
Ing OF the source Of supply to the
extreme northwest section OF the
country. Until the annual crop Of
timber more nearly equals the pres
ent rate Of consumption, without
necessitating drawing upon the linn
tied reserve, the only solution 10
the utmost economy in utilization
and the practice by the individual
lumber consumer Of timber preSer-
walton, to the end that the waste
fulness Of decay may be materially
reduced.
Wood preservation Is the most
direct means OF timber conServas
ton. Its effectiveness in this
sense Is brought home by the fact
that universally practiced It would
save approximately % per cent Of
the yearly consumption Of some
forty or fifty billion feet Of tim
Der, merely by lengthening the use
ful life of such structural wood as
is exposed to destruction by de-
cay and insects. In addition, there
would accrue q vast saving In dol
lars and cents now uselessly spent
for repairs and requirements in
volving costly material and labor.
Treated Lumber Easily Had.
Lumber is preserved against
three destructive influences by
chemical treatment. To the aver
age builder this may well sound
40 something entirely beyond his
reach, but the same benefits which
such large consumers az the rail-.
roads enjoy are available to thou
sands Of prospective home build
ers In many sections Of the coun-
try. As the demand for miscel-
laneouS treated building lumber
increases. the present, admittedly
limited, facilities will be expand
ed, so that within the present. gem
Grafton each individual consumer
In the United States may go to his
lumber dealer and purchase prop
erly treated lumber with the same
convenience with which he now Sc
cures 80 many feet Of 2x4 and COM
mon boards.
The wOod-preserving industry 70
q long-established one. In 1921
Apr ,ximately two and one-half bill
lion feet Of timber were treated in
122 plants, and although the larger
portion of this volume was used
BY the railroads, there is no in
eurm0untable obstacle which would
prevent the builder Of the smallest
cottage from obtaining the few
sticks Of treated timber he may
need If he will but demand It Of
his architect, contractor, or lum-
Der dealer. As the consumer Ia
unQuestionably the greatest bene-
dciary from the employment Of
treated timber, 1t behooves him to
make the necessary effort to secure
It, although he has many agencies
at his command that would gladly
be Of assistance.
What Does the Dama0e7
Where should treated timber be
used In the average dwelling1 That
depends great deal upon the type
OF house. location, and type Of wood
used. In the South, for instance,
south Of the Ohio river, destruc-
ton Of foundation timbers, ETC., by
white ants (termites) IL even more
serious in some sections than that
caused by decay; and in sections Of
the country which are quite humid,
sills, ETC., fail IN a few years
through decay, but In practically
all parts Of the United States
preservative treatment IL advisable
Tor some portions Of every build
Ing. The economical solution lies
not In endeavoring to eliminate
wood as a structural material by
the substitution Of some other so
called permanent material, but IN
making the lumber serve the full
period Of usefulness by rendering
It resistant to the quite natural de-
teriorating influences.
Foremost Is the necessity Of pro-
eecting the stills, stringers, ETC., Of
outside stairs, porches, then the
house sills, and, In some instances,
the ground-floor stringers or joists.
Foundation posts should always be
treated. Sills and wood flooring
Of garages and other subsidiary
buildings would last the life of the
structure II protected against de-
cay. In addition, practically all
lumber used about the grounds,
such az posts, fencing, and, In the
case Of suburban homes, lumber
used In animal shelters and chicken
coops, should be treated.
Offers Great Returns.
In the individual case the guam
tity Of treated lumber required may
be comparatively small, but over q
period of ten or twenty years the
home owner viii flnd that the profit
from investment in properly treat
cd lumber viii be very consider
able. It will not be necessary after
the home has been completed q few
years to have the carpenter each
spring replace this board, that sill,
or some post. The saving In tim.
Der to the nation, as a whole, how
ever. would be enormous.
Use Of lower grades Of lumber n