Creosote fence paint

horsebox7 · 16-05-2021 3:42pm #1

Hi

I have a trellis facing south and am wondering if using cerosote would be good? It is smooth finish pressure treated wood.

Thanks

Lumen · 16-05-2021 4:24pm

Creosote is banned now, so no.

You don't need to treat a pressure treated trellis cos it's already been pressure treated.

septictank · 16-05-2021 4:30pm

Noticed it back on sale in B&Q last week.

https://www.diy.com/search?term=Creosote

???

Lumen · 16-05-2021 4:33pm

septictank wrote: »

Noticed it back on sale in B&Q last week.

https://www.diy.com/search?term=Creosote

???

That's "Creocote" not creosote. Completely different but deliberately confusing.

septictank · 16-05-2021 4:51pm

Lumen wrote: »

That's "Croecote" not creosote. Completely different but deliberately confusing.

Would never have spotted that lol.

horsebox7, I have treated trellis up 17 years this Summer, slightly worse for wear in places but still does the job. (Unpainted)

Gorgeousgeorge · 16-05-2021 5:00pm

You can buy the real deal in pdm at the back of kill

tDw6u1bj · 17-05-2021 2:38pm

Gorgeousgeorge wrote: »

You can buy the real deal in pdm at the back of kill

Yeah, it's a very widely flouted rule I'm afraid.

There's very, very limited exceptions for things like marine pilings, but a lot of companies seem to have decided that it's allowed for all commercial/agri use and just ignore the rules completely.

horsebox7 · 17-05-2021 2:50pm

Thanks. So, should l use creosote or just leave the pressure treated trellis unpainted?

tDw6u1bj · 17-05-2021 3:57pm

horsebox7 wrote: »

Thanks. So, should l use creosote or just leave the pressure treated trellis unpainted?

I would just leave as is. Regular pressure treatment is good enough for the task and I wouldn't be keen on having creosoted stuff in my garden anyway.

Trellises aren't sitting in the ground like fence posts so don't rot nearly as quickly. They'll go greyish in time and maybe pick up the odd spot of algae, but until recently I had a 20 year old pressure treated trellis that looked fine.

horsebox7 · 17-05-2021 11:08pm

Is the a problem with creosote for preserving garden furniture and trellis etc?

tDw6u1bj · 17-05-2021 11:38pm

horsebox7 wrote: »

Is the a problem with creosote for preserving garden furniture and trellis etc?

Depends what you mean by problem:

If you mean permitted? It's banned for just about every use you can think of.

If you mean is it a good idea regardless of health/environmental effects?
No, it's generally kind of manky stuff and you wouldn't want it near you.
I doubt it was ever used for furniture/trellis even back when it was permitted. It was mostly used for stuff like fences/sheds/telegraph poles/railway sleepers where wood was stuck into wet ground and people wouldn't use it.

Pressure treated is plenty good enough for a trellis.

Phil.x · 18-05-2021 10:24am

That stuff is manky, the smell is rotten and it's highly toxic to everything, avoid it.

horsebox7 · 18-05-2021 12:58pm

Is creocote better to use than creosote?

Dempo1 · 18-05-2021 1:03pm

horsebox7 wrote: »

Hi

I have a trellis facing south and am wondering if using cerosote would be good? It is smooth finish pressure treated wood.

Thanks

There's a less toxic product similar to creosote readily available called Creocote and brilliant stuff, €9.99 for 4 litres, easy to apply. Available at Country Life(Glabia or more expensive at Woodies.

Your timbers are pressure treated and whilst a coat of Creocote not necessary, it does offer excellent protection and water proofing.

Lumen · 18-05-2021 1:08pm

horsebox7 wrote: »

Is creocote better to use than creosote?

Yes, because it's not illegal.

tDw6u1bj · 18-05-2021 1:16pm

horsebox7 wrote: »

Is creocote better to use than creosote?

Creocote is better in that it's legal and less harmful, creosote doesn't even belong in the conversation.

Creocote is suitable for stuff like out of the way fencing.

It's still nasty enough stuff and should never used on anything like furniture where it could get on peoples skin/clothes.

It's best not to use it for stuff like trellis/raised beds as it can leech into the soil and damage plants.

From a website selling it:
"Please Note: This product is not suitable for use on decking or exterior wooden furniture."

IMO: you're trying to solve a problem that you don't have. Your timber is already suitably protected from the elements for the job.

peasant · 18-05-2021 9:17pm

tDw6u1bj wrote: »

From a website selling it:
"Please Note: This product is not suitable for use on decking or exterior wooden furniture."

I used Creozote to treat the base timbers of my shed three years ago.
After all this time, if you touch it, you still get coloured and smelly fingers.

It really wouldn't work on garden furniture and / or a trellis

septictank · 19-05-2021 5:16pm

It's a carcinogenic, so banned.

But I love the smell in the summer, makes the old woodwork smell like new.

Some lads are using black oil and Diesel mixed for painting sleepers planted deep in the ground, stops rot.

Lumen · 19-05-2021 5:39pm

septictank wrote: »

Some lads are using black oil and Diesel mixed for painting sleepers planted deep in the ground, stops rot.

Would bituminous paint not be better for that?

septictank · 20-05-2021 12:18am

Never used it other than for repair work on felt roofs.

Friend has a huge back garden area which he broke up with cut sleepers, nose down, a foot into concrete, banded and screwed together. Different shapes and heights bolding in banks of soil.
Spent a few weekends painting them with old black oil from his local garage thinned with red diesel, looked great and very little smell after a few weeks.

The garage gave him about half a barrel of old oil, and he got diesel as required.
The oil was from a car/van garage not trucks so the oil wasn't mucky, about 50/50 mix, goes on a lot quicker if more diesel but you know your cheating.

Lumen · 20-05-2021 5:33am

septictank wrote: »

Never used it other than for repair work on felt roofs.

Friend has a huge back garden area which he broke up with cut sleepers, nose down, a foot into concrete, banded and screwed together. Different shapes and heights bolding in banks of soil.
Spent a few weekends painting them with old black oil from his local garage thinned with red diesel, looked great and very little smell after a few weeks.

The garage gave him about half a barrel of old oil, and he got diesel as required.
The oil was from a car/van garage not trucks so the oil wasn't mucky, about 50/50 mix, goes on a lot quicker if more diesel but you know your cheating.

There are several problems with using diesel. Apart from being probably illegal due to pollution risk, it's biodegradable, as are all refined petroleum products. I know this mainly because I bioremediated a small oil spill in my garden and read some research papers about it, but a quick Google will confirm.

Most wood protection involves biocides, which are bound to the wood and prevent biological attack. Using something which is food to microbes to protect your wood is not going to provide long term protection.

I'm therefore putting using old diesel into the category of old husband's tale.

Creosote fence paint

Comments