Working with Construction Contractors

If you have recently purchased waterfront property, you may want to add a dock, pier or other marine construction. This means choosing materials and blueprints for the design you want. One of the options you will find is the ability to use treated lumber. If you have not considered this as an option, here are some key points to understand about treated lumber and what it can do for your marine project on your waterfront property.

Treated versus Marine

One of the first things you will notice when you begin discussing treated lumber is the differences between treated lumber and marine lumber. Marine lumber tends to be made from Douglas Fir or Western larch and is covered in a special glue. The glue seals the lumber, which is usually plywood made from the lumber and allows it to remain waterproof. The treated lumber can be made from various types of lumber and is treated, sealed, and covered in protective sealants that keep it waterproof. Most of the waterfront docks and piers you see in residential designs are from treated rather than marine. 

Purpose and Use

You need to consider how you want to use the treated lumber in your design plan. For example, you may want to use the treated lumber as a deck leading to a metal dock or launch ramp. You may also want to use the treated lumber as a border for a retaining wall. You may also want to use the treated timber for a floating dock. The purpose and use of the timber will matter and will affect how the timber is treated and how your marine contractors will fit the timber into place or if an alternative will be necessary.

Maintenance

An area of concern for many waterfront property owners is the maintenance and upkeep of using timber instead of vinyl or a steel option. There is concern about how often it would need to be treated, the cost of treating the portions of the lumber that are underwater the majority of the time, and the cost to have the lumber replaced if it is damaged. These are questions you will need to discuss with the marine contractor to determine if the long-term choice of treated lumber is right for your needs. 

These are just a few of the key points to know about using treated lumber for marine projects in your waterfront property project. If you think that treated lumber would be ideal for you, or if you want to hear about alternatives, contact your marine contractor. They can help you with options, questions, and pricing. They can also help with upgrades you may want to consider that are discovered during the consultation.