Recent ‘mystery shopper’ research sponsored by the Wood Protection Association (WPA) confirms that understanding amongst front line merchant sales staff and users of preservative treated wood is very poor indeed. When asked if there was a specific treatment specification for timber in ground contact, over 90% of people surveyed said they didn’t know. When asked if they understood what ‘Use Class 4’ means, 72% said they didn’t know.

Last year the WPA and the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) agreed to work in partnership on all wood protection matters. As part of this collaboration, both associations are now focused on one clear priority – to promote the accurate and unambiguous specification and description of treated wood products throughout the UK supply chain.

Member feedback from the TTF and WPA suggests that meaningless generic expressions such as ‘pressure treated’ and ‘green treated’ are still prevalent. The inaccurate or vague description of preservative treated products inevitably increases the chance of failure in service and subsequent customer complaints, particularly for outdoor applications. This will eventually damage the reputation of timber as a reliable and versatile building material, so undermining the opportunities to build confidence and grow the demand for treated wood. Consumer and contract law require that any product offered for sale must be fit for its intended use and a wood product impregnated with preservative is no exception.

There is no quick fix to this problem. Staff turnover at merchant outlets and the sheer range of products now handled by many of them makes consistently enhancing product knowledge on one particular material a challenge. WPA believes the answer is to keep the message as simple as possible, communicate it through the right channels and keep repeating it until it becomes standard practice for both buyers and sellers.

This will take time and persistence! To that end, the partnership between the TTF and WPA, further supported by the Timber Decking & Cladding Association (TDCA), is vital in order to ensure consistent messaging and maximise the audience impacted.

It’s a mistake to assume that all pressure treated wood is the same. Whilst one piece of treated wood may look very much like any other, the level of preservative protection could be very different. That’s because the British Standard for wood preservation, BS 8417, requires that the loading and penetration of preservative impregnated into the wood is tailored to the desired end use.

Applications for treated wood are therefore grouped into ‘Use Classes’.

The challenge is how best to simplify this message whilst not losing technical accuracy. Therefore, starting this summer, all three associations are working together on a two-fold approach, depending on the target market:

  • For the fencing, garden and landscaping sector, the focus is on promoting the use of the term ‘Use Class 4’ for treated wood used in contact with or close to the ground, using the medium of the WPA’s ‘Make Sure it’s 4’ logo and communications package.
  • For the broader timber supply chain, the focus also includes differentiating between interior and exterior applications for treated wood – using a bold, colour coded ‘Use Class 2, 3 or 4?’ message and simplified product descriptions.

To accompany this extended campaign, the communications package will include developing more punchy visuals, editorial in key trade press plus associated advertising (tailored to sector), social media activity, training/webinars and a review of websites and guidance to ensure consistency throughout the wide range of resources available from the WPA, TTF and TDCA.

Consideration is also being given to point-of-sale posters and pocket cards, which members and their customers can use to reinforce the message further.

In addition, for those who need further guidance on what the most critical Use Classes mean in practice, the WPA and TTF have developed three new A4 Guidance Notes on Understanding Use Class 2,3 & 4 preservative treated wood.

These include a simple explanation of what national standards require for each application, what species are most suitable, what preservative penetration to expect in different treated commodities and the necessary quality control criteria. For those treatment companies who may need to delve even deeper, the WPA Technical Manual and website www.thewpa.org.uk contain all you need to know.

Any of the visuals and logos which accompany the Make Sure it’s 4 or Use Class 2, 3 or 4? aspects of this campaign are readily available, free of charge for all WPA, TTF or TDCA members to use in their own promotional and educational resources. To access them, simply get in touch via contact@thewpa.org.uk.

For further information or guidance please download the new Guidance Notes on Use Classes 2, 3 & 4 and the WPA/TTF Buyers Guide to Treated Wood from the resources page of the WPA website via www.thewpa. org.uk or give us a call. We’re all in this together!