Summary
• Field testing is not mandatory under BS 8417.
• Arch undertakes field testing in addition to laboratory testing.
• Only timber treated with Arch Timber Protection‘s Tanalith E can carry the Tanalised logo.
Much has happened in the timber treatment market during 2008, but there’s one constant that never seems to change – when it comes to timber preservation, durability is both the key selling point and customer demand.
Janet Brown, marketing manager for Arch Timber Protection, is well aware of the intensifying demands by treatment customers and specifiers alike, for treated timber that offers a high level of durability.
“Our business is all about expanding markets for timber,” said Ms Brown. “We want to ensure that
timber continues to be the preferred choice over alternative materials. The means to achieving this can be summarised in one word – confidence.”
Given the requirements placed on treated timber, particularly in the current economic climate, she says it is interesting to note that BS 8417, which governs preservative treatments for timber, acknowledges the validity of field trials, but does not consider them mandatory.
“Preservative manufacturers need only supply laboratory-generated data to comply with the standard, which is not necessarily representative of the hazards experienced in actual timber exposure situations,” said Ms Brown.
Arch’s philosophy is to go above and beyond this. “Our products must therefore demonstrate their credibility in a field test, in addition to the laboratory tests that are undertaken. It is these performance values that ultimately drive the Tanalised brand,” explained Ms Brown.
For example, only timber treated with Arch Timber Protection’s Tanalith E wood preservative may carry the Tanalised diamond.
“Behind the brand also lies experience in all aspects of the product’s performance,” said Ms Brown. “From the specific treatment of a range of timber species, through specialist additive products, to the potential for corrosion with treatment vessels and metal fixings, Tanalith E has been extensively tested to ensure optimum performance across the board.”
Having previously worked in Arch’s Technical Centre as a biologist, Ms Brown understands the need to fully test a wood preservative under a wide variety of conditions, and why Arch tests treated timber in many sites throughout the world.
“Increasingly, attention is being paid to the field test data which supports any claims on performance and service life, and justifiably so,” she said. “It takes a long time to conduct a full testing programme, and there can be no shortcuts. You can’t introduce a new product or any ‘new technology’ without comprehensive testing, which is undertaken over a considerable period of time.
“We believe that our customers are utilising both the most advanced and appropriate preservative product for their markets, which is specifically geared towards the treatment of their key timber species. It is more apparent than ever that, although field data may not be mandatory in terms of UK standards, it is increasingly demanded by the stakeholders in timber treatment.”
