Pressure Treated Wood Basements vs. Concrete Basements

Pressure Treatments

• All wood foundations are made from pressure treated woods. This process forces chemical preservatives into the wood, making it stronger and lengthening its life. Many different options are available for pressure treating, and these include alkaline copper, chromated copper arsenate and sodium borates. Some zinc compounds are also used, especially since the arsenates are slowly being discontinued because they inject arsenic into the soil. These are just a few.

Softwoods

• Softer woods such as pine are sought out for pressure treating. Oak, a very hard wood, does not absorb the copper and other compounds they are exposed to very well. This allows builders to use trees that are plentiful, since softer woods are not traditionally used in building. Since maples and oaks used for building are becoming scarcer and more expensive, pressure treating woods that are in greater supply is a way to efficiently use national wood resources.

Concrete Benefits

• Concrete is the most common kind of basement. Its basic styles are either concrete block held together by iron rods and mortar or poured concrete, creating a unified and strong basement structure. Pressure treated woods last a long time, but concrete can last far longer, easily as long as the life of the house. In harsh or acidic soils or environments, wood is somewhat weaker, and far less moisture absorbent than concrete. As of 2011, newer forms of concrete block, including large plastic blocks filled with concrete and put together much like Lego pieces, are being used.

Wood Worries

• The Ecology Center reports that pressure treated wood is poisonous to the environment. Different kinds of copper compounds and zinc are easily leached into the surrounding soil and groundwater. While the older but common arsenic compounds are the most dangerous, many other types of copper and zinc compounds are also problematic. Both are metals that can poison the land, water and the local landmasses over time. They also claim, on the bright side, that recent developments in pressure treating, especially the development of alkaline copper quaternary, is an excellent alternative that does not poison the environment.

The Foam-Concrete Alternative

• The concrete industry has developed new technologies that can match the benefits of wood. One of these is foam concrete. This is a combination of foam and concrete paste. The foam acts as a sealer, making the concrete foundation almost like a powerful liquid. This is more durable and better insulating material than either wood or the older concrete models. The foam concrete can be a little pricey, but one of its manufacturers, Foam Concrete Ltd. in Britain, claims that it lasts practically forever and is totally water, mold, fungi and insect proof. At the same time, this compound will not leach into the soil, therefore alleviating the concerns about wood treatments.