Untreated Landscape Timber

Applications

• While treated timbers will not rot, they contain chemicals that can seep into soil and make edible plants unsafe. You can use untreated timbers to build a raised garden or border for flowers and edible plants. Rot-resistant timbers are a good fit for a casual walkway, deck or fence post. Timbers are also simple to install at the base of a hill as a retaining wall. Always secure stacked timbers by driving rebar through the timbers at an angle, or brace them together with screws when laid end-to-end.

Benefits

• Untreated timbers are inexpensive, easy to install and safe, and they complement a vast array of landscape styles. When used as edging, timber effectively blocks encroachment and defines shape without taking attention away from the feature itself. Laid over a bed of gravel, timber borders are simple to remove if you decide to change the shape or size of the plant bed later on.

Considerations

• Rot and pests are the biggest threats to untreated timbers. Timbers exposed to moisture, heat and oxygen outdoors will eventually rot. Bolts and joints in timbers create vulnerable areas where water can easily seep through. Replacing rotted timbers is inconvenient and expensive. Dry, dense wood like silver pine and hard beech naturally block moisture and can last 15 to 25 years, while Ponderosa and Corsican pines last less than five years.

Maintenance

• Adding a stain or clear finish to untreated timbers improves their appearance by slowing fading and increases the years or service. Semiclear, penetrating stains reveal the grain of timbers while protecting the surface from water, but they wear away every few years. Clear film-forming varnishes make timbers easier to clean and protect them from UV rays. For color, use water-based exterior wood paint to increase durability.