When starting any home improvement project the quality of the building materials should always be taken into account. A deck purchase should be no different. 

That’s why at Advantage Trim & Lumber Co. we offer only the BEST decking options that are available on the market today. All four of our exotic decking lines are 100% totally free from added chemicals and preservatives. You may be asking yourself how this affects you, the end-consumer that will be installing the decking on his/her home. 

First off lets take a look at how pressure treated lumber is made. Pressure treatment is a process that forces chemical preservatives into the wood. Wood is placed inside a closed cylinder, then vacuum and pressure is applied to force the preservatives into the wood. The preservatives help protect the wood from attack by termites, other insects, and fungal decay.  So, what sort of chemical preservatives are found in pressure treated lumber???

Pressure Treated vs Ipe
Pressure Treated Decking	Ipe Decking
Not only are the chemicals found in pressure treated a health concern the lumber itself is far inferior to any of the hardwoods that Advantage Trim & Lumber Co. offers. Above is an example of a pressure treated deck and an Ipe deck that have been weathered over time. You can see that the Ipe decking stands up to the elements much better than the pressure treated decking. Besides the Ipe turning to a sliver/grey color the Ipe looks the same as the day it ways installed. To make this comparison even MORE drastic... The Ipe deck is from the Miami Beach boardwalk, which is a commercial application. Typically, commercial applications should show much more wear than residential applications. The exact opposite is shown here because of the superior NATURAL qualities found in Ipe decking.

Here’s a list of the different types of chemicals found in pressure treated lumber that are on the market today:

Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) - This was the only option of pressure treated lumber prior to 2003.  The lumber treated with this chemical combination helped preserve it for a decent amount of time, but this chemical combo proved to be an extremely toxic chemical mix. The main reason for the toxicity of this lumber is that Arsenic is one of the main chemical preservatives.  That’s right ARSENIC… that’s the same arsenic found in RAT POSION. It sounds incredible, but a single 12 foot 2 x 6 contains about 27 grams of Arsenic - enough arsenic to kill more than 200 adults. Now ask yourself if you want your friends, family, and pets walking on wood saturated with arsenic??? In 2003 the industry agreed to voluntarily eliminate use of CCA for residential use, but it is still in use for certain marine and industrial applications.

Amine Copper Quat (ACQ) and Copper Azone (CA) – Since 2003 these two chemical combinations have been the two most popular choices for pressure treated lumber deemed for residential use. Not much at all is known of the health risks of these chemicals. On paper these chemicals sound better than ARSENIC but at this point in time whether these new chemicals will turn out to be less hazardous than CCA in the long term is anyone's guess.

This is an example of a waning typically found on new pressure treated lumber:

.015 pcf Micronized Copper Quaternary
Important Information: Some preservative may migrate from treated wood into soil/water or may dislodge from the wood upon contact with skin. Wash exposed areas after working with product. Do not use as mulch. See website for additional health warnings for pressure treated wood.

The companies that produce pressure treated lumber actual tell you to “Wash exposed areas after working with product.”  So why would this be any different once the product is installed on your deck? So when anyone walks barefoot on your deck be prepared to wash all exposed skin that comes into contact with your pressure treated deck. This sounds like an extremely big hassle and this practice is hardly ever performed in the real world. 

Special concerns:
• The sawdust from PT pressure-treated wood is an irritant to the nose, eyes, and skin. Use of a dust mask and eye protection is highly recommended. Avoid contact with the skin as much as possible. Wash hands before eating. Wash clothes after use.
• Try to collect as much of the sawdust as possible for disposal. Do your cutting in one specified location, and lay a heavy disposable plastic tarp under the sawing area. Use of a tarp is especially valuable if you must cut in an area that you cannot easily sweep, such as a lawn. Do not allow dust to get into the soil where children may play, etc.
• Pressure-treated wood should not be burned under any circumstances. The fumes can be toxic and the ash is very toxic.
• Do not use pressure-treated wood for making cutting boards, or for any food preparation surface. Picnic tables made of pressure-treated wood are fine to use for the purpose they were intended... to serve food on (or play cards on), not to prepare food on! But can you count on this?
• Pressure-treated wood is intended for outdoor use and a few situations (such as sill plates) in home construction.

Now with ALL of these warnings that come with pressure treated decking… do you really want this material installed on a deck that will come in contact with so many of your loved ones??????????

Our high quality alternatives to pressure-treated decking...