Fire Retardant Treated Wood (FRTW) and Preservatives

Innovation is important for the development of new products, systems, and technologies to provide solutions that are more effective, or easier, faster, safer to use, and are better for the environment.

When I ask customers shopping for treated lumber, do they know what preservatives are in the wood, I rarely get a correct answer. Today, people assume all treated wood is the same, but some people are a bit more conscientious about what is in the wood. Or they knew what was in it 20 years ago. Well, things do change and for good reason.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the chemical preservatives used to treat wood. Their mission and mandate are to protect human health and the environment, which includes reducing environmental and health risks using the best available scientific data.

Viance's purpose is to develop products that improve the performance and durability of wood using the safest and most environmentally friendly technologies available. Below is our history of innovation and the difference these preservatives offer in providing safer, more effective, easier to use preservatives that are better for our environment.

Treated wood with color has transformed the Canadian market in the past decade, saving time and money for hundreds of thousands of outdoor projects in the most severe weather conditions.

Treated wood with color saves time and money with no need to initially stain and continues to grow in popularity across North America.

Handling Requirements for D-Blaze® FRTW and Plywood

1. D-Blaze® FRTW must be kept dry during transit and on the jobsite by covering the top of the bundle, storing the material under shelter, elevating the bundle from ground contact, and allowing for air circulation around the wood.

2. Roof sheathing should be covered as soon as practical after installation. If D-Blaze FRTW becomes wet during construction, allow to dry before enclosure or covering with roofing material to pre-installation requirements: 19 percent maximum moisture content for lumber and 15 percent for plywood.

3. When installing D-Blaze FRT lumber and plywood, it is important to utilize the design value adjustments in our technical guide.

4. D-Blaze® plywood should be spaced and fastened as recommended in “APA Engineered Wood Construction Guide" (Form E30), published by APA, The Engineered Wood Association.

5. Cutting to length, drilling, and diagonal cuts (cross-cutting and end cuts) as well as light sanding are permitted. Exposed areas are not required to be field coated.

6. Holes and joints such as tongue and groove, bevel, scarf and lap are also allowed.

7. Ripping dimensional lumber is not allowed. Ripping of lumber along the length, such as ripping a 2x4 into 2x2's is not permitted. Similarly, cutting of stair stringers after treatment should not be done because the effect is similar to ripping.

8. Milling (resurfacing) of lumber is not allowed. If special shapes or thickness are required, milling should be done prior to treatment.

9. Cutting of plywood in any direction is allowed without restriction.

10. Light sanding of lumber or plywood is permitted to remove raised grain or to prepare for finishing.

11. Resurfacing or shaping or should be done before treatment.

12. End coating is not required.

13. D-Blaze must not be used in ground contact applications.

14. Chemicals used for FRTW are not considered hazardous materials. FRT wood can be disposed of by typical means in accordance with local waste management policies.

A Finished Project from the Start

The DesignWood colorant is pressure infused with the preservatives, giving color and protection in one step. Eliminating the need for initial staining, you save time and money. DesignWood is ideal for decks, docks, bridges, pole-type buildings, structural-framing lumber, fence posts, and landscaping.

The infographic is not a complete listing of all the possible grade designations, grading agencies, seasoning/conditioning and wood species, but examples of common grade stamps with definitions.

To make sure you have the right treated wood for the right job, check the guide below for residential above ground and ground contact uses.

1. Ecolife® is the ONLY treated wood preservative with an integrated stabilizer standardized by the American Wood Protection Association.

2. The integrated stabilizer ensures the wood you buy has the right amount of stabilizer and is evenly mixed throughout the wood preservative.

3. The stablizer keeps your treated wood straighter than ordinary treated wood.

4. The stabilizer reduces checking in the wood compared to ordinary treated wood, fighting the effects of the sun and weather extremes.

5. There is no need to seal for up to three years due to built-in water repellency.

6. Ecolife's active ingredient is DCOI, a non-metallic preservative. 

7. DCOI is not an EPA restricted use pesticide and is a very effective fungicide.

8. Ecolife does not contain any VOCs.

9. Ecolife is certified for points toward the the ICC-700 National Green Building Standard.

10. Ecolife treated wood is less corrosive to fasteners and compatible with aluminum products, including aluminum flashing even in continuous wet environments.

11. Ecolife minimizes lost time and money spent on culling, complaints, and call-backs.

12. Ecolife is backed by a Lifetime Limited Warranty against fungal decay and termite attack. See warranty for details.

Ecolife is approved for use in above ground applications that are six inches or more from the ground in certain residential and agricultural uses. Popular uses include:

• decking, deck framing, joists, and beams

• porches, arbors, gazebos, trellis, and walkways

• picnic tables, outdoor furniture, benches, and playsets

• outdoor structures

• sill plates and furring strips

Specify D-Blaze® FRTW

D-Blaze treated lumber and plywood are designed for interior wood framing and sheathing applications in residential, commercial, and institutional structures where fire retardant construction materials are specified or required by building code.

Here's what users say about the performance of UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT with DCOI:

D-Blaze® Fire Retardant Treated Wood (FRTW) by Viance is GREENGUARD GOLD certified for low chemical emissions. D-Blaze FRTW is suitable for fire rated wall assemblies and interior applications where fire retardant construction materials are specified or required by building codes. D-Blaze treated lumber and plywood received an FR-S listing from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for most wood species, and is AWPA standardized as a Type-A High Temperature (HT) Fire Retardant. D-Blaze has over 35 years of proven performance and offers a 50-year limited warranty.

D-Blaze treated lumber and plywood is highly effective in slowing down the spread of flame and the smoke development caused by fire, and shows no evidence of significant progressive combustion after 30 minutes exposure to flame. D-Blaze FRTW products offer a lower in-place cost than non-combustible classified materials, and has been installed in many notable commercial installations such as the new One World Trade Center in NYC, and the Sears Tower and Navy Pier in Chicago.

Greenguard Gold Certificate of Compliance

Greenguard Certification Test Report

Click here to download Brochures, MSDS, ICC ESR, FAQs and Warranties

Ecolife Stabilized Weather-Resistant Wood is an environmentally-advanced wood protection system, the only wood preservative with an integrated stabilizer standardized by the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA). The stabilizer is not an add-on component that can vary by treater in amount mixed with preservatives, nor does it have to be agitated to keep emulsified. Ecolife is a non-metallic preservative that fights the effects of the sun and weather extremes that repels water, minimizes cracking and keeps boards straighter.


Click Here to Download NGBS Certificate
Click here to download Brochures, MSDS, FAQs and Warranties.

Preserve® CA is Home Innovation NGBS Green Certified for Resource Efficiency and is eligible to earn points towards the National Green Building Standard™.


Click Here to Download NGBS Certificate
Click here to download Brochures, MSDS, FAQs and Warranties.

TimberSaver® PT lumber and plywood is protected from termites with Disodium Octoborate Tetrahydrate (DOT) and offers a 20-year warranty.


Click here to download Brochures, MSDS, FAQs and Warranties.

SupaTimber® pressure-treated wood is protected from rot, decay and termite attack with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) wood preservative. Generally, the label authorizes use of CCA in most industrial and commercial applications.


Click here to download Brochures, MSDS, FAQs and Warranties

Now that penta production is slated to cease December 2021, electric utilities will want to decide what to use in 2022 and beyond. The next generation utility pole is here with innovations that benefit pole treaters, utilities, linemen and the environment.

1. UltraPole™ NXT is an oil-borne preservative that makes poles easy to climb.
   


2. The active ingredient in UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT is not a Restricted Use Pesticide and is not persistent in soil.


3. UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT have low to no odor.


4. UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT use less energy, fossil fuels, and water to produce; with lower ecotoxicity than other materials used in poles.


5. UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT have a wider range of disposal options at the end of life.


6. UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT are the only oil-borne preservative-treated poles and crossarms with a 50-year limited warranty.


7. DCOI, the active ingredient in UltraPole NXT and UltraArm NXT, earned the EPA's President's Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 1996 for its use as an alternative to tributyltin (TBT) compounds in marine antifoulant coatings.


8. DCOI is also the active ingredient in Ecolife®, the best performing, non-metal based, above-ground residential deck preservative on the market.
   


9. DCOI is also used in water treatment, paints and coatings, adhesives, vinyl roof membranes, vinyl flooring, marine upholstery, outdoor furniture and shower curtains for example.


10. DCOI is stable and leach resistant.


11. DCOI is effective against wood decay fungi and termites.