Hello,
I have some spare planks of recycled wood (imgur.com/gallery/tbUXG) (I put some pics because I'm not sure that's how you call this wood) about 3cm thick that I wanted to make a raised bed with, but I'm afraid they would get destroyed by water in no time, is there a way to make it work? Coating or covering? Or should I just forget about this idea?
Thanks.
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ID jit
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If that is some type of particle board or pressed board, it will hold up to half a dozen waterings, maybe.
Coating might help, but personally I wouldn't put the time, effort and money into trying to waterproof it.
As for coatings, there are way too many options to list: garage floor epoxy kits, most any epoxy primer and paint, fiberglass resin mixed up with a slow set hardener and thinned with denatured alcohol...
Rustoleum works with no primer on raw wood. the wood will draw in the first couple of light coats. (If you read the can, basic rustoleum is recommended for wood. It is an oil based alkyd enamel which does a very good job penetrating and sealing.) Time consuming process though, 4 light coats, both sides and edges with at least 24 hour of dry and cure time between coats.
Coating might help, but personally I wouldn't put the time, effort and money into trying to waterproof it.
As for coatings, there are way too many options to list: garage floor epoxy kits, most any epoxy primer and paint, fiberglass resin mixed up with a slow set hardener and thinned with denatured alcohol...
Rustoleum works with no primer on raw wood. the wood will draw in the first couple of light coats. (If you read the can, basic rustoleum is recommended for wood. It is an oil based alkyd enamel which does a very good job penetrating and sealing.) Time consuming process though, 4 light coats, both sides and edges with at least 24 hour of dry and cure time between coats.
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thanrose
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Looks like what we call Masonite. It is a wood product, but harder than composition board or chip board. still not good for holding up outdoors. It's comparatively expensive here, because it is so hard and durable for the home wood work shop, found backing bookcases or forming cabinet interiors. 3cm is thick, though. When I see it in random places it's usually no more than 4mm thick although I have seen it in planks of maybe 1.5 to 2cm.
So it will last about as long as plywood of similar dimension, I'd guess. As a means of disposing of it, not necessarily a bad way to go, but as a durable container for composting or planting it's not going to last as long as all wood lumber.
So it will last about as long as plywood of similar dimension, I'd guess. As a means of disposing of it, not necessarily a bad way to go, but as a durable container for composting or planting it's not going to last as long as all wood lumber.
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ID jit
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- Location: SE New England: zone twilight or 5b... hard for me to tell some days.
Think you are talking about "particle board" and "chip board" ... the stuff that looks like compressed saw dust or wood chips. MDF is more like really thick and compressed card stock. It is Heavy, dusty as hell to cut, doesn't hold screws all that well. Not a whole lot of glue used in it .... it is more like super dense, super thick, long fiber paper.applestar wrote:As long as we're talking about this -- I'm a bit leery of manufactured lumber like MDF because I have heard that the adhesive and preservatives used to glue the bits and pieces of wood are toxic.
Einso didn't say what will be planted but I thought I'd mention it.
I have heard the same thing about it, though I am sure it varies by the manufacture. I HEARD some of it will have a full complement of "-icides" in it as well.