greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with dirt
should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be since it
is treated?
thanks cj

buy only the best treated wood and assume it will fail eventually. I
have some on a porch thats totally disappeared, a friends neighbor
built a 8 foot high treated wood stone wall about 10 years ago. the
wood is just a shell ands is completely gone in some places.

do realize treated wood is now looked at like asbestos was befire it
was banned. as a cancer general health risk. one day it might have to
be removed by certified workers in moon suits and the contaminated soil
hauled away to a hazardous waste landfill...hard to sell homes with
such hazards....

your better off with stone brick etc

but ideally you just reslope the area, no matter how good you build a
wall eventually they fail.

"cj" wrote in message
...
greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with dirt
should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be since it is
treated?
thanks cj


You have to respect hallerb's last comment. No matter what you do the earth
continues to move and put pressure against a wall. This leads to cracking
or outright failure. You can mitigate this to some extent with crushed
stone and proper drainage behind the wall. I prefer the tapered earth
approach where possible.

Only treated lumber that I know of that will sustain being in ground is
Penta or Cresote treated. I've seen Penta that was buried in moist soil
for 30 yrs, still intact as new. No experience with Cresote bu utility
pole used it.
EPA I think plays a political game instead of being logical.
Jack

As others have mentioned, using the wood might not be the best for the wall.
Though if you space your vertical supports closer together you might get
better length out of it.

You also might want to put some 30# roofing felt between the dirt and the
wood for some added life.

Scott-
"cj" wrote in message
...
greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with dirt
should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be since it is
treated?
thanks cj

cj wrote:
greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with dirt
should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be since it
is treated?
thanks cj

I prefer retaining walls built with precast concrete blocks.

This automatically allows for weep holes to let the water flow
through the spaces between the blocks and will not rot in any
time span I care to think about.

the small piece of hill i am wanting to hold back leads to a tunnel
access to my basement. eventually (maybe this summer) i will have the
basement dug down further, about 8 inches, 4 inches of slab pumped
in,and then cut out a closet floor above for stairs leading to the
basement. once that is all done i plan on covering up the outside access
and be done with it.if things go well the retaining wall will only have
to last a year at tops. the wall i want to build will only be about five
foot in length, four foot tall. i thought i might dig three post holes,
about 2 foot deep, stick some 4x4's and fill with bagged cement, add
water type.then i would like to add some 2x12's to the dirt side and
fill back in, not even 2 yards worth of dirt.i know it's not long term
(although it might have to last a few more years than planned. i got
allot of gravel that i can fill in the bottom with, maybe 6 inches?.
thanks for the input people, cj

John_B wrote:
cj wrote:

greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with
dirt should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be
since it is treated?
thanks cj

I prefer retaining walls built with precast concrete blocks.

This automatically allows for weep holes to let the water flow through
the spaces between the blocks and will not rot in any time span I care
to think about.

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:12:26 -0400, John_B
wrote:

cj wrote:
greetings, i need to build a small retaining wall and i am planning on
using 2x12 treated lumber. since the lumber will be in contact with dirt
should i paint it with a primer such as kilz or just let it be since it
is treated?
thanks cj

I would use tar on the sides in contact with the dirt,
and nothing on the outer faces. Bevel or
round the top edge slightly to get water off it. How high
is the wall going to be? At 2' you can expect it to bulge,
sag, and lean, even with posts every 4'. If you're going
higher than that, then you should probably consider a different
material.

On 13 Apr 2006 04:30:29 -0700, "
wrote:

buy only the best treated wood and assume it will fail eventually. I
have some on a porch thats totally disappeared, a friends neighbor
built a 8 foot high treated wood stone wall about 10 years ago. the
wood is just a shell ands is completely gone in some places.

do realize treated wood is now looked at like asbestos was befire it
was banned. as a cancer general health risk. one day it might have to
be removed by certified workers in moon suits and the contaminated soil
hauled away to a hazardous waste landfill...hard to sell homes with
such hazards....

I always eat my meals by placing the food directly on a piece of
treated wood. In fact I am going to have some dinner plates made out
of treated wood.......

On a more serious note. Treated wood is not dangerous once it's been
rained on a few times, and you dont eat it. It's the government that
makes these laws that are dangerous. With that said, the chemical
used to treat the wood is dangerous if it enters water and will kill
fish. Unless you consume it, or water contaninated with it, I would
not get too worried about it. Just wash your hands after you work
with it, before eating. Do not burn the scraps.


your better off with stone brick etc


Yes, it will last longer, but concrete products tend to crack easier
from freeze-thaw, and being they can not be nailed or fastened as
easily, pieces fall off easier. Railroad ties are better than treated
wood AND concrete products in my opinion.

but ideally you just reslope the area, no matter how good you build a
wall eventually they fail.

Correct, but much depends on the way it's built too, and remember to
use galvanized nails or the nails will fail before the wood.

To the OP, Kilz wont help at all. Rather take some liquid roofing tar
and coat the back of the treated wood. Just brush it on. Thin it
with some mineral spirits or another solvent (such as gasoline) if
necessary. If you thin with gasoline, do it safely......

wrote:
-snip-
First understand "treated" doesn't mean anything until you get the
density of the treatment. I am not familiar with the new ACQ but back
in the CCA days typical orange box PT was .4 or .6 cca with some promo
stuff that was only .25
-snip-

I agree! I have a fence with treated 4x4's that I put up 20 years
ago. They are showing no sign of rot above or below ground.

A deck I put up 10 yrs later has some serious checking- and I've
replaced a couple boards. All PT is not created equal.

Jim
[and to the OP-- if you're only thinking about less than 5 years your
peoblem won't be rot--- just make sure it is engineered so it holds
back what you're trying to retain.]

the small piece of hill i am wanting to hold back leads to a tunnel
access to my basement. eventually (maybe this summer) i will have the
basement dug down further, about 8 inches, 4 inches of slab pumped
in,and then cut out a closet floor above for stairs leading to the
basement. once that is all done i plan on covering up the outside
access
and be done with it.if things go well the retaining wall will only have

to last a year at tops. the wall i want to build will only be about
five
foot in length, four foot tall. i thought i might dig three post holes,


Its always best to have outside access to the basement, if not for
convenience then utility value like moving replacement things in like
furnace, or hot water tank, let alone lawn and garden or entering
basement when your filthy, so as to avoid dragging mud thru home.

if your basement has direct outside access you can call it a bedroom
increasing your homes value.

you can have a 4 foot high slope plant it with groundcover.... saves
bucks now, requires little or no repairs ever, and can add to home
value, the vast majority of home buyers want outside basement access.

look it doesnt matter one bit to me, but might be a big future issue

Some people have recommended doing a brick or cement retaining wall,
and others talked about pressure treated wood.

What are your thoughts about using the new plastic/synthetic lumber
that can be used for decking?

wrote in message
oups.com...
Some people have recommended doing a brick or cement retaining wall,
and others talked about pressure treated wood.

What are your thoughts about using the new plastic/synthetic lumber
that can be used for decking?


Too much flex

also 12 inch center are needed for the stuff on decks. Can not imagine what
you would need for a wall
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
t...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Some people have recommended doing a brick or cement retaining wall,
and others talked about pressure treated wood.

What are your thoughts about using the new plastic/synthetic lumber
that can be used for decking?


Too much flex