Doman Tucker Lumber | Guide for Pressure-Treated Wood
Doman Tucker Lumber produces industry-standard wood product mixes that customers rely on for their outdoor projects, decks, and fencing. Our partnership with Lowe’s is about making sure you have the right wood for every customer’s project.
This page is your guide to getting Doman Tucker Lumber products right. These tips will help you feel confident in recommending the right products for long-lasting results.
Doman Tucker Lumber produces industry-standard wood product mixes that customers rely on for their outdoor projects, decks, and fencing. Our partnership with Lowe’s is about making sure you have the right wood for every customer’s project.
This page is your guide to getting Doman Tucker Lumber products right. These tips will help you feel confident in recommending the right products for long-lasting results.
Choosing the Perfect Product Mix: Above Ground vs. Ground Contact
Doman Tucker Lumber’s partnership with Lowe’s provides two curated product mixes with optimal performance for the different ways customers can use wood. We’ve compiled this guide to help you determine which product mix is best for your customer’s needs.
Above Ground (MCA XPS)
This mix is the standard for deck and railing lumber. It’s designed for any job where the wood can easily air out and dry.
- Treatment: Pressure-treated with MCA XPS (Micronized Copper Azole) retentions
- Includes a water repellent for reduced splitting and warping
- Where to Use: For wood that is not touching the ground or more than 6” off the ground
- Common Projects: Elevated decking, railings, pergola canopies
Ground Contact (MCA)
This mix is more versatile and acts as a heavy-duty solution. Customers don’t need to worry about moisture when choosing these products. The Ground Contact mix should always be used for structural pieces.
- Treatment: Pressure-treated with stronger MCA ((Micronized Copper Azole) retentions
- Where to Use: Anywhere, but required when wood is in contact with or within 6” of the ground or fresh water, for critical and difficult parts that are hard to repair or replace (like joists), and for certain above-ground areas that trap moisture or debris
- Common Projects: Structural deck components (like joists, beams, and ledger boards), walkways, gazebos, retaining walls, and raised bed gardens
How to Properly Install Treated Wood
We build our treated wood to last a long time, and with our comprehensive installation tips, so will your customer’s workmanship. We want to make customers happier with their project’s results, which is why we’ve compiled these tips you can share with them.
Before You Start
- Permit Check: Start by checking local building codes and getting a permit if required. See more industry guidance.
- Choosing Products: Our Above Ground wood must be off the ground where it can dry easily and be free of leaves or other debris. If that is not possible, our Ground Contact wood should be used.
Board Spacing and Placement
- Board Spacing: Product is treated with a water-based chemical and is mostly shipped ‘wet after treatment.’ When installing, butt the wood tightly together, as it will shrink as it dries.
- Bark Side Up: Boards should be placed bark side up (the rounded growth ring side) to help shed water off the surface. The boards will also be more likely to have treated sapwood on the exposed face.
- Crown Up: If a board is bowed, install it with the “crown” (the high side) facing up. Gravity and the weight of people and furniture will naturally flatten it over time. If a board has a slight bend, it can sometimes be straightened as it is screwed or nailed in place.
Structural Support
- Joists and Beams: All joists and beams must be treated for at least ground contact.
- Shorter Spans: Having shorter spans between joists will help prevent the deck boards from warping and twisting as they dry.
- Ventilation: There should be plenty of airflow underneath the deck, especially for our Above Ground wood, so it can dry easily and stay healthy.
Fasteners
- Corrosion Protection: We recommend hot-dipped galvanized fasteners (meeting ASTM A 153 requirements) and connectors (meeting ASTM A 653 Class G185) or better with our materials. Anything less could cause premature failure and degradation of the fasteners and wood.
- Screws vs. Nails: Screws take longer to drive than nails, but they hold the boards more securely and make future removals or repairs easier.
- Nail Sizing: Use 3.5” nails for nominal 2” decking and 3” nails for 5/4” decking. Use two nails across a 2×4 board and three nails across a 2×6. Drive the nails at a slight angle toward each other.
- Reducing Splitting: To help prevent the wood from splitting when using nails, especially near the end of a board, drill a pilot hole about 75% of the nail’s diameter first. For dense or brittle wood, grind sharpness from the nails or blunt the points by carefully striking them with a hammer.
- Before installation: Always check and comply with local building codes, zoning regulations, and HOA requirements to ensure project legality and safety. The purchaser is solely responsible for ensuring the safe and lawful installation and use of this product.
End Cuts
- Coating: Liberally coat all cut ends, holes, and other intrusions in the wood with a suitable wood preservative such as Outlast® Q8 Log Oil. It should contain at least 0.675% copper as oxine copper (copper-8 or copper-8-quinolinolate) or 1% copper as copper naphthenate.
- Placement: Orient any supporting posts so the original factory-treated ends are in the ground. Trim the top ends as needed and cover them with post caps, or cut the ends at angles to shed water and then treat them with a brush-on preservative.
Safety and Handling Precautions
We’ve compiled the following precautions for handling and disposing of treated wood so customers stay safe and make the most of their materials. Many of these rules apply to all types of wood and building materials.
On-Site Safety and Disposal
- Contact with Wood: If contact with the treated wood is likely, make sure the surface is clean and free of residue.
- Avoiding Food Contact: Do not use treated wood for things that touch food or feed where the preservative could become part of it, such as mulch, cutting boards, countertops, animal bedding, beehives, or any other structure where food is stored. For raised garden beds, an impervious liner such as heavy polyethylene (heavy plastic) is recommended between the wood and soil.
- Avoiding Drinking Water: Do not use treated wood where it might come into contact with drinking water except for incidental uses such as support posts for docks or bridges.
- Cleanup: Clear and dispose of all sawdust and debris after construction is done.
- Disposal: You can dispose of treated wood through ordinary trash collection. Do not burn treated wood in open fires, stoves, fireplaces, or residential boilers because toxic substances can be produced. Treated wood from commercial or industrial use, such as from construction sites, should be disposed of by complying with local landfill rules or burned in incinerators or boilers under state and federal regulations.
Handling Precautions and Protection
- Dust Protection: Avoid frequent or prolonged inhalation of sawdust from wood. Wear a dust mask when sawing, sanding, or machining the wood to protect yourself. Whenever possible, handle the wood outside to prevent sawdust buildup indoors.
- Eye Protection: Wear goggles to protect your eyes from flying wood particles when you’re power-sawing and machining.
Hand Protection: Always wear gloves when working with the wood to prevent injuries and cuts. - Hygiene and Skin Contact: Wash any exposed skin thoroughly after working with the wood and before eating, drinking, toileting, or using tobacco products.
- Laundry and Clothing Contact: Wash all work clothes separate from other clothing since preservatives and sawdust can accumulate on them.
How to Maintain Your Treated Wood
While our wood products don’t need maintenance to prevent fungi and termite decay, weathering is natural. Sun and rain cycles cause stress in lumber and result in swelling, shrinking, warping, and cracking, but these simple steps will help maintain the wood’s beautiful appearance.
Yearly Check
The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) recommends a yearly deck safety check. Access a checklist we can provide customers to ensure their deck is protected.
Water Repellant
Apply a water repellent once your project is complete and the wood has had a chance to thoroughly dry. This will help prevent moisture damage.
Deck Cleaning
Use a deck cleaner or brightener every couple of years to freshen the look of your deck. Do not use bleach, since it contains chlorides and can cause hardware corrosion. After cleaning your deck, reapply a water repellent or stain to restore color and keep it looking fresh.
Warranties & Preservative Information
The following warranty guides are designed to help answer your questions about our products and provide resources for filing a claim.
