Wood is an essential item which is used in constructing many parts of our house and furniture. And one specific type of wood that is commonly used in our decks, sheds, docks and posts are pressure treated woods.
These pressure treated woods are often subject to modifications – so in this abstract below you will learn whether you can glue pressure treated wood or not.
Can you glue pressure treated wood?
You can use glue to join pressure-treated wood together on many occasions. They are commonly used outdoors on decks and sheds – thus, the glue should be able to withstand adverse environmental conditions without weakening. Only a few types of glue can be used to hold together pressure-treated wood.
Table of Contents
The pressure-treated wood is the collection of woods that have undergone the pressure treatment where the subjected wood is slid into a large chamber where it gets depressurized and a treatment agent is applied that gets pulled into the deep fibers of the wood.
This treatment enhances a wood’s strength and durability – enabling its use for long term applications.
The application of pressure-treated wood widely spans over different outdoor constructions where the wood frequently comes in contact with moisture. They are also often used with cement since moisture wicks through concrete pores.
Pressure-treated wood is very useful for its durability but it requires careful use – if you do not use it properly, it will pose many problems since they may show adverse reactions with many chemicals.
Regardless, pressure-treated wood is a useful material for use on outdoor projects and not knowing how to use it would turn out to be frustrating and also take a toll on the wood’s durability.
Wet pressure treated wood:
They are commonly used to build decks, sheds, docks as well as posts but nails should be avoided to join them because of the threat of rusting.
Therefore, using the appropriate glue is the safest and the best option as they are easily absorbed by the wood grain and also are not affected by moisture or heat.
Dry pressure treated wood:
When applying glue to the pressure-treated wood, make sure it is dry because if the wood is damp – it would make it difficult for the glue to adhere to the surface.
Most adhesives adhere better to dry surfaces and if applied to a wet pressure-treated wood, the moisture will compromise the glue’s drying to maximum strength.
Can you glue pressure treated wood to concrete?
Among many types of adhesives and epoxies, several of them allow pressure-treated wood to be glued to concrete. But you must keep in mind some factors while gluing pressure-treated wood to concrete such as drying, curing time as well as cost and durability.
Besides those, the temperature and humidity of the location also needs to be considered since wood to concrete joins are different from wood to wood joins as moisture can seep through concrete pores.
Usually when adhesives are applied to concrete and wood, they would take between 10-30 minutes to have their surfaces dried and would take 7 days to fully cure. Epoxies, on the other hand, have a much faster dry and cure time with a full cure time between 4 to 72 hours.
If both adhesive and epoxies are applied correctly and according to manufacturer’s instructions – they can be effectively used to glue pressure-treated wood to concrete.
Can you use gorilla glue on pressure treated wood?
You can use gorilla glue on pressure treated wood.
There are several types of adhesives found in the market that work excessively well with pressure-treated wood and are also resistant to moisture or other harsh environmental conditions.
One such glue is the gorilla glue – it is a waterproof adhesive that can form strong enough bonds that is unbreakable in any condition outdoors.
Due to these properties, gorilla glue is not just used as a general purpose glue but also for both indoor and outdoor applications for joining woods together or woods with other materials such as concrete.
In order to allow gorilla glue to stick both of the objects together, you need to make sure that both of them are dry in order for both the surfaces to properly bond and cure.
If the bond is strong, you can submerge the items underwater and still expect the bond to hold for a long time.
3 reasons why you can/cannot use glue pressure treated wood
Glue is a popular item to use to join pressure-treated wood together, but the reasoning for its popularity is described down below:
Glue can stick to the grainy wood surface:
The pressure-treated wood has a grainy and rough surface unlike many other solid objects. Due to this roughness, the glue layer sticks to the surface of the pressure-treated wood and does not come off easily.
The glue bonds to the fiber and strands of the grainy wooden surface and thus holds onto each other much more strongly. The dryness of the wood also aids in the bonding between the glue and wood surface.
Glue can penetrate the pores well:
The grainy wood surface also has millions of microscopic pores on their surface which allows fluids to penetrate into them.
And the glue can penetrate deep into the wooden surface to form a much stronger bond with the wood as the glue has not only bonded to the surface but also been absorbed deep into the wood.
Glue forms water-proof bonds:
Many other methods of joining pressure-treated wood such as using iron nails are not efficient since they tend to rust away in presence of moisture.
However, if the woods are glued together with the appropriate adhesives, they can last for years since those glues form water-proof bonds. Pressure-treated woods are mostly used for outdoor projects, so it is crucial that the glue is also water-proof.
What glue to use on pressure treated wood?
Not all glue or adhesives found in the hardware store are appropriate for use on pressure-treated wood, that’s why it is crucial to know which glue works best. Below listed are some of the best glue to use on pressure-treated wood:
Polyurethane Glue:
Polyurethane glue is one of the best choices of adhesive due to its excellent water-resistant abilities that makes it the ideal choice of outdoor use. They also work well with both dry and wet pressure-treated wood without compromising on bond strength.
This adhesive is known to handle the pores and grainy surface of the wood very well.
Titebond III:
Titebond III is another type of polyurethane glue which is also a water-resistant adhesive which is popular for its bond strength with dry pressure-treated wood. However, this glue gives the perfect strong bond only on kiln-dried pressure-treated wood and performs poorly on wet ones.
They also have a fast dry time as they harden within 30 minutes.
How to glue pressure treated lumber?
Gluing pressure-treated lumber can be a straightforward process if the following steps are correctly followed:
Cleaning the Wood:
The first step is to ensure that the wood is clean and has no debris that would get in the way while applying glue. A clean wood is necessary to ensure the proper bonding of the glue.
You can use dish soap mixed with water and a clean rag to wipe the surface of the wood until it’s clean.
Afterwards, let the wood dry for 24 hours, wet wood would not allow glue to adhere to the surface properly.
Polishing the surface:
Once the wood surface has dried, you need to even out any bumpy knots or loose strands sticking out of the surface to make sure the surface is plain. You can do that by using a medium and fine grit sandpaper to even out the surface.
After that, take a dry rag and rub the surface clean of any debris from the sanding.
Apply the glue and attach:
Apply the glue on the target surfaces using a brush or a roller. Make sure every inch of the surfaces are applied with the glue and then press the glue applied surfaces against each other.
In order to ensure strong bonds between the woods, you need to align the woods and then use a suitable clamp to hold them in place together.
Clean the surplus glue:
Once done, rub off the excess glue while the glue is still wet with a clean rag or you may also clean them with sandpaper once dried.
Allow the glue to dry and cure:
When done, leave the structure to dry and cure for 24 to 48 hours. Once dried, you can finally put it to use.
Final Thoughts
Glue can be used to join pressure-treated wood on a variety of occasions. They are frequently used outside on decks and sheds, so the glue should be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions without deterioration. Only a few types of glue can be used to hold pressure-treated wood together.