You've heard the term autoclave wood or seen many special autoclave wood products, but you don't really know what they are. We will explain the characteristics of autoclave wood and how to obtain this type of wood. Finally, we will explain why it is important to protect autoclave wood and how to maintain it.
WHAT IS AUTOCLAVED WOOD?
Outdoor wood (terraces, cladding) is subject to many attacks, some of which can have devastating consequences such as the attack of your wood by woodborers or fungi. In order to be more resistant to these attacks, the wood can be autoclaved. This is often the case with softwoods such as pine, which in their natural state is not very durable. Autoclave treatments are industrial treatments that aim to protect the wood against fungi and insects by injecting an insecticide and fungicide product that penetrates inside your wood. The main advantage of an autoclave treatment is to make the wood rot-proof (the wood can no longer rot) so that you can use wood species that are naturally not very resistant outdoors. The lifespan of autoclaved wood is therefore increased by several decades.
WHY PROTECT AUTOCLAVED WOOD ?
WHAT PROTECTION FOR AUTOCLAVED WOOD ?
However, the autoclave treatment does not exempt your exterior woods from an adapted and regular protection. In fact, autoclaved wood is protected against wood borers and fungi by the treatment it has undergone. On the other hand, they are not protected in an aesthetic way. Autoclave treatments generally give the wood a green tint. This is often referred to as green autoclave treatment. For this reason, we advise you to apply a product called autoclave saturator such as Autoclave Wood Saturator SBA600 to obtain a "real wood" colour. This autoclave wood saturator will also allow you to protect your wood over the long term. Indeed, if your autoclave wood is not maintained regularly, it will become grey over time, under the effect of sun or rain.
THE AUTOCLAVE WOOD SATURATOR, THE IDEAL PRODUCT TO PROTECT AUTOCLAVED WOOD
In order to prevent your autoclave wood from turning grey over time, we advise you to protect it with the Autoclave Wood Saturator SBA600. This product impregnates your wood deeply, making it resistant to external aggressions. This prevents, in particular, autoclave pine from cracking under the effect of humidity. Autoclave wood saturator can be used to protect an autoclave pine terrace or autoclave siding. It is applied in two relatively thin coats. It is therefore relatively easy to protect autoclave wood. Be careful, however, you must wait six months after the autoclave treatment before applying a protective product to autoclave wood.
HOW TO CARE FOR AUTOCLAVED WOOD ?
Once you have applied your autoclave wood saturator, you may be wondering: how do you maintain autoclave wood ? To keep your autoclave wood in perfect condition, it is best to reapply an autoclave wood saturator every one to two years for an autoclave wood deck and every 2 to 5 years for an autoclave wood siding. These times are indicative. When the colour fades, it is time to reapply autoclave wood saturator. For example, you can apply the product in spring or late summer when the weather conditions are ideal. To maintain the autoclave wood properly, a maintenance coat is sufficient to avoid a sticky effect.
If you find your autoclave wood grey, dull, it means that it has been attacked by moisture or UV rays and that you did not apply autoclave wood saturator early enough. To restore the natural colour of your autoclave wood, you can apply an exterior wood degreaser. This product will remove black stains or the dull appearance of your autoclaved wood. For this, we recommend the Degreaser DG105
For the regular care of autoclaved wood, you can frequently use cleaning products to remove dirt or other black stains. We recommend for example Concentrated Wood Cleaner N140 or the Liquid Black Soap SN800.
