ᐅ Wood Roof Structure Treatment

Hello home builders,

Just a quick note upfront: great forum! I’ve been an active reader for a long time, but now I have a question shortly before our construction starts.

Our general contractor plans to build our roof structure using pressure-treated wood, specifically Impralit TSK 10.

Since we want to avoid any unnecessary chemicals, we are wondering whether an untreated roof structure poses a risk. Has anyone had experience with forgoing wood treatments? What should be taken into consideration? Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available online. At least for interior use, this treatment does not seem to be approved... and we also want to use the attic space somehow, at least for storage.

We would appreciate any feedback and guidance in making this decision!

Hello,

we are currently facing the same question.

What did you decide, and what was the deciding factor in the end?

For us, construction is scheduled to start this month, and the roof frame will most likely be exposed to rain before the tiles are installed.

I had the impression that wood used in interior construction is no longer treated... (Is it allowed to treat it?) You just have to design everything in a way that the wood does not get wet and is properly ventilated.

We received a document that we are supposed to sign. It states that impregnation for insects is no longer necessary, but there is no long-term experience yet, and that impregnation against wood-destroying fungi is still being applied.

Hello,

it's interesting that there actually is a response after all ;-)

Of course, we had to make our decision already: we chose not to use any wood preservative treatment. On one hand, according to the DIN standard, such treatment is no longer generally recommended, and on the other hand, we don’t want to risk reading a study in 10 years claiming that our now "safe" treatment is harmful to health. Basically, every herbicide or fungicide is just pure poison. Since the treated wood will be located behind the vapor barrier, we still have an attic... and who knows what we might use it for in the future.

Rain during the construction period shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as the wood can dry out again, our expert also said. Only during the screed drying phase is opening the attic hatch strictly prohibited.

I also tend to leave it out, although the risk is certainly limited if the treated wood is located behind the vapor barrier. Our attic will always remain an unheated storage area.