Tanalised
Timber pressure-treated with preservative forced into the grain under vacuum, rather than brushed on the surface. Protects against rot and insect attack in ground contact.
Also called: tanalised timber, pressure treated, tanalith
Tanalising is pressure treatment. The timber goes into a vessel, the air is drawn out under vacuum and preservative is forced into the wood under pressure, so protection sits inside the timber rather than as a film on the surface. That is the difference between it and a brushed-on treatment, and it is why a cut face on tanalised timber is still protected a few millimetres in.
It is what makes softwood viable outdoors. Untreated softwood in ground contact has a few years in it; tanalised timber in a well-drained situation has decades.
Green and brown
Green is the raw treated colour — the preservative itself. It weathers to a silver-grey over two or three years. Brown has a pigment added at treatment and holds a darker, stained-timber look for longer. Neither is more protected than the other.
Tanalised products we stock
Frequently asked questions
- Is tanalised the same as pressure treated?
Effectively yes. Tanalith is a brand of preservative, and tanalised has become the general trade word for timber that has been vacuum-pressure treated.
- Does tanalised timber need painting?
No. The treatment is a preservative, not a finish. Paint or stain it only if you want a particular colour.