Spring is only a few months away, so now is the perfect time to get your new timber deck designed and built ready for the great Aussie outdoor lifestyle. While you are understandably excited about your first building project, as a person with sensitive skin you need to make sure your project does not affect your allergies. These tips will make sure you get the deck you want without making your skin itch.
Why Does Treated Timber Affect Skin Allergies?
Chemical treatment of wood before you purchase it ensures it does not rot once exposed to the weather elements. The treatment is also done to keep the wood free of termites. However, the chemicals used for treating the timber can make sensitive skin break out in hives.
The three chemicals most commonly used to treat timber are copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA). The CCA combination may cause a reaction if they come into contact with bare skin. Known skin reactions to CCA include a rash, blisters or just general itching. Topical steroid cream prescribed by your doctor will reduce this inflammation, but there are plenty of ways you can avoid an allergic outbreak from occurring in the first place.
Preventing Treated Timber Allergies
The best way to avoid treated timber skin allergies is not to handle it yourself. Hire an experienced contractor to build the deck for you so you do not need to worry about an allergy flare. However, this takes the fun out of building the deck yourself, so consider the following allergy reduction ideas:
Wear a long-sleeved shirt and gloves while handling the timber. These will ensure the wood does not come into contact with your skin at any time, and it means the chemicals do not have a chance to soak through your skin and enter the bloodstream.
Seal the timber before you begin working with it. By doing this, you can create a barrier between the timber and your skin. However, you cannot seal timber that is still wet. To test whether it is dry enough for sealing, you should sprinkle some water across the wood. If the water soaks in, then the wood is dry enough to seal. If the water beads on top, then the wood is still too wet. Test the dryness of the wood before you purchase it, otherwise, you will need to wait to seal it. You can buy paint on sealants at your local hardware store, and remember to seal all exposed areas such as the newly cut ends.
Consider using non-chemically treated wood for your deck as an alternative. For example, if you use redwood or cedar, these already have a natural resistance to pests and weather so they do not need the protection CCA provides. The downfall of using these woods is they are more expensive than treated timber, but they will give you the wood deck you desire.
By being aware of your skin allergy issues before you begin working with treated timber, you can be sure of avoiding a trip to the doctor to deal with a skin flare up. These tips will help you to avoid an itchy rash and give you the timber deck you can be proud of showing off to your friends and family.
Share28 July 2016
Hello. My name is Dean and this is my home and garden blog. Last year, I decided I needed to improve the look of my home. I visited several home and garden centres and various different shops but I just couldn't find the items I wanted. I had this dream of creating a really cool and funky look based on an African design I had seen. My friend suggested that I customise the items to create the look I wanted and began to give me some lessons. I really enjoyed the process and I learnt a lot about how to improve your home and garden.