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Treated or not treated??

MrCookingNurse
MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
edited April 2012 in EggHead Forum
Howdy guys! Just bought my first egg a large and a plate setter. Gonna build me a table this weekend.

My question is about wood. Treated or not treated?? I'm not a total idiot I know the differences I just wanna know what y'all do. I'm wanting to stain it and end up with something like the picture.


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XLBGE 
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Comments

  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Picture doesn't work from my phone.


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    XLBGE 
  • BGElovr
    BGElovr Posts: 83
    Neither....Cedar or cypress! Just my opinion.
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Ha I'll have to check that one. I'm trying keep price down is reason I didn't buy the rip off table bge sales


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    XLBGE 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    PT is for direct contact with the ground.  it would still need to be finished, too.

    think of this: if it weren't treated, would it be a nice enough looking wood that you'd want to use it? large growth rings, zero good looks....  and so if the treated aspect offers next to no benefit, why use it?

    cedar will look good and offer resistance to insects and decay, even though both ware highly unlikely in a table. it doesn't need to be finished (it will turn silver), but you might want it to be in order to limit food stains.

    i honestly don't understand the use of PT as a finish material. we've convinced ourselves it is magic. it's low quality pine up-sold with an additive that offers advantages in only very specific uses. It's the undercoating of the lumber industry :))

    go with something that LOOKS good too. 
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Stike and I have had this conversation before. I think it depends on budget and your final goal. I didn't want a PT top, but did treated framing. I don't trust PT to come in contact with my food. I used PVC decking for my lower shelf. Concrete for the top. I'll hit the PT with some Sikkens deck stain this summer. Cedar and Cypress were too expensive where I live.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • ShaneF
    ShaneF Posts: 26

    I built my table out of treated wood, and used Red Oak for the top.  This is the second table I have built and couldnt be happier.  Everyone on here says that cedar lasts longer than treated, but they forget to mention that Cedar is 10x more expensive (at least at my lumbar yard).  Once you add an additional layer of protection with a nice dark redwood stain you hardly even notice it is treated.

    However, there is one major downside to using treated wood.  It has been over a month since I built my table, but I still havent moved it out of the garage as I am waiting for the wood to dry out/cure.  I will add more pictures in few weeks once I get a chance to stain it and finally drop the egg in.

  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Our lowes ain't got anything. I'm go to two more places and check out what they got. I don't want to wait on PT to dry but my ultimate goal is functionality and price. Ill get my plan pic up when I get to a computer. Can you just protect untreated wood with a seal?


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    XLBGE 
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Check a local lumber yard. Big box stores aren't very good sources for cedar. FWIW I didn't dry my PT before putting it out. Just don't stain for 6 months.

    Cedar, cypress, and ipe don't need a sealer. Of the 3, ipe is the best but is expensive.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    mahogany and teak don't require it either.  though the tendency these days for many is to want to maintain 'new-looking' wood rather than let it go silver.  teak is likely out of the budget, but i can get prefinished mahogany (A.T.O.) here cheaper than that crappy PT bullnose decking. 


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    @stike, where are you located? That would be incredible to get mahogany so cheap.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • I'm with Stike, PT has its place but it is really low quality wood most of the time and I don't like having the chemicals near food.  Check with your local lumber yard and ask them what types of wood they have for outdoor projects.  White oak is a good choice and hasn't been mentioned.  
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Have you considered trex or Azek pvc decking for the table? Great stuff, tons of color choices and no maintenance. Not structural, though. Only good for top/bottom shelf.

    Also, if available, check out enzo thermo wood. It is kiln dried to the point of almost burning. The sap is heated and hardened from the process. The sap becomes the treatment. Very nice stuff. Same warranty as PT without the high moisture content. Also ready for stain/sealer immediately.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    White oak is a great choice, but very expensive. Almost as high as ipe. Over $5/board foot here in PA. That is the rough sawn price.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited April 2012
    i bought the mahogany off a Rhode Island lumberyard on Craigslist.  delivered.  it's slapped with Australian Timber Oil, which is a yearly finish (if you go that route).  i may just let it weather.

    fir is a good choice for exterior use. 

    i really think that total costs need to be looked at.  sure, some woods are cheaper than cedar ) or mahogany, etc.), but they need to be maintained. your time is worth something.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Wow I have a lot more to think about than I thought! Thanks for the ideas and input!!


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    XLBGE 
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Stike ya have a great point about total cost. Hoping I can run by the lumber yard on my way home and have some luck.


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    XLBGE 
  • pezking7p
    pezking7p Posts: 132
    I found a guy on craigslist who's selling very reasonably priced western red cedar, which is what I'll use to build my table.

    My opinion: wait to find a deal on a wood that will LOOK nice.  You paid enough for the egg, don't skimp on the table.  If you have to work with the egg on the ground for a season, so be it. 

    @Stike where are you located if you don't mind my asking?  I'm near cape cod. 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    home of fred's franks.... 
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • pezking7p
    pezking7p Posts: 132
    Franks cooked on a BGE?  I have to find a way to get one!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited April 2012
    as for working with the egg on the ground...

    my eggs have been like this almost ten years

    image

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    I'm not knocking Anyone but I didn't buy a 700$ grill to flip burgers in my knees. (I'm 6' 4")


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    XLBGE 
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i'm not knocking anyone, but i don't grill on my knees.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    I don't either. Hahahaha

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • egger ave
    egger ave Posts: 721
    I am a wood turner/wood worker and buy more than my share of wood and lumber. Prices on anything decent are going up almost weekly. I have been playing with some of the hardwoods from Central and South America sold for decking. Ipe is tough as nails and would make a great top or shelves. Massaranduba is beautiful wood. These woods don't require a finish.

    • Ipé (E-pay) or Brazilian Walnut is also sold under brand names such as Pau Lope®  and Iron Woods®. Typically dark brown in color, it may have lighter colored sapwood striping, Ipé has a very fine texture, is very hard, very dense, and very strong. It is difficult to cut and bore, requiring more labor to install than native woods. Ipé is very durable lasting 25 years or more (The Pau Lope® warranty is 40 years!) This decking only requires sealing to maintain its beautiful rich color. Without a sealer it will weather to a silver gray with virtually no splintering. Imported primarily from Brazil and Central America.
    • Massaranduba or Brazilian Redwood is similar to Ipé in appearance (although redder in color) and physical characteristics it is often lower cost but not as widely available. Imported primarily from Brazil and Central America.
    • Cumaru or Brazilian Teak is also similar to Ipé in physical characteristics - very hard, very strong, and very dense. The color is often described as an orangish brown. Cumaru naturally weathers to a beautiful, silvery-gray patina. Imported from South America.
    1 Large BGE, 1 Mini BGE, 1 Minimax BGE, Original wife and 3 dogs living in the heart of BBQ country in Round Rock Texas. 

    "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

    Albert Einstein
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i should clarify my answer, too, that real mahogany hasn't been available widely for a long time.  what's sold as 'mahogany' is meranti or 'phillipine mahogany'.  also tough stuff.  doesn't splinter or check, very stable. no knots, straight grain

    i used it as a deck, but would be a good table table i think.  though cortguitarman's stone looks great
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    And I thought my decision was just treated or not treated....


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    XLBGE 
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    How about this. Frame the table up and make the structure out of just plain wood then make the top and second shelve out of cedar? Stain all to match and then Thompson water seal?


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    XLBGE 
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    Thanks Stike. The concrete would have been out of the budget, but a buddy makes concrete counter tops for indoor & outdoor kitchens and bathrooms. So far I have a concrete bar top, bathroom vanity, and egg table. I plan on doing my entire kitchen too. Want to make new cabinets first. Concrete is great and the options are unbelievable.

    Another option is to have a piece of granite cut for the top. That probably wouldn't cost too much.
    Mark Annville, PA
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    that's concrete? nice.  i couldn't tell from the pic
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • cortguitarman
    cortguitarman Posts: 2,061
    The house faces North, so the location of the egg makes it hard to get a good picture. There is always a sun, which causes a glare when taking a picture.

    The concrete is awesome. Never needs resealing, the weather won't hurt it, and it looks cool. On the egg table top, we used river stone in the mix instead of limestone. When it was ground down, red, brown, gray, and green colors all showed through. Hard to tell from he pic, but there are a variety of color flakes in it.

    The coolest one I've seen my buddy make had chromed motorcycle sprockets embedded into black concrete with red glass flecks throughout the top.
    Mark Annville, PA