| Sunday night I was sitting around watching the | | | | eating it. |
| Simpsons, my favorite TV show when I get a call | | | | The system. The first part of the two part system |
| from my dad. He was watching that show Extreme | | | | is the vapor barrier. The wood is engulfed in a film |
| Home Makeover and he notice that they where | | | | that creates a vapor barrier on the wood. This vapor |
| building the house out of blue lumber. He asked me | | | | barrier controls the absorption properties of the |
| "Why is this lumber blue?" Confused, I was like "blue | | | | wood not allowing the it to absorb moisture, but I |
| lumber?" I asked him did it look blue or was it blue, | | | | also allows the wood to breath, letting the moister |
| and he told me it was BLUE, the whole house. Not | | | | within it escape. Kind of like a Tyvek Home Wrap. |
| knowing what he was talking about I did some | | | | The second part of the system is a proven DOT |
| research, on this blue wood he was talking about, | | | | insecticide and fungicide. |
| and came across some interesting facts on it. | | | | How it works. The two part system is applied to all |
| For Starters the wood is actually called Bluwood. | | | | six sides of the lumber which they call the infusion |
| Bluwood is a two part, preconstruction wood | | | | process. Once the infusion process is over this |
| protection system. The lumber has a film on it that | | | | prevents any moister from absorbing into the wood |
| helps prevent moister from seaping into the wood | | | | but allowing moister to escape from the wood. Then |
| and also protects against fungus and wood eating | | | | over time the "infusion ingredients" continue to |
| insects. | | | | migrate below the surface of the wood so in theory |
| Any lumber can be treated. The film can be applied | | | | the inside of the wood is treated. I never used the |
| to any type of lumber from a 2×4 to OSB | | | | wood so I don't really know. I guess that when you |
| (Oriented strand board). That means sub floor, | | | | cut the wood it is still protected. Through this |
| trusses and even beams can have this film put on it. | | | | process the ingredients bind to the wood at a cellular |
| It comes to the job site pre treated and can be | | | | level |
| sawed, nailed, and painted. Since the wood is | | | | Less cupping splitting and curling. Since the wood has |
| pretreated it also protects the lumber while it sites | | | | this vapor barrier on it, the film controls the rate at |
| outside in the elements while the house is being built | | | | which the moister in the wood escapes. Preventing |
| unprotected (up to 6 months). | | | | the wood from cupping, splitting, and/or curling, which |
| Termites. This lumber uses an Insecticidal and a | | | | we find more often today then before because of |
| fungicidal that prevents termites and fungus from | | | | the quick milling process. So no more going to a large |
| attacking the wood and destroying is structural | | | | home improvement store and shifting through a |
| properties. The film attaches to the fibers that the | | | | stack of 2×4s to find the 2 that you need that |
| termites like to eat, thus preventing them from | | | | are straight. |