Working With Treated Lumber

     Whether you have no other options for lumber where you live, or if you just prefer to build with treated lumber, there are some considerations for you to think about. Pressure treated lumber is corrosive to metal and over time can even eat through bolts. You may want to select either hot-dipped galvanized hardware or stainless steel hardware--bolts, washers, and locknuts. Hot-dipped zinc galvanized hardware and stainless steel hardware are resistant to this corrosion.

     This step is not for everyone, but one that you can take if you wish. The powder coating helps to protect the steel brackets from the treated lumber, but when you tighten the bolts or locknuts with washers against the bracket the washer's edge will cut into the powder coating somewhat. A solution for this is to put a thin neoprene rubber washer--size 3/8 x 1 1/4"--between the large 1/2" metal washers and the steel brackets.

     If you want to take an extra step, you can wrap the end of the bolt that is passing through the bracket with thin vinyl electrical tape. After wrapping it just once around, you can place the neoprene rubber washer over the tape wrap. These two steps together will completely isolate the bracket from the bolts which could have otherwise conducted the ions from the treated lumber to the bracket.