If you haven’t heard about PWT Treated® LVL, that’s understandable. It’s brand new. And it’s revolutionary in the way it is changing the way deck builders will work.
But don’t take our word for it. Read on to learn what one professional deck builder has to say about PWT Treated® LVL and why he is so excited about what it means for his company, his customers and his reputation in the industry.
“The benefits are almost countless.”
Chris Hill is the co-owner of River City Building and Decking, located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The company specializes in building outdoor living spaces and decks, and has quickly come to appreciate the value of PWT Treated® LVL.
“The benefits are almost countless,” said Hill. “I’d honestly say we saved about 50% of the time in rolling these joists together and getting everything lined out because of how dimensional the lumber was.”
Like other deck builders, Hill had been “making do” with treated lumber for deck framing structures before PWT Treated® LVL came along.
That’s because treated lumber can be a real headache to work with. As stick lumber, it tends to warp the minute it leaves the mill and is stored at a distributor’s or dealer’s location. Builders face the frustration of culling through treated lumber to find joists and beams that aren’t twisted, bowed or cupped – if they’re lucky. Even then, carpenters usually have to hand-plane treated lumber joists to remove crowns before they can get a flat, level surface for deck surfaces.
That’s no longer a problem with PWT Treated® LVL.
“It saves us as a contractor a lot of time.”
The dimensional stability and consistency of PWT Treated® LVL is one of the biggest reasons Hill is so excited about this new product.
PWT Treated® LVL is composed of layers of veneer bonded together under heat and pressure, making it strong and stable. As a result, it resists warping, movement and shrinking.
As Hill explains, “There’s no cupping and no bowing of the boards. There’re no humps. There’re no bumps. There’re no rolls. There’re no dips. It’s just perfect.”
Hill know that the dimensional consistency of PWT Treated® LVL saves time for him as a contractor.
As he explains, “If you get down there and really look at it, you’ll see that all of the joists are 100% even with the others. [With traditional treated lumber] you can’t get that kind of flatness out of a deck surface without hours and hours and hours of hand planning.”
But PWT Treated® LVL changes everything.
“It’s just perfect.”
As every builder knows, the protective treatment of traditional treated lumber is far from perfect, too.
The ability of the protective chemicals to penetrate traditional lumber varies greatly by wood species. At best, it may penetrate ¼” from the surface – despite proper pre-conditioning and incising. Cross-cutting a piece of treated lumber instantly exposes the wood to additional damage, rot and decay because the interior of the lumber simply isn’t protected.
Hill realizes that PWT Treated® LVL is different. As he puts it, it’s easy to explain the biggest benefit to his homeowner clients. Hill says he simply tells them, “Hey, your whole deck from top to bottom is protected for 25 years or more.”
PWT Treated® LVL features the Tru-Core® treatment which applies protection between the veneer layers during the manufacturing process. As a result, it comes with a 25-year warranty against damage from decay, fungal rot and wood-destroying insects.
“Apples to apples,” said Hill, “you get a way bigger benefit to the cost than traditional treated lumber.”
PWT Treated® LVL is the ideal solution for deck builders. And for those like Hill, it boils down to one question: why would you build composite decking with a 25-year (or longer) warranty on top of an old-fashioned treated lumber frame structure that will only last a few years?
Obviously, you wouldn’t.
“We’re really excited about it.”
PWT Treated® LVL has other advantages.
For one thing, it’s manufactured in large billets that can be cut down into a range of widths and lengths. That means deck builders have a wider selection of sizes, so they can use longer deck beams to create uninterrupted sight lines – with fewer column supports. And homeowners love open sight lines.
Because it’s LVL, PWT Treated® LVL delivers greater strength and load capacities. It’s a total sub-structure solution and can be used for deck joists, beams, ledgers, stair stringers and bridging.
PWT Treated® LVL is also the perfect match for composite decking surfaces such as Trex®, TimberTech®, AZEK®, Fiberon® and others. Putting one of these composite decking materials on a traditional treated lumber framing system makes no sense at all.
Finally, unlike traditional treated lumber, PWT Treated LVL can be painted or stained immediately at the time of installation. There’s no need to wait to finish the job.
For Hill, PWT Treated® LVL answers all of a builder’s needs. “Apples to apple,” he said, “you get a way bigger benefit to the cost than traditional treated lumber.”
“It’s almost a dream come true.”
Deck builders are learning that new technology improves their ability to give their customers what they’re looking for. And PWT Treated® LVL is the newest technology tool in their tool box.
“It’s almost a dream come true to have a product like this that works this flawlessly and has this kind of warranty and offers this many benefits,” said Hill.
As every deck builder knows, today’s homeowners demand more. They’ve learned from composite decking surfaces to expect long-lasting performance and minimal maintenance. And they expect more innovation and greater flexibility in the overall design and construction from their builders and contractors.
PWT Treated® LVL delivers on all of those demands. But it also gives the deck builder major advantages over his competitors. And that’s why the arrival of PWT Treated® LVL signals a true revolution in the deck building industry. For more information, visit https://pwtewp.com/products/pwt-treated/.
