Recently re-launched by Universal Forest Products, ProWood pressure-treated wood now carries a limited lifetime warranty against fungal decay and termite damage.
The wood is treated with micronized copper azole (MCA), which the company says gives wood a more natural look than other types of pressure treatment and is less corrosive to fasteners. Offcuts and scraps can be taken to a landfill but shouldn’t be burned.
Universal’s pressure-treated product line used to include some hard-to-treat dense pine species that were guaranteed for shorter periods of time. The southern yellow pine the company now uses instead can be treated to uniform standards at the company’s 20 treatment plants.
The ProWood line includes dimensional lumber, decking, and finished products such as fencing and railing. Options include a version that’s kiln-dried after treatment, and another that’s treated with Dura Color, a pigmented waterborne preservative guaranteed not to fade for two years.
Retail pricing for Dura Color decking is about 85 cents per lineal foot, which Universal hopes will make it an attractive alternative to select cedar. — S.G.
Universal Forest Products, 800/598-9663, ufpi.com.
