KOPPERS CELCURE FOR FENCING THAT GOES THE DISTANCE
Pressure treatment for timber, has come a long way since it first began in the 19th Century as a method for protecting railway sleepers.
It has since found its way into the consumer and commercial sectors, where its benefits for maintaining performance and aesthetics are equally valued. Koppers’ Celcure is the pressure treatment that has been protecting timber for more than 50 years, wherever it’s needed.
In the UK especially, fencing and decking made from pressuretreated timber are ubiquitous, particularly following the boom in garden upgrades during the pandemic. A natural aesthetic, resistance to rot, pests, and low maintenance requirements are what consumers stand to gain from the right treatment, and Celcure ensures that they can keep benefitting for years to come.
This is only set to become more important in the context of climate change, which is making weather patterns more extreme. In Britian, this means hotter summers and wetter winters – many regions have just had their wettest February on record. While the former could mean prime barbecue weather, both are bad news for untreated timber, which is at risk of bleaching in the sun and rotting in the rain. If we want our fencing to stand up to this test, it’s vital that we give our timber a little TLC.
Clever chemicals
Celcure is a water based copper preservative system with additional co-biocides that was developed to provide long term protection for timber exposed in interior and exterior applications. The Celcure treatment has been optimised for the traditional timber treatment process and is compatible with existing treatment plant infrastructure, meaning there’s no cost barrier for manufacturers looking to make the switch. These treatments use combinations of copper and organic co-biocides tailored for the specific surface to be protected, providing the best defence against insect attack and fungal decay. Warding off these threats is vital to ensuring that posts or panels don’t need to be replaced on a regular basis.
Looking the part
The natural aesthetic is a major draw to timber for consumers, and preserving colour is a key attribute for pressure treatment products. As a result, many of the latest treatments are designed to develop in colour as they naturally weather. This is the case with Celcure, which initially has a slightly green appearance caused by the chemical preservatives, which contain copper, used in the treatment process. The green appearance is a natural and normal occurrence, and it indicates that the wood has been treated effectively to prevent decay and damage from insects and fungi. It then later weathers to an attractive, natural honey brown colour and fades to a driftwood grey after longterm exposure to the sun.
Customers’ tastes are also evolving as they increasingly have aesthetics at the front of their mind when choosing timber products, and treatment manufacturers are responding to meet that demand. Koppers’ Celcure Celbronze is an integrated preservative and colour system that provides all the protection of Celcure but with a deep brown colour immediately after treatment, meaning consumers don’t have to compromise on looks for the sake of superior performance.
Stronger for longer
Timber’s popularity as a fencing material shows no sign of abating, and pressure-treated products are among the most reliable. Treatments such as Celcure can add years to the use lives of fencing systems, protecting their appearance in the process.
