Using Heat-treated Wood For Sign Making

By Author: Stevan Gerrand
Total Articles: 53
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Probably the best material to use when making a sign is heat treated wood, which comes in numerous different species. Of course every sign maker has his own preferences, but heat treated wood is generally the material of choice because it is very durable and stands up very well to the weather’s harshest elements.

The heat treatment used on wood for sign making is very simple. The wood is heated up to more than 200 degrees Celsius, which causes the property of the wood to change. The sugars that were once so tasty to fungi that cause rotting are now changed into something they can’t use. The heating process also creates natural compounds inside the wood that serve to protect it. The entire treatment takes about a day. Most wood species can receive heat treatment, although the ones that are most commonly used for sign making are aspen, poplar, pine, birch, and spruce.

When the properties of the wood change, a number of beneficial effects take place inside the wood. Here’s why sign makers have been using heat treated wood for their projects:
• Heat treated wood is 15 to 25 times more protected ...
... from rotting and termites than untreated wood

• The durability of the wood is enhanced, although this does vary according to wood type

• The lumber now absorbs a fraction (up to 50 to 70 percent less) of the water it used to absorb, which means that its dimensional stability is much greater

• The wood becomes harder

• The dark color normally achieved by staining is there naturally

• Heat treated lumber costs less than other types of wood that have these characteristics naturally without being heat treated

Heat Treated Wood is Safe for the Environment

It is important to realize that many sign makers use heat treated wood because it is safe for the environment. There has been much debate in recent years about whether cutting down trees at all is safe for the environment because wood is a difficult resource to maintain. Trees take a relatively long time to grow compared to similar plants like bamboo.

When that fact is paired with the reality that wood is replaced often because of its natural tendency to rot or be infested with termites, lumber no longer seems like a viable material. However, heat treatment takes these concerns away because suddenly the lumber no longer is prone to rotting and termites.

Heat treated wood is also better for the environment than pressure treated wood, which is infused with elements like arsenic, chromium, and copper, which are known to be harmful to the environment in large doses. Using heat to treat wood avoids adding any of these harmful chemicals to the wood and also makes it possible to use local lumber even if it tends to be very weak wood. By using heat treated wood for sign making and other major projects, you also reduce the amount of exotic and rare trees that are being cut down—an added bonus many people don’t even think about!

Working with wood that has been treated with heat isn’t much different than working with standard lumber. You get all of the advantages listed above and very little noticeable difference in the crafting process. This type of wood generally takes well to carving and painting, and if you were planning on staining the sign to make it darker after you finish, you probably won’t need to because heat treatment naturally darkens the wood.

Boone Valley offers heat treated wood. Their products services customers nationwide, and are the only supplier you need for all types of heat treated lumber for export.