[professorj]

Anyone compare pressure treated from the big box's (lowes and HD) to say a lumber mill ?

it all looks barely treated (green) some times its spotchy. Like there is no treatment in the wood cells. Pale like vs deep green or sometimes splochy tints of green.


I noticed a huge difference in 2x4 PT Not for ground contact vs ground contact say 4x4 or 2x6.

I know what you peeps thinking! why are you buying your lumber at Big Box stores. I use to buy lumber for Big Box in the 80's a great company brokering through Weyerhaeuser but none of the Big Box's brokerage through them and in the south seems like crap!

 

[ToolSeeker]

They had to change the formula to remove the arsenic from the old dark green. With the new formula you must be careful of what type fasteners you use as it will severely corrode some of them. This also changed the color.

 

[Stapler]

Depending on the brick and mortar establishment and also the manufacturer, there will always be some variances. Home Depot and Lowes are large businesses and as with any business, the end goal is to make the most money with as little overhead as possible.

This being written, the cheaper the product, the more easily this will appeal to the average consumer. Price is all that matters to some people and along the way, quality is likely to be impacted as a result.

Some lumber yards might be more expensive as lumber yards appeal to those that are more willing to pay more if the quality is worthy of that price. I.e. Straight grain, overall acceptable grain orientation, limited if any knots and so on. Different clientele's in both instances, so that is a factor.

Again, not to generalize, but generally speaking big box stores don't tend to have a great deal of actual carpenters working there. Retired perhaps, I can't imagine any trades person willing to work for minimum wage when they have much better opportunities potentially elsewhere?

 

[professorj]

Depending on the brick and mortar establishment and also the manufacturer, there will always be some variances. Home Depot and Lowes are large businesses and as with any business, the end goal is to make the most money with as little overhead as possible.

This being written, the cheaper the product, the more easily this will appeal to the average consumer. Price is all that matters to some people and along the way, quality is likely to be impacted as a result.

Some lumber yards might be more expensive as lumber yards appeal to those that are more willing to pay more if the quality is worthy of that price. I.e. Straight grain, overall acceptable grain orientation, limited if any knots and so on. Different clientele's in both instances, so that is a factor.

Again, not to generalize, but generally speaking big box stores don't tend to have a great deal of actual carpenters working there. Retired perhaps, I can't imagine any trades person willing to work for minimum wage when they have much better opportunities potentially elsewhere?

Thats nice and I know all about retail - buyer for a company maybe before your time Builders Square. The specific word used was "pale" I understand the new CA chemical process of treatment doesnt explain the "pale" outcome.