# Using pressure treated lumber for termites?



## Bgrae001 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hello everyone. I'm new here and I have a question. I was told that when I do the repair to the front wall of my house to use pressure treated lumber. I just bought this house 10 months ago in NC and I found what I consider to be significant termite damage in my living room. I have to replace over half the wall studs. there isn't enough left to them to sister them. I also have to replace a good portion of the header and footer boards.

I had a friend of my come over to help me and he said that I cant use pressure treated lumber inside my home. So do I need to tear out the repair that I just did or leave it?

thanks in advance

Brian


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## Daryl in Nanoose (Feb 24, 2009)

Hummm, haven't herd anything about not using pressure treated inside and in fact all sill plates and anywhere where there is a wall or floor joists touching concrete has to be treated wood which of course is inside.
You could of just used the treated for the sill plates.
I assume you have determined the reason for the wall to rot out so fast?


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## jdougn (Feb 26, 2009)

Hello Brian,

Welcome to the forums. Termits can certainly damage a lot of wood. You have probably already planned to get the entire house treated for termits. Around here, some types of treated wood contain arsenic and other toxins so check with the specific manufacturer to see if their product can be used inside a house.
hth, Doug


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## Rustedbird (Mar 6, 2009)

I think it depends on the age of the wood. Arsenic treated wood was banned in 2003, so they went to a different copper treatment. The name escapes me but it will eat steel fasteners. Think at the very least, hot dipped galvanized. Also saw a carpenter bee hole in the new stuff. I was more impressed with the bee then the treated wood.


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## jdougn (Mar 7, 2009)

Yeah, Rustedbird, your right about the galvanized hardware. The new treatment process eats steel even more quickly than the old process. I've seen the carpenter bees bore holes into treated lumber but they never make it through a life cycle. It takes a little time but the chemicals eventually do their work.
Doug


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