Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 21, 2009 7:07 pm Hi all, new to the forum. I'm installing kwila timber posts at the front of the portico, as opposed to rendered brick piers (350x350). I've read that kwila sap tends to leach from the timber when it gets wet, but only for a while. Has anyone had any experience using kwila posts? Is leaching a problem? I'm thinking I'll finish the timber posts in some sort of oil, any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Re: Kwila Posts for portico 2Apr 21, 2009 7:31 pm Kwila and merbau are the same timber, but called different names in different parts of Asia. The timber has a very heavy tannin which 'bleeds' for approximately 6 months. The tannin is near impossible to remove from porous surfaces such as concrete or pavers. You can assist the tannin out by washing the timber with an oxalic acid timber cleaner such as Intergrain Reviva. That being said it will still bleed out every time it rains till its more or less completely dry. Generally it is not recommended to oil or lacquer the timber till its completely dry, most labels will tell you not to apply to unseasoned timber. Re: Kwila Posts for portico 3Apr 21, 2009 7:37 pm Thanks very much for your prompt reply. The kwila posts will be in place around the same time as the roof. The posts will be on stirrups into a concrete slab, and the paving or timber on the slab will be one of the last things to be finished, so any leaching or bleeding shouldn't be a problem. I think by the time we finish the portico paving, leaching problems may have subsided? Does anybody who I can contact to adjust the portico on the ground to relevel the portico and roof? 1 827 You’re on the right track, wire brush in a grinder then a zinc rich epoxy primer then a top coat of some sort, like a waterproofing membrane. Raising the concrete would… 1 7020 |