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All the different types of wood and even bamboo contain two forms of moisture. These are referred to as “Free Water and Bound Water”. The free water harbours itself within the fibre structure of the wood while bound water is found in the Hydroxyl Molecule which is the sole make up of the cellular compounds. First of all, a hydroxyl molecule has two tails, namely a hydrogen tail and an oxygen tail. The uptake of these two components created H20 or water.

Expansion and contraction of the wood is created the hydroxyl molecules take on either airborne or liquid moisture. Therefore, if there is no moisture present in the wood then there are no issues to contend with. Issues such as rotting, termites, mould, carpenter ants, mildew, bending or warping, cupping and splitting etc. In situations such as this the wood would be considered as dimensionally stable.

One of our main products called Petri-Wood is a solvent treatment which will instantly displace all fee water from the fibre structure of the wood. There are certain Silanes used in the termicide formulation and these act as water scavengers and since they are of extremely low molecular weight, they are capable of penetrating the cell wall structure of the molecule to attack the water held inside it. The displaced water is then replaced with a Si-Jel Matrix, which is a pliable silicone compound composed of a formulation of silicone and cedar oil.

The resultant phenomenon is created by a catalytic conversion that uses the bound water to trigger a hydrophobic reaction inside the hydroxyl molecule. This in turn caused the non utilized and excess water to release and it then exits the wood in the form of ethanol gas. The cedar oil component of the formulation is a synergism which allows the solution to bond with the water and subsequently water proofs the wood from the inside out. It also performs as a termicide and fungicide to provide more additional protection for the wood.

In summary of these facts; when the hydroxyl molecule is stabilized, the wood is moisture free and the hydrogen and oxygen tails of the molecule are sealed from intrusion by liquid or airborne moisture and cannot expand or contract as they would in non-stabilized wood. As the stabilized wood cannot expand or contract, there is no longer any movement and therefore, no cracking, splitting, cupping or warping will take place and fastener rejection is eliminated.

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