On Sunday night I was sitting watching the Simpsons, my favorite television program, when I received a call from my dad. She was watching the Extreme Home Makeover show and noticed that they were building the house out of blue wood. He asked me “Why is this wood blue?” Confused, was it like “wood blue?” I asked him if he looked blue or it was blue, and he told me it was blue, the whole house. Without knowing what I was talking about, I investigated a bit, about this blue wood I was talking about, and I found some interesting data about it.
For starters, the wood is actually called Bluwood. Bluwood is a two part preconstruction wood protection system. The wood has a film on it that helps prevent moisture from penetrating the wood and also protects against wood-feeding fungi and insects.
Any wood can be treated. The film can be applied to any type of wood, from 2 × 4 to OSB (oriented chip board). That means that the subsoil, armor and even beams can have this film. It arrives at the pretramed workplace and can serve, nail and paint. Since the wood is pre-treated, it also protects the lumber while it is being placed outside while the house is being built without protection (up to 6 months).
Termites This wood uses an insecticide and fungicide that prevents termites and fungi from attacking wood and destroying their structural properties. The film adheres to the fibers that the termites like to eat, thus avoiding them.
The system. La primera parte del sistema de dos partes es la barrera de vapor. The wood is wrapped in a film that creates a steam barrier on the wood. This steam barrier controls the wood absorption properties and does not allow moisture to absorb, but also allows the wood to breathe, letting the humidity escape inside. Algo así como una envoltura para el hogar Tyvek. The second part of the system is an insecticide and fungicide tested.
How does it work. The two-part system is applied to all six sides of the wood, which they call the infusion process. After the infusion process is complete, this prevents the wood from absorbing moisture, but allows moisture to escape from the wood. Then, over time, the “infusion ingredients” continue to migrate below the surface of the wood, so in theory the inside of the wood is treated. I’ve never used the wood, so I don’t really know. I guess when you cut the wood it’s still protected. Through this process, the ingredients bind to the wood at the cellular level.
Less suction cups that split and frizz. Since wood has this vapor barrier, the film controls the rate at which moisture escapes from the wood. Preventing the wood from cupping, splitting and/or bending, something we encounter more often today than ever before due to the fast milling process. So no more going to a big box home improvement store and swapping out a stack of 2×4s to find the 2 you need to be straight.
