WeatherShield Premium Wood Products
WeatherShield – The Smarter Treated Wood
Today I noticed a new product at The Home Depot, WeatherShield Premium Pressure-Treated Decking. What caught my eye was the warranty for this new type of pressure treated wood. WeatherShield offers a limited lifetime warranty which is guranteed protection against rot, decay and termite damage.
If these claims are accurate this is a huge development within the treated lumber market. The original versions of pressure treated lumber have been good, but 20 years is really about the maximum you can expect to see before problems arise. The manufacturer boasts the following:
- Enhanced Durability – Pretreated with a wood stabilizer to reduce splitting, cracking, warping and swelling.
Improved Weather Protection – Factory applied water repellent requires no additional sealing for one full year.- New Lighter Color – Cleaner and brighter for a more natural appearance and improved stainability.
- Building Code Compliant – Less corrosive to screws, nails, hardware and aluminum products.
- SCS Certified – Environmentally Preferred Treated Wood Products
Currently this version of the product is being sold by The Home Depot exclusively. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of this product on the market very soon. Have you used it yet? I’d love to hear some feedback on it.
I compared both today & quizzed the store clerks, they called the manufacturer and he stated that the standard and premium both are treated with the same process/chemicals, but that the premium is a better grade. We hand selected the standard and believe we got a comparable product.
However, I could see a visible difference in color. For the difference in price (about $300) on a 500sf deck, I hope I didn’t make the wrong selection.
I’m betting on it being a marketing ploy.
How may I obtain MSDS for your product 1×4-12 APP GRADE. ESR1721 AA-680 County wirker and work with and handle your product often.
Rene’
@ Rene – You’d need to contact the manufacturer….this site has no relationship with the product.
How can I contact the Manufacturer with questions?
Terry – Check with Home Depot on that.
i built a 19 by 16 deck using weathershield wood decking,posts,railings and spindles…finished in june of 09…..the railings are turning grey and mildewing like crazy and so are some of the spindles…decking is ok but a few are mildewing…..no, my deck is not under a tree….sorry i didn’t treat the wood…but was told no worries for at least a year……..not true…..
John – Sorry to hear about your experience. I just looked over there information again and they don’t mention anything in the warranty about color. I will say that most industry professionals do recommend waiting a year before sealing any type of pressure treated lumber. Typically most people let it set for a year, some discoloration occurs, clean it with a pressure washer (will remove mildew and some of the coloration) then seal it. Have you spoken to the folks at HD where you bought it?
i’m sorry too……my understanding is that the reason you treat a deck is too delay and minimize problems such as mildew , discoloration, etc…….if i had not been told that the wood is good for at least a year, i would have treated it
haven’t talked to them yey…but i’m going to…
I saw this at Home Depot’s website. I wonder if you could use this for raised bed gardening?
BTW, I found Arch Chemical’s (the manufacturer) pdf on the stuff here:
http://www.archchemicals.com/Fed/WOLW/Docs/Outdoor/WS-5088-R1.pdf
The tag specifically says above ground only.
We built a whole deck out of this and finished with the decking boards just 3 weeks ago. Already getting significant splitting in about half the 5/4 decking boards. These splits run down the length of the boards in the centers mostly. Used decking screws and pre-drilled and countersank every hole. Any ideas on what to do in additional to applying sealant to stop the spread of these splits?
Jolene – PT decking can be a real pain! Many things can lead to longitudinal splitting; moisture level is the typical culprit, if the wood was very wet still when installed the cracks are likely due to drying of the wood, cupping of the deck boards can also be a problem when you screw them down tight. There’s not much you can do at this point to stop what mother nature has in store for the decking. Sealing may help a bit and it’s likely that most of the splitting has finished happening. Sorry I don’t have better advice on this one.
Same problem here. I built a 40′ x 48′ deck on steel frame. Pre-drilled holes and screws. I bought the weathershield decking because it claimed reduced splitting and cracking. BS! This deck is only 6 months old and already has more cracks and splits than my front deck built with standard 5/4 decking 5 years ago. Unfortunately we’re screwed. The Home Depot came out and looked at it and said that it is normal and would not get any worse. HA! I suspect next winter when the freezing rain comes my deck will be trashed.
Go with cedar decking. Will not split, warp, crack or shrink. More expensive, but worth it.
I bought weathershield decking a week ago. I have not even installed it yet and I have already noticed significant cracks and splits that were not there when I purchased it. Anyone have any advice?
Well, I had built some stairs to get up a hill a couple of years ago out of the Weathershield material and 2 x 10s and it still looks like new. Just finished a treehouse for the kids with it, and framing for the deck (haven’t put the decking on yet) and the reason I went with it was my experience with it in CT. The stairs are under a lot of trees and I never treated it.
I am extremely disappointed with this product. Bought about 15 to replace some of the boards on our deck, and they have warped and split. It has only been perhaps 3 mos. since I bought them. The 4 or 5 that I have not used have also warped. Not happy at all with this product.
Warren – Really seems to be a recurring sentiment from folks. Pressure treated lumber continues to be a source of disappointment regardless of which brand/formula folks use. Sorry to hear the bad performance.
I disagree. I have two forty foot decks on my home. The only problems with either of them is age. One deck is 26 years old, and just now starting to need some replacement. The other deck is 20 years old, and the only reason for replacement boards is because we got rid of our hot tub and are now building a screened in porch over part of the deck. Over time treated wood will do some naturally occuring warping and/or cracking, even more so if not taken care of properly. BUT it is absolutely unacceptable for a wood advertized as weathershield does, by claiming it does not require treatment for a year, to split, crack and warp as this wood did over a period of only 3 months. I will make sure to let people know not to purchase this weathershield premium wood. It is certainly not a premium product.
I installed my deck in November 2010 in February 2011 I noticed splitting in the wood .Now it is March and my 6 x 6 supports are cracked nearly the entire length along with my decking.Lately Home Depot wood has become junk.I am going to Lowes and never buy from Home Depot again.I am lucky there are both nearly 1 mile from each other.
Lowes is no better. In 2008, I put 5/4 premium w/lifetime warranty against rot, decay, and termites on my deck, in 2014 there were several places where it has rotted, and where I can put my foot through it, Had to replace about 15 boards out of the original 80, and I expect that I’ll have to replace the rest in 2 years. The Lowes premium pressure treated lumber expands and contracts laterally like crazy, most has cracked, and yes I waited 2 months before I sealed it using a premium semi-transparent stain, and it’s been restained since. Lowes WON’T stand behind the warranty, and neither will the vendor, both telling me that I should have waited 3 months between purchasing the boards and installing the boards so the wood could properly dry before using (nothing in the store covers this), covered the deck to prevent exposure to the sun and rain, used screws instead of ringshank nails, sealed the topside, sides, and underside of each board, and the BS list goes on. The original deck boards that I replaced were about 10 years old, and were showing signs of weathering, but no rot. They were the old CCA pressure treated. Sure wish I had kept the originals and sanded instead of replacing them with the Lowes junk.
thank’s for the comments.i have just been told by home depot that they have changed there whole product line to this wheathershield.as a professional for 35 years,i’m not going to take the risk. i have built many traditional pressure treated decks with success.however unless the supplier picks out the best wood in the pile,i suggest doing it yourself!even with the best traditional,you will always have some cracks,etc.after all a deck is usually built in direct sun.with traditional ,wait 6 months before applying a semi transparent stain,or wood life.
I would like to construct a raised bed garden with 2 x 10 Weathershield boards but noticed that the instructions say to not use it for circumstances where the preservatives may become a component of food. Does this mean it cannot be used for raised gardens? It appears that it does mean this.
You are correct. NEVER use pressure treated lumber for gardens. I recommend a naturally resistant wood like Cedar. Good luck.
We now wish we had found this page before purchaseing, putting up, and painting this product. We wanted to paint right away after assembling, and were told it was ok to paint/stain as it is kiln dried treated wood.
Well I guess time will tell. We just put the pre-assembled railings up this last weekend, so we’ll wait and see how it handles our dry South TX summer.
to Penny (may 16, 2011)
how did the painting work out, did you seal with oil base paint first? We are considerring painting w/ latex but heard from a lumberman that deals another product treated with MCA and kiln dried that it is always best to seal with oil before painting any treated wood.
I have purchased some WeatherShield deck boards, and I would like to know if there is an easy way to remove the black ink writing from the boards without sanding them.
I’m not really sure Fred. Before sanding you might want to try some oxygen bleach like Stain Solver or OxiClean. Those are great at removing stains from wood without damaging the wood fibers.
i am replacing my top deck boards on a 1800 square deck. the deck is 16″ on center so i can use anything i chose. i have been looking at composites and wood. the home depot has veranda composite ane weathershield.i am experienced with keeping up with the wood.i see they all get bad reviews. which one do you suggest i should go with. i live in eastern long island ny so they take a good beating.
Honestly, I’d recommend you look at IPE wood. It’s a dense tropical hardwood that doesn’t require sealing. It weathers a dark brown color, will last for years and won’t need any maintenance.
I installed last summer on a 25 x 15 deck
I expected some shrinkage I thought would be in the length
What I did not expect was in the width of each board
Installed with a 1/8 gap is now 3/4 inch gap both sides ??
Any more shrinkage and we’ll need to wear “snow shoes” so you don’t fall thru !
Contacting HD now to inquire about liability coverage
I’m really not surprised. Pressure treated lumber (especially pine) is going to shrink that much regardless of what they claim. Good luck!
I just installed the weather shield 2X6X10 boards last summer (2015) and I knew you had to wait for them to dry out before you seal them. Well, by last fall they already shrank from an deck screw width between them to a quarter- half inch width between them (about 6 months)! Last month (March 2016) pulled up all the boards painstakingly, bought 10 replacement boards thinking I could just move them over and butt them up to each other so if they shrink there will only be a small space. After pulling them all up I noticed how two thirds of them were warped and wouldn’t butt up evenly! I used 7 of the brand new boards because 3 out of the 10 were warped just sitting on a pallet outside for 2 weeks! So now I need 20 new boards! Of course I have to use the same weather shield boards so they all match! Very, very disappointing and frustrating! Years ago I never had this problem with the old green treated boards, but the next deck I build I will be spending the money on composit decking!
I’ve used it – thinking it was a 5/4″ redwood but not happy with it. In a 2 week period since I started using it, has it done all the things it said it wouldn’t, split, warp, twist. I feel Home Cheapo is selling this stuff without really making the customer aware it is not redwood but faux redwood. I am about 20% into my project and plan to start over after wasting good money on it already.
Wow thanks alot Home Depot….crap store. Unfortunately just finished my deck with this garbage premium wood. Don’t walk from this junk…run like hell…split all to hell and back already one week later.
I purchased Post Caps from Home Depot WeatherShield brand. In just one year they completely warped. The top part lifted and the nails holding it were rusted. I would not buy that product again and would not recommend it.
Sorry I bought this brand from HD. Three days after puchasing 4×4 posts and 2x4s the splitting is unreal. Will have to put some kind of filler in on the splits before winter….
I purchased several dozen WeatherShield post caps for my new deck and within a few months many were very warped. The top of one warped completely off. Several others are almost off and sticking off. They need to be replaced. I am in a position where they will all need to be replaced because they will all have to match. What a waste of money!
I am an individual who has bought your “Pressure-treated pine with Copper Cover”. The plastic cover says they are made in China, but I bought them at Home Depot………….could you tell me how I can clean them and should I treat/spray anything on them to preserve the copper look.? Thank you
Bob – I don’t make/sell anything. This is a site where I write about building topics. Anyway, copper will tarnish when exposed to the weather, pretty tough to keep the copper look if it’s indeed real copper.
I have just purchased several of your “Copper & Wood Post Caps…………..I would like to know how to preserve their present color. pls advise asap. Thank you.
We don’t sell products. This is purely a content based web publication. We have no affiliation at all with products.
My husband and I were considering this product but after all the negative reviews …think we should keep looking. We have a huge deck that wraps around both the south and west sides of our house. No overhang, so fully exposed to both sun and snow …we live in Colorado. We’re concerned about composite decking due to the heat it generates in summer, and slippery in the winter with ice/ snow. What deck product would you recommend in conditions like Colorado? We’re not sure about Ipe due to how dry / lack of humidity in CO. Any recommendations would be most appreciated.
Shelley – We do quite a few decks each year here in New England and face the same dilemma, very hot in the summer and very cold and snowy in the winter. My own home I used Kambara (similar to IPE) and if I had to do it all over again I would definitely use composite. First and foremost the maintenance is a killer, regardless of what wood you choose, you’ll have to take care of it far more than you want. Secondly, many of the composites today are very nice and most of them have figured out the fading issues and poor weathering.
Good luck.
we live in high altitude Colorado. We use the weather shield for joists and 6 by 6 posts, but that’s it. Tree deck boards.
I could see what it was wanting to do right away. It was so heavy and wet. I ended up blocking the licorice-like joists and ended up with an awesome (both) deck. One of them is 20×14 detached, the other 18×12 ledger. The crowns rolled right out with decking. I coveted it and the raw redwood railings in polyurethane. I just wish it would come dryer. The original crowning was scary as was the variations in width! But it rocks. It does not seem like it would be good on anything less than 2x though so I started away from the decking. I was not planning on tripling my blocking pattern, but it really makes good blocks.
can I use this against concrete
yes
Thanks for all the input on WeatherShield and Home Depot. The folks at HD said it was the greatest thing since slice bread but experience has told me they mostly don’t know much about the products they sell. Anyway WeatherShield is not in my future plans. So on to Plan B…whatever that is.
I don’t know about the quality of the Weathershield premium wood per se becuase I usually pick though the standard Weatghershield but all the pressure treated decking I have ever used is very wet when I buy it. I can almost squeeze the water out of it with my bare hands. Wet wood shrinks and saturated wood shrinks a lot. If you screw it down when it is wet you should put the boards tight up against each other because they will shrink a LOT. When they shrink, since the screws won’t let the wood shrink without resistance it ends up tearing and that is what the big splits are.
When I buy decking I try and let it dry out before I use it. I lay the boards down on a flat surface spaced an inch or two apart and the lay more boards on top of them crossways also with a decent gap to let air flow. I keep doing this for how many ever layers I need. I then put some weight on the top to keep the top layers from warping and causing even more problems. You want the wood to dry out but the slower it dries out the better. Once it is dry you should pre-drill the holes before driving the screws because dry wood splits. In fact if you can drive a screw within a couple of inches of the end of the board without pre-drilling and it doesn’t split then it’s not dry enough. You want a small gap in between the boards so depending on whether they boards are completely dry or partially dry leave a gap…the drier the board the bigger the gap you should leave.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer or are a contractor doing a big project where the wood can be bought early and just sit then this is a great way to go. If you are hiring a contractor just for a deck, buy the wood first thing and let them do the footings, stringers etc but make them come back for the decking after 2-3 weeks. You will be much happier with the results. You will still have some smaller cracks in the wood because wood does that but the major cracking due to shrinking will be avoided.
I actually like composites better but they are expensive…starting off at about 3 times as expensive per square foot and going up from there.
I left a piece of this product laying top of a cast iron table saw for 5 days and when I moved it this evening I was amazed at the degree of rust which formed on the table saw on the area which was under the board. this board was not wet and had been in inside storage. This treatment product for this wood is really aggressive to bare cast iron. In 5 days this cast iron looked and felt like 120 grit sandpaper, had I left it there much longer there would have been significant pitting in the top of table saw. I was able to sand it off and remove the rust, but was shocked at how aggressive this product is to bare cast iron.
Alan – Any piece of pressure treated lumber would do this. While the wood may look dry, pressure treated lumber has a very high moisture content.
My Township used some of this to replace some handrails on a foot bridge and because of design restrictions could only put the screws in one line about 1/3 of the way in from the inside. I predicted and it has happened that the would would begin to cup and cause the outside edges to curl up from the constant wetting, and sun drying that heppens to exposed wood. So now the corners are sticking up about 3/4 of an inch high.
Wood should have a low about 8-12% moisture level and then be sealed immediately, possibly even before construction if is to last under constant dew wetting and solar drying. I hope Home Depot makes good on the warranty.
I bought about four hundred dollars worth of this weathershield wood, to build a chicken coop. After reading this thread I worry I made a bad decision. Maybe someone on here can make me feel a little better. I plan on using the wood for my run, meaning it will be in contact, and in some places under the ground. The guy at HD said nothing about the warranty breach upon using this stuff on the ground. I cannot afford to change my plans. Is there anyway I could get a little advice from a professional on the best way to go about this build?
Do I have to wait an entire month before using a water seal on this wood, if not what is the shortest amount of time I should wait to seal this stuff?
I also plan on attaching hardware cloth(welded wire) to the wood, will this wood corrode my hardware cloth?
Some of the wood used for the run will be buried about six inches to detour predators from digging under. What would be the best way to treat this pressure treated WS lumber, if I use it on the ground? I understand this voids the warranty, I am not concerned with that for it doesn’t sound like they stand by the warranty anyway.
I have heard of cases where you shouldn’t even treat the wood under the ground level, but I am no pro!
Thanks for the help
Purchased Weathershield wood from Home Depot the beginning of April of this year (2016), for a new 18’x20′ deck here in Colorado. Service person in that department highly recommended the pretreated redwood. Wood was good and dry. Contractors came right after the 4th of July and built my new deck. Within a week I noticed severe cupping, cracking, splitting, warping. You name it, it was doing it! Went to Home Depot and complained and took pictures in. Got major run around for over a week. They have not had a manager at this location for months (seems they couldn’t keep one). Finally an assistant manager of one of the departments that was acting manager called to set a time to come and take a look along with a rep., from the vendor. Never got a call for over a week and a half! I called and the assistant was on vacation. She never mentioned this when she told me she would get back to me within a week. Finally I got a hold of her and vendor said they would replace 10 16′ deck boards and 10 rails out of 55 boards. There was not one board that had any less than 2 things not happening plus the large post were a mess! It is still continuing to cup, warp etc. I called their resolutions department and they call the store. The Rep spoke with Trina the Asst. mng., and she said it was not that bad. Bull****! I spent well over $3,000 (materials only) for this deck and am just sick how it looks and feels on my feet. They’ve lost my business. I will never again shop at Home Depot. They do not stand by there merchandise unless you buy protection agreements!
Buyer BEWARE!!!!! Stay away from this stuff at all costs!!! I am a contractor, that recently made the mistake of using this “premium” product, on a relatively large project. Halfway through 145 decks being constructed, started noticing pretty significant problems. Aside from the fact that the cosmetic quality of the lumber is far from “premium”, having some major, major warping, cupping, twisting, splitting, etc. What were once straight 4×4 rail posts have turned into bananas. What were once tight and straight 2x rail caps, have now pulled through ringshank nails and 3 inch screws. Also warping so band that they will pull a post 1″ out of plumb in 3 feet. Not only is the lumber bad but at this current time the Home Depot has yet to stand behind their product. Aside from their claims that this is all normal, it is not. Plain and simple. You would think after spending well over 100,000 on this material they would be quick to take care of the problem, not so far. Garbage
So with all this bad product out there every where even on my aunts ramp who is disabled, what is Home Depot going to do nothing about this, this is a big huge problem. Why are they selling it then ?if they don’t stand behind their product. Then they have no business selling it. All these people now are going to have to fix all their projects , that’s TIME and MONEY WASTED!!!!!!!! Like if we all don’t have anything else to do but build and tear up build and tear up. What a big mess this is. Some one needs to stop this garbage now!!!!’!!!!!”
Well, it does have a lifetime limited warranty. Thru weather shield. It’s on all the little tags on the boards
I purchased one of the 2″ x 12″ x 4ft outdoor stair treads because it had a pleasing defect in the wood. I would like to use it to make a decorative shelf for indoor us, but am concerned about using a treated product inside the house. Is there a way to coat or process the product that would make it safe for use inside?
I wouldn’t use it inside the house for anything decorative.
THIS PRODUCT SAYS AMONG OTHER THINGS SUITABLE FOR ABOVE GROUND AND INTERIOR USE. AFTER SUPERSTORM SANDY BUILDING CODE REQUIRES ANYTHING BELOW THE LIVING LEVEL BE PRESSURE TREATED, THEREFORE ALL STUDS BEHIND THE SHEETROCK ARE P.T. WE HAVE BEEN INSTALLING AS A DECORATIVE OPTION OVER STUDS ON CONCRETE WALL BASED ON THE ‘SUITABLE FOR INTERIOR USE’. WOULD WE NEED TO CONTACT MANUFACTURER FOR CLARIFICATION ON ‘INTERIOR USE’? ALSO WHAT ABOUT FIRE CODE RATING? AFRAID TO CONTINUE…
I looked at different types of decking for quite a while, maybe overly so.
My existing deck was built by prior homeowner, on a house I acquired in 2000. Deck surface were 2×6 boards, not the more common 5/4 you see now.
Because I hated the solid color stain prior owner used, I was stuck with two choices. I re stained with the many gallons they over-purchased that were in garage, and that was in 2004. After that, I decided to let nature restore them to the silver-grey color they were meant to become. I learned the solid-color stain ( BROWN PAINT ) really does protect, because it seals the wood.
So I spent a year deciding what to replace with. A visit to the big box store yielded a sight to behold……. a red-dust stained concrete floor surrounding their racking of faux ceder/redwood lumber, all of which was twisted in every direction.
I researched decking, and found there is a process quite different for decking boards that stabilized the wood, so that water will not be absorbed, the wood will not shrink, and lumber will be naturally insect and rot proof. I thought it was rediculous, but read on. Wood is treated in a pressure chamber of steam, at rather high heat, in the 400s. This is like a pressure cooker. The claim is the cell walls collapse, and all the sugard are boiled out of the lumber. Result is a 6% moisture product that is ready to install. Decking is to be spaced at 1/4″ to allow for slight EXPANSION, for balancing to ambient moisture of your climate. Wood needs no staining or sealing, if you like silver-grey that the beautiful but temporary maple-syrup color will turn to. IF you wish to maintain the darker or any color, you must use oil based stains, as the lumber does not absorb water. My decking boards, 5/4 X 6 X 16′ were 1.99 a linear foot at retail for “Scot Pine” ( Knotty Pine from Norway ) they also do same process with ASH from USA. NO tropical woods are harvested, no China Lumber, Hopefully no BS Claims. My only gripes so far, 1. there is No warranty, which is a foolish move from Thermory, the manufacturer. 2. Thermory does not offer molded railing or other products to finish the job, only dimensional lumber and decking. Structure will still need to be pressure treated lumber for anywhere wood contacts soil.
I’ve inspected two decks recently that have used the Weathershield deck boards and both of them have excessive warping of the boards after just a short period of time. The companies here who have been in business for years, Madison Wood Preservers, and Culpeper Wood Preservers don’t have that problem. My guess is the wood is not fully kiln dried before it is treated and again after it leaves the preservative treatment. Would not recommend this product at all.
I’m having a deck installed. The deck boards have unsightly green stains all over them. I understand this is from the weatherproofing process. Will the green stains go away? How long will it take? I want to seal and/or stain but don’t want to seal in the green color. Thanks!
it will fade, can PT lumber can’t be stained for at least a year.
We bought a renovated home that the investor group sold. Whoever built the deck, used Weathershield (I found a little tag on the end of one of the boards that wasn’t completely over-sprayed). Actually, all of the cracking and splitting I read about in the thread isn’t all that evident, but what IS EVIDENT in a few places is RESIN that has leached through and it is very STICKY! Now I’m wondering what to do.
WeatherShield is just PT, it’s a brand they sell, PT lumber doesn’t have a resin, it’s pressure treated like all PT lumber.
Todd. I was at Home Depot yesterday checking on the manufactured decking products. I noticed the 5/4X6 – 12″ STD PT GC Weathershield. I am more confused now after reading the above. I would swear it was a manufactured product. Living in Louisiana, we could not live with a wood product. Let me know if this is a wood or a manufactured product. I hate talking to the HD employees. They act like it was a privilege to talk to them. So sad
WeatherShield is just a brand that they developed for their PT line of material. It’s not a manufactured product.
Go up a level to Pro wood. The lowest rated pro wood can be used in fresh water. Woud recommend UC4B for posts, but the 4A has been good for anyitng not salt water and critical.
Go to : Decks and docks , they are great, and helpful. Most of their business is professionals, but they treat the rest of us very well also.
Agree, use Tex for decking, just so much better unles slike me you wnat a wood look on a boat dock.
I’ve read all the comments which are 99% negative. It is now September 2022 and Home Depot is still selling WeatherShield 5/4”x 6” decking with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Has anything changed? Has the quality of the decking improved?