looking for KDAT treated lumber supplier in Eastern PA

[dale rex]

Bought it for several years at a local lumber yard until they went out of business. Been looking for it elsewhere ever since and finally gave up after getting blank looks from the sales people at various lumber yards. Anyone know of anything around the Philly area?

[S.Joisey]

I started a thread a few months ago asking the same thing for southern New Jersey. You might want to do a search and check it out. One of the posters mentioned Bradco, which might be in your area.

I finally found it by going backwards. I located manufacturers through the web, then went to their list of distributors. Found out one of the my local yards was listed as a distributor - one of the yards that gave me a blank look and said "we can't get it". I made another phone call to them, talked to who I consider to be their most knowledgeable sales person, and asked him to check again, Bingo! He found it. He still calls it "That stuff you like to get".

[Norm Yeager]

I used tu buy it at MRD lumber in Coopersburg, Pa. It's 10 miles below Allentown. It was a great lumber yard, but that was 14 years ago. I don't know whether they're still there.

[dale rex]

called MRD already and they dont have it anymore. Took a road trip to check out a lumber yard 40 miles south of my area and they have it, but unfortunately they dont keep it covered or dry.......when i tried to select some from the pile it was sopping wet from all the rain we had recently. Go figure......its KDAT , kiln dried after treatment, shouldnt it be kept dry so it can be used and painted immediately after buying?

[S.Joisey]

called MRD already and they dont have it anymore. Took a road trip to check out a lumber yard 40 miles south of my area and they have it, but unfortunately they dont keep it covered or dry.......when i tried to select some from the pile it was sopping wet from all the rain we had recently. Go figure......its KDAT , kiln dried after treatment, shouldnt it be kept dry so it can be used and painted immediately after buying?

That wouldn't be Peter Lumber down in Limerick, would it? I called their branch near me and got the same response. "Oh, you want to paint it? We don't keep it covered, so it's pretty wet."

Re-hydrated kiln dried lumber. That's quite a waste.

[dale rex]

It was in a town called Lumberville, PA. Tinsman Lumber I think. I called a few others near Lancaster, PA and asked if they cover their KDAT and they all said no. I agree this is a waste. Damn I really miss the ole lumber yard i used to buy from that got forced out by the big box stores. They carried the full line of KDAT from 2x 4 up to 2x12. Kept it in a closed shed and it was damn nice stuff. Now its a bitch to find good exterior wood anymore. Clear Cedar is getting so obscenely expensive I hate to buy it anymore, and I have seen some evidence of rot on previous repairs I have done less than 5 years ago. What else can one do to provide a long lasting repair? I use premium grade kiln dried cedar, seal all sides and all endgrain before installation and it still rots. I am just now trying some Jasco copper wood preservative on some new Cedar Im installing to repair a pergola. Gonna stain it after the preservative dries then install, then stain again.

[Norm Yeager]

I've bought from Tinsman many times. That Lumber yard has been in the family over 150 years if I remember right. I loved to explore their many barns, sheds and covered storage areas. They used to have about any old piece of moulding, siding or rare millwork you could ask for. In addition they really knew their stuff. So different than going into a Lowes or HD. One other place you might try is Shelly's. They have yards in Perkasie, Souderton, Quakertown and a few other places. We had salesmen there who really understood the business and the meaning of service. The one I remember most was Doug Worley. If anyone in the world had what you needed Doug would find it and get it for you. I don't know if he's still there but he was the best I ever dealt with.

[dale rex]

Norm, I was really impressed by the Tinsman Lumber Co also. They have a huge place there and looks like they had everything and anything. I kinda figured it was a family business by the way there customer service was excellent. I was kind of surprised when I saw the KDAT was out in the weather like that and constantly gets wet. I forgot about Shelleys, they used to have a branch in Allentown, but closed it a few years ago. Not sure where they are now around here now. Ill have to look them up. Do you remember Ritter and Smith? Thats who I used to buy from until they went out of business.

[Norm Yeager]

Dale,
I've bought from Ritter & Smith, but it's been 14 years since I've been in Pa. One other place I've thought of is C.R. Dampman in Pennsburg,Pa. They are halfway between Quakertown & Pottstown on Rt. #663. They always had nice material.
I'd try Shelly's in Souderton and ask for Doug Worley. If KDAT is available anywhere he'll find it and point you in the right direction.

[CedarEd]

Norm Yeager,

Even in Western Red Cedar the 'sapwood' portion of the log has No Decay Resistance. This means that if you have sapwood in any wood, it will decay even used 20 feet off the ground and painted. If the Western Red Cedar is having rot after so short a time make sure you identify the sapwood in the next piece you buy. Western Red Cedar "Heartwood" will vary in color from a light pink to a dark chocolate brown, and all of it is highly resistant to decay. Sapwood in a Western Red Cedar piece of lumber is almost exactly the color of a plain 'Manila Folder' that you might buy at an office supply store. Sapwood never has that pink to brown color tone, always looks like the manila folder. Often, if the WRC is stored poorly you will see green mold growing, but it only grows on the sapwood, never the heartwood. The heartwood contains a natural fungicide that sapwood does not have, and prevents the mildew-mold from growing..

I hope this helps.

[CedarEd]

There are only a few Pressure Treaters who specialize in offering the Pressure Treated Southern Pine Kiln Dried After Treatment (KDAT). Try a Google search for them, and ask them for a list of who distributes their KDAT Pressure treated Soutern Yellow Pine, and they can tell you where to go to buy it. You might also look for the Pressure Treated Lumber industry's trade association. Then there's the American Wood Council, and the Southern Forest Products Association who might be useful as well. I work for a West Coast, Canadian Based Trade association, The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (www.WRCLA.org) 1-800-266-1910, and I provide information on Western Red Cedar. The Southern Forest Products Industry has similar trade associations that do as much for their products, like KDAT PT SYP lumber. I hope this helps.

[S.Joisey]

There are only a few Pressure Treaters who specialize in offering the Pressure Treated Southern Pine Kiln Dried After Treatment (KDAT). Try a Google search for them, and ask them for a list of who distributes their KDAT Pressure treated Soutern Yellow Pine, and they can tell you where to go to buy it.

That's how I found my KDAT lumber.

Next problem is getting it on time. The load I ordered a month ago finally came yesterday. It made it's way to me though various distributors, waiting along the way for enough of an order to accumulate to send it along it's way. Somewhere along the line, it was left out in the elements, and was pretty wet by the time it got to me.

I cut everything to size, and now have it stickered in a heated room with fans blowing on 'till it is dry enough to stain. A month ago, the temp was in the 50-60's. Now it's 20's and windy as h-ll. KDAT lumber blew my profit margin.

[CedarEd]

The cost of KDAT back in the 70's was the same when I was a lumber buyer for Georgia Pacific in a Long Island warehouse. The Green (wet) CCA treated So Pine was so heavy after pressure treating only 13,000 bd. ft could be legally carried on a Trailer from Virginia where it was treated. But when i put the KDAT on the truck it could carry 26,000 bd.ft. for the same truck freight. Since the upcharge for the Kiln was the same as the cost of truck freight the KDAT and the wet after treatment arrived for the same price in New York.

When shipping lumber it has to be protected with a tarp, in case it rains because even wet lumber will become filthy dirty from road spray on an open flatbed lumber truck. The supplier should have protected you, his customer who he knew demanded Dry new lumber. He should have refused to accept the wet lumber if the trucker delivered it that way. That was his responsibility to you, and you should let him know it. It also should have been wrapped in lumber wrap as well. When you buy new products they should look like new, even lumber. I would never accept wet, dirty, or damaged lumber from anyone, question is why did you ?

[S.Joisey]

The cost of KDAT back in the 70's was the same when I was a lumber buyer for Georgia Pacific in a Long Island warehouse. The Green (wet) CCA treated So Pine was so heavy after pressure treating only 13,000 bd. ft could be legally carried on a Trailer from Virginia where it was treated. But when i put the KDAT on the truck it could carry 26,000 bd.ft. for the same truck freight. Since the upcharge for the Kiln was the same as the cost of truck freight the KDAT and the wet after treatment arrived for the same price in New York.

When shipping lumber it has to be protected with a tarp, in case it rains because even wet lumber will become filthy dirty from road spray on an open flatbed lumber truck. The supplier should have protected you, his customer who he knew demanded Dry new lumber. He should have refused to accept the wet lumber if the trucker delivered it that way. That was his responsibility to you, and you should let him know it. It also should have been wrapped in lumber wrap as well. When you buy new products they should look like new, even lumber. I would never accept wet, dirty, or damaged lumber from anyone, question is why did you ?

Point well taken. The job needed to be done. Waiting for another load of lumber would have cost me more than my time drying this load of lumber.

[dale rex]

Isnt this business fun when you cant find the products that you need? LOL Actually, I just recently found a local lumber yard that carries KDAT that I had been buying Cedar from. I hadnt bought any treated lumber from them yet, (cause I typically dont use it for the repairs that I do because of its wetness) and figured I would ask if they knew anything about KDAT. To my surprise he said that theirs is KDAT! Now I can get either Cedar or KDAT from them. He also told me that they can get Redwood if I need it, although its extremely costly. Made me smile when I heard all of this.