MY POST HAS A LARGE CRACK IN IT. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
“Splits” and “checks,” as they are commonly called in the industry, are a normal and unavoidable part of owning an outdoor product made from pressure-treated Southern Yellow Pine.
A “check” is defined as a separation of the wood, normally through the rings of the lumber and is the result of seasoning. These “splits” and “checks” are part of the nature of lumber and are an unavoidable part of the drying process.
What often happens is once you’ve received your structure and install it, you probably notice the nice finish and smooth lumber. This is because we keep most of our nice kiln-dried and smoothly, milled lumber indoors and away from additional rain and moisture. However, once your structure is re-introduced to the outdoors with external effects, such as humidity, rain, and the sun, those external effects begin to interact with the lumber and the moisture content begins to change.
As a result of the change in moisture, “checks” and “splits” begin to occur due to the outer surface of the lumber drying and shrinking faster than the inside. The center of the lumber, swollen with moisture, holds solid and the shrinking exterior gives way and splits open. Although an aesthetic issue “checks” rarely diminishes the service life of properly treated lumber. Most often, as the post or beam dries to an equal amount of moisture throughout the board, these “checks” and “splits” will decrease in size or disappear over time.
When a check occurs, grab the stain provided with your structure, and touch up the exposed lumber inside the “check” or “split.” By protecting all exposed areas of the wood, this will help keep your structure looking its best and protect the newly exposed wood.
Just know this is simply the nature of lumber and will add to the character of the structure.
Mounting Kit
Easy Functionality
Subrella Fabric
Aluminum Parts
Janet –
After I stained it we had a couple friends come and help put it up. I looks great.
Melissa –
Beautiful pergola! I bought the unstained pergola, so I could have my own distinct color. Perfect for year round use. This pergola has turned into my favorite place outside of the house.
Karen –
Pergola kit was easy to assemble with clear directions and photos. Looks great and is a lovely addition to our existing deck.
Bernadette –
Love it good wood.
Randy –
After paint it look great easy to assemble
Devon –
Came well packaged, and promptly. We were able to put it up in a weekend with some breaks during the hottest parts of the days. There were some warped, and mildly split pieces of wood, but nothing that was broken, or unusable – just natural imperfections; the warped pieces just needed to be forced into the slots where needed. Overall the design is great, it looks fantastic on our deck, and we’ll be installing an after market sunshade with some UV protective fabric, and hardware store hardware.
Leslie –
Love this pergola more every day I look at it. My daughter and I put it together ourselves. There was one piece that didn’t go together well but we made it work. The price was great, as was shipping speed. Couldn’t be happier with it!