Green Products Co. 30001 Copper Green Wood Preservative, 1-Gallon

Let's deal with the biggest down side first. All the timbers in the coal cellar of my grandparents' house, built in 1875, were treated with this stuff, and the odor never dissipated. My father built a tool shed in 1958, and treated it with the same stuff, and, again, the odor was still there when I left England in 1977. For me, then, there is a nostalgic connection with my childhood when I use it, but other people may well find the smell intolerable. If that's you, you need to know it's never going to go away!That said, for treating outside lumber, I don't know of anything better. I built a 20' x 40' deck around our spa, and treated all the lumber with 3 coats, using two 1 gallon cans, and still had half a can left when I was done. Slop it on with an appropriately sized paintbrush, and repeat until itns no longer being absorbed. That's how easy it is to apply. MUCH cheaper then buying pressure treated lumber, and cknceivably more durable.I'm betting that if you can still smell the stuff half a century or more later, it's probably still keeping the bugs at bay that long, too.

This stuff really works, for years. Treated some 2x10s on a flatbed trailer that’s left outside in north west Washington. 20 years later, no rot. ‘Nuf said.

This green wood preservative definitely delays wood decay on landscape timbers. The smell is quite intense. Apply in a ventilated area. The green color quickly fades over a period of two weeks. Based on past use, it remains effective for about 4 years.

Definitely works. Strong odor! Got the jobs done!

Used for outdoor pine frames for firewood. EZ to use; well ventilated area is a must. As are gloves, glasses and a mask.

The Copper Green is good stuff. But I found it doesn't dry on a deck joist as quickly as the WoodLife CopperCoat product. I applied it in the late afternoon and in the morning it was still a little 'greasy'. My deck tape wouldn't stick. With WoodLife the Natha liquid would flash-off fast and I was able to put the tape on within an hour of application. So, for any other application where quick taping or staining isn't concerned, then the Copper Green may be a better choice since it contains about 10% more 'copper' by volume. If coating and taping is part of the project, go with the WoodLife, it's faster.BTW, for those concerned about this stuff washing away in a rain, it's unlikely. If you google Copper Napthenate (the active ingredient) you'll find it's really a type of 'salt'. In other words, it's a non-water-soluble crystal (technically, all metals have crystals too... referred to as 'grains'). So, once the crystal forms in the pours of the wood (i.e. the stuff dries), rain isn't going to wash it out for a very long time.

This soaks into wood as if the wood is a sponge. The wood bubbles as this stuff forces it way into the tiny cracks in the wood. Seems like the wood is totally saturated. The green tint went away after a week or so. And regular stain took OK, although it had to be wiped as the wood was probably saturated with this stuff. One gallon was used to cover about 13 ft2 of 2 inch thick tree trunk (7,18 inch tables). The only negative is the smell. It is a musty smell ( locker room, nasty tennis shoes, moldy basement) that takes a couple months to go away. It doesn't seem bad while you are working with it, but as it dries on the wood it is noticeable. Just keep it away from the house as it cures.

Copper Green is reasonably priced at 1 gallon. Use safety equipment when applying the product. I used PVC long sleeved gloves, a 3m high performance respirator, and a 3m face shield. Users are correct when they state it has a pungent odor. Try as best as possible to keep off your skin. The smell lingers on your skin for a day or two even after thorough washing. Trust me, you breathe enough of the vapors and you will get dizzy or sick. I was born with asthma and just getting a whiff of this stuff sort of makes me wheeze a little. I needed to use this product up under the eave of my roof. I have a metal roof and somewhere near the end of the valley is a leak. Water gets under the flashing and finds an opening through either a nail or screw hole. Copper green is for exterior use only. I used it in this situation since the area affected is at the eave and not above livable space. The vapors don't intrude the inside of the house.