Hi, I recently ordered some solid wood, treated, C16 floor joists from a well known builder's merchant but they arrived on the back of the wagon uncovered and soaking wet. I didn't accept the delivery, phoned them and ended up getting a refund.
They told me that they never cover/wrap such stock for delivery and they never get turned down by the purchaser.
While I accept that the 'treatment' helps prevent fungal attack, it doesn't prevent the timber from soaking up moisture and therefore exposing it to possible weaknesses and dimensional distortions that happen as it dries and acclimatises. Plus there's the problem of actually storing the timber healthily until it dries.
I need to use the new timber in an existing floor and as far as I am aware, if there's too much of a difference in moisture content between new and existing, it can cause problems with my floor as the moisture content balances out.
Am I in the wrong? Does the nature of timber not apply to 'everybody else' who buys these joists from this builder's merchant?
Please advise!
Lee.