Impact of organosilicon treatments on the wood-water relationship of solid wood

The interaction of wood with water is a primary factor for degradation of the substrate. Organosilicons are known to behave like a water repellent, thus they are in discussion as protecting agents for wood used outdoors. In the present paper, the influence of water on organosilicon treated material was investigated. Solid Scots pine sapwood was impregnated or treated superficially with low concentrations of organosilicons and evaluated for several water related characteristics. The results confirm the water repellent properties of organosilicons as the polysiloxane film increases the contact angle between water and the wood substrate. However, they do not influence the total uptake of moisture but can change the rate at which moisture is taken up, and as such, prolong the service life of the substrate. In general, impregnated specimens behave better than dipped ones. To gain more insight in the exact behavior, continuous moisture uptake experiments are needed in real outdoor exposure tests