Rustic Arbor – How to Protect Pine Wood

Q: My wife has decided that I want to build a rustic arbor. I did not know I wanted to do this but I cut several skinny pine trees and used my grandfather’s draw knife to remove the bark . What is the best way to protect the wood from borers?

A: Spray a borate-based insecticide (Bora-Care, Timbor, etc.) onto the peeled wood several times over several days, allowing it to soak into the wood as far as it can. Once the wood has dried, apply a water-seal product (Thompson’s, Olympic, Cabot, etc.) to prevent rain from leaching the borate out of the wood. The uprights buried in the ground present the biggest problem: avoiding rot. Consider using a Strong-Tie base to anchor each post to a concrete pillar underground.