Attic Wood Leaking Sap

While there are complex chemical components found in tree sap it s easy to compare sap to blood.

Attic wood leaking sap.

Use a coarse plastic sponge to scrape the oozed resinous compounds and go over the surface of the wood with a clean towel. Sap on boards can be a problem. For a start you need to clean all the sap which is gradually crystallizing on the top of the affected wood. The sap when in live trees carries nutrients throughout the tree that helps to keep it alive.

Sanding blocks help smooth large flat areas. Like kevin said the attic heat restores this to a liquid form and it flows out. We see more of this sap staining when the wood used for framing was not kiln dried before construction. Sap can caused a problem on decks and in houses where wood beams are used for support.

The sap feels pretty solid to the touch and not really sticky. Much of the wood produced for framing lumber has pitch pockets or areas of crystalized resin. Imgp3939 by r0ckstarr on flickr. It cooks out in the heat and eventually crystallizes.

These materials slow the leakage by clogging the wood grain pores but will not stop it completely. Sand the wood surface with fine 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the grain and remove any crystallized sap. Sfogarty sean fogarty february 25 2016 3 40am 6. Use a handheld oscillating fitted with.

It s sap crystals that have been extruded from the wood due to high attic temperatures. Hopefully not on your hands as you steady your walk through the attic. Turpentine works perfect for this purpose and it will not damage the quality of the wood. Similarly when a tree is damaged the sap can bleed out.

Is this normal for this kind of wood and is this cedar. You should be able to determine the adequacy of the attic ventilation by direct observation of the ventilation system. When it is wet it is sticky and can rub off on clothing or attract dust and dirt. When it dries it hardens and becomes difficult to remove creating unsightly spots or bumps in the wood surface.

Attic ambering refers to wooden beams in the attic having sap leak out. Some wood has an abundance of sap in it.