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+--- Thread: Waiwi posts (/showthread.php?tid=5247)
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RE: Waiwi posts - Troy - 03-15-2009
Aloha. I had great success using waiwi branches in a deck railing. I bought a plastic bin designed for under-bed storage (about 18" wide x 36" long x 8" deep) and soaked the branches (immediately after stripping the bark and cutting to size) in HIBOR. HIBOR is the treatment the lumberyards use to treat lumber to make it "exterior". You can buy it in 5 gal size at Home Depot. I pre-drilled through the top and bottom 2x4 into the waiwi branch and used deck screws to fasten them. After constructing them I sanded them and applied two coats of polyurethane varnish to seal them. They are under a roof so they don't get wet. I've had them for over a year with no noticeable bug damage.
(NOTE: when we've used them before without stripping the bark or varnishing them, the bugs seem to burrow between the bark and wood and destroy them). It is easiest to strip the bark immediately after cutting them. Once they dry it is very hard to strip them.
Good luck with your projects!