Effect of Polyethylene Glycol on the Dimensional Stability of Wood

Polyethylene glycol-1000 stabilizes wood by bulking the fibers. It also serves as a chemical seasoning agent, supresses decay in high concentrations, and has slight effect on physical properties, gluing, or finishing Although an amount of chemical equivalent to about 30 percent of the dry weight of the wood is required to give high degrees of dimensional stabilization, less is needed to cut down face checking that results from seasoning and occurs due to humidity changes in service. Although the chemical can be leached from wood, surface coatings do an excellent job of keeping them in the wood. The toughness of wood is not reduced by the treatment. Static-bending and abrasion-resistance properties are reduced only to the extent that would be expected from the bulking of the fibers. The treated wood has good decay resistance and can be readily glued and finished, but the rate of drying of finishes is greatly retarded.

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