Attic Wood Leaking Sap

It s sap crystals that have been extruded from the wood due to high attic temperatures.

Attic wood leaking sap.

Some wood has an abundance of sap in it. Is this normal for this kind of wood and is this cedar. The sap when in live trees carries nutrients throughout the tree that helps to keep it alive. These materials slow the leakage by clogging the wood grain pores but will not stop it completely.

When it is wet it is sticky and can rub off on clothing or attract dust and dirt. Sanding blocks help smooth large flat areas. Like kevin said the attic heat restores this to a liquid form and it flows out. 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. Sfogarty sean fogarty february 25 2016 3 40am 6. While there are complex chemical components found in tree sap it s easy to compare sap to blood.

For a start you need to clean all the sap which is gradually crystallizing on the top of the affected wood. Imgp3939 by r0ckstarr on flickr. Sand the wood surface with fine 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the grain and remove any crystallized sap. We see more of this sap staining when the wood used for framing was not kiln dried before construction.

Sap on boards can be a problem. Attic ambering refers to wooden beams in the attic having sap leak out. When it dries it hardens and becomes difficult to remove creating unsightly spots or bumps in the wood surface. Treat the knot areas with extra coats of the finishing material.

Hopefully not on your hands as you steady your walk through the attic. It cooks out in the heat and eventually crystallizes. Use a coarse plastic sponge to scrape the oozed resinous compounds and go over the surface of the wood with a clean towel. Use a handheld oscillating fitted with.

There s a couple support boards for the roof in my attic that have sap dripping out of them. Similarly when a tree is damaged the sap can bleed out.