Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! All DreamDex products both clear and knotty are FSC chain of custody certified.

All of our Classic ( knotty) DreamDex in both the Sequoia and the CapeCod is graded on 2/common pine grading rules. This is a higher grade than the patio 1 and patio 2 grades commonly used for decking in the Ponderosa Pine species.  The lumber is then regraded and 95% of the heart centers are pulled out. We are now listed on CalFire under the Ponderosa Pine rule which states Class C fire rating. However, the knotty product is being tested, now, at Underwriters Labs to make sure it will fit under the Class A umbrella of all other DreamDex products.

A small amount of weather checking can be expected. However, once the initial checking happens, DreamDex is very stable and the checks will not increase in size over time as water is not being lost by the product.

The plan , now, is to produce CapeCod decking, with the Alabaster ( white ) railing, in February with our third color, a dark brown to be out mid year 2010. Barring any production setbacks, we will adhere to this schedule.

DreamDex Classic is the same Scientifically Enhanced Performance Lumber that DreamDex Clear is , with the exception that DD Classic has the classic knotty look of tight knot Redwood or Cedar. This gives the decking a different character which many people prefer!

Yes!!! DreamDex Classic will have a price point around the same as Construction Heart Redwood! the knot structure will be more along the lines of a tight knot , Select Heart decking. This is very exciting to us as this allows us to not only compete , favorably with all Composites and Hardwoods with our DreamDex Clear, but will allow us to also compete with the lower priced grades while still having the properties that make DreamDex unique in the decking world!

DreamDex has the highest fire rating available for a decking product. This is the same rating given to concrete!

DreamDex is scientifically enhanced softwood lumber to make it take on the properties of a fine hardwood and then some. In addition to having the hardness factor of Oak , DreamDex is extremely insect resistant . Although there is only one color, Sequoia, that will be on  the market soon, we have many colors to follow, with CapeCod grey being the second. The CapeCod grey will be complimented by Alabastor white railing components. We have been asked, repeatedly for a dark brown. We are working on a color to meet that demand, now. In addition to being in testing for a class A fire rating, we are very proud of the fact that DreamDex is water resistant to the point of actually shunning water. We do, however, recommend putting a high end treatment such as Penafin or Sikkens on the decking to enchance the properties and bring out the natural color tones.

The color in DreamDex will have some fading. However, because there are NO tannins in the original lumber, the Sequoia color will fade to a very pleasant brown with no gray overtones such as Redwood, Cedar, or Ipe ,have. Putting on a nice finish with UV inhibitors will prolong the natural color for a very long time. 

DreamDex will develop small checks or cracks . these are very minimal and will not affect the product in anyway. Because we are using actual lumber, if the product is sealed with a good UV based clear sealer, there will be very little checking. There is no cause for alarm at the small checks that develop, initially, as these will be contained to the initial small size and not develop into the very large cracks that are becoming more and more prevalent in lumber such as Ipe  and other hardwoods that take years to lose the water in the cells but, once lost, the lumber becomes dry and cracks. The small checks in DreamDex are not due to water loss , but due to the lumber actually settling in to its final form.

WindsorOne plus is 100% environmentally safe to use indoors. Because the agent taking the Fungicides and Insecticides into the wood is water, there is no problem with off- gassing that comes with the LOSP treated pines on the market. It is the petroleum based solvents taking the agents into the wood that cause the very strong off - gassing and cause those types of trims and sidings to be recommended for outdoor use only.

The MOE ( Modulus of Elasticity ) of DreamDex is 1040 Ksi ( Nominal )

The MOR ( Modulus of Rupture ) of DreamDex is 10.38 Ksi ( nominal )

At this time no sidings or trim boards are being made. The manufacturers have those items in their sights for a future date. BioCore has a multitude of possible uses and the parent company chose Decking and Railing as the rollout items.

Contact any of the e-mails listed on the home page and we will assist you. Compass Lumber products sells only to stocking retail lumber yards. We feel that WindsorOne and DreamDex go hand in hand to create  a craftsmanlike, finished remodel ,or newly built home. We fell strongly that those dealers that stock DreamDex and WindsorOne are the top of the line retail lumber yards in California, and we are proud to call those yards our customers. We have no reservations recommending them. Our dealers list is constantly growing and can be found under the dealers heading on the home page.

Water actually makes DreamDex feel like it is more skid resistant than dry lumber. Resistance testing is being done. DreamDex remains a pleasant temperature to walk on , even in the 90 Degree weather of northern Calif.

 We are side grooving the lumber for TigerClaw TCG stainless steel clips. We have found the clips perform well with DreamDex. DreamDex can be screwed from the top. However, pre-drilling is required to keep the lumber from splitting ,as it is a very hard wood after treating.

Any top of the line deck finish such as Sikkens, Duks Bak, Thompsons, Penofin, etc. will perform well on DreamDex. The clear finish will bring out the color and provide extra UV protection.

Because WindsorOne is protected with the TruCore technology that takes the insecticide into 100% of the cells, the Formaose termistes will not eat the product. Unlike products that are treated with other means such as LOSP's which use solvents to carry the insecticides in and do not fully penetrate, or straight Borate products, which early on were effective at treatment but washed out, the TruCore process will bond to the cells , permanently, and allow the 30 year guarantee against even Formosa termites!

DreamDex uses a revolutionary new scientific breakthrough called BioCore technology. This scientific treatment not only modifies the softwood being used by taking over the cell, completely ,with an environmentally friendly polymer, but also allows us to introduce nano-color particulates into the cells themselves, thus causing the lumber to take on whatever color we give it ,just as if it had been colored in  nature. We do not use very high heat techniques to virtually turn the wood into glass nor do we introduce chemicals that cause the wood to have an odor. Rather, our process leaves the lumber in what we term an "Ultra-Green" state ,as we start with plantation grown FSC cerified trees, and introduce an environmentally friendly polymer which, when set, creates a new product which is completely inert and has absolutly no odor or off gassing. We believe that DreamDex is THE lumber product that so many have searched for year upon year. BioCore technology is the "holy grail" of lumber.

Although the trees are smaller, there is more Redwood available to be cut today than 10 years ago. Virtually all of the Redwood harvested today is grown on replanted Redwood farms that, out of necessity to continue the supply of Redwood, have been modernized to insure a continuing supply of Redwood for years to come. Unfortunately, Redwood with strong Old Growth characteristics , such as Clear All Heart, close grain lumber, will no longer be available as the trees are harvested at a much younger age. We highly recommend Redwood for all garden needs and lower grade decking needs where knots enhance rather than hinder the appearance. When a higher grade of Redwood Decking is needed, we recommend using the new product DreamDex , in the Sequoia color, which will be available toward the end of the year 2009. This will give you a deck that looks somewhat like old growth Redwood, but has superior properties to even the Old Growth of our past.

Over the past three years, we, at Compass Lumber Products, have worked closely with the scientists at New Forest Strategies, to refine the decking now known as DreamDex. Our number one goal was to make sure that the final product was highly resistant to water. With the massive failure of composites over the last few years due to water intake causing deterioration, along with the checking ( splitting open) of hardwoods such as Ipe, Merbau, etc. due to water loss, we felt it imperative to make sure that the BioCore technology did what is was supposed to do. We kept DreamDex in a bucket , submerged for a month at a time. We put DreamDex in a can full of gasoline and lit it on fire and left it for 20 minutes. We held an industrial pressure washer 10 inches form the surface of DreamDex and left it on for 15 minutes. We left DreamDex in the hot sun for months at a time. Over the last few years we had several pieces fail and  the scientists tweaked the formula until all of our tests gave us the results we wished for. We now can say with confidence, we feel that we have a product that will last indefinetly. There may be some minimal color fading , and some very slight checking, but no major detrioration has been able to be induced under the severest circumstances! WE now feel this is the answer to our dreams of real lumber that acts as if it is manmade to last for generations!

We have been asked this many times, recently. As many of you know, Compass Lumber was distributing a Radiata finger-joint product produced exclusively for us. The stock was manufactured in New Zealand , pressure treated with LOSP treatment, alkyd base primed and shipped to the USA. Although we had success with this product, we were constantly searching for a pressure treated product that did NOT use petroleum based solvents as the agent to carry the insecticide and fungicide into the lumber. We we searching for this for two main reasons:1) the solvents used to carry the agents in were toxic to humans and animals and 2) the petroleum based solvents were not able to reach the core of the lumber and therefore had to constantly, vigiliantly be watched and reprimed whenever a cut or a hole was made in  the lumber as water was then allowed to breach the core and rot the wood over time. The early Borate treatments, although non-toxic, used by Windsor Mill to create WindsorOne trim was a step in the right direction but water would wash the Borates out of the wood rendering the treatment useless. Enter the Kop-Coat, TruCore , process. A proprietary process using the same insecticides and fungicides as the LOSP treatments with a huge difference.  The agents were now carried to the very heart of the lumber with water as the conductor, bonding with the cells of the lumber and leaving the entire piece safe to use with no petroleum solvents and virtually indistructable as  as the product is completely protected and guaranteed for 30 years.  We feel there is no  other product that comes close to the safety, usefullness, longevity and beauty of WindsorOne+. To finish what they started, Windsor Mills put a proprietary triple coat priming system that looks as close to powder coating a product a primer can get!!