The SILEX project “Improving sustainability of construction materials using innovative Silicon based treatment” is a Life+ project with reference LIFE+11 ENV/BE/1046 and started in April 2013. This project intends to demonstrate that a new class of compounds can be used for wood treatment for an extended service life combined with enhanced new testing methodology. The project aims at demonstrating that treatments with silicon-based hydrophobers have a lower impact on the environment with a lower input of biocides. This paper gives some results related to moisture dynamics and the relationship between simulated outdoor tests and laboratory methods. Different initiatives related to service life prediction of timber products and wood based panels have indicated that besides intrinsic biological durability of the material the wetting and drying over time is also a key parameter. Attempts to quantify this role are leading to a range of data sets according to different methodologies. Besides solid timber of different wood species and plywood the correlation between laboratory test methods and actual time of wetness recorded in field experiments are also useful for wood treated with hydrophobers like organosilicon compounds.

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