Timber as coping

gunte

Neighbour has a single block wall across the front of his property and the coping tiles have deteriorated beyond repair. Could he replace them with 4x2 timber lengths screwed in and paint accordingly.

Not a diy man myself so any thoughts I can pass on.

Cornucopia

Possibly. But I doubt pine or other soft woods would last very long, especially if they are not treated for weathering (which a standard 4x2 wouldn't be).

What is the issue with replacing the coping tiles?

Furts

The answer is that it would be the height of poor practice to use softwood as a coping. The coping should be tough, moisture proof, frost proof, maintenance free... all the things which softwood is not.

gunte

Would tanalised timber be ok ?

Furts

I will assume that the wall is 100mm wide. The timber coping would require a 40-50mm overhang each side, complete with 2 drip grooves machined into the underside. It would also require machining to give a profile for water to run off. This would require a minimum timber width of ex 200mm which makes it prone to bowing and twisting.

It will require a dpc underneath, and it should be fully bedded or sealed to the wall. All surfaces should be retreated after cutting and machining.

Whether it is tanalized is of minor relevance to practicality and maintenance.

The timber would require careful selection for quality - a minimum of unsorted joinery grade redwood would be a suggestion.

Then there is moisture ingress, UV degradation, constant re-decoration, the risk of damage...

It is your choice and your decision. It would be the height of bad practice...but I have already said that in my previous post.