Q&A for How to Preserve Wood

Rotting wood likely needs to be replaced as it can become both unhealthy and unsafe.

Brush raw linseed oil onto planks, You should also use a mixture of used engine oil and diesel, but horses sometimes like to chew the planks, so if they will chew on it, don't use the oil.

In my opinion, wax is the ultimate preserver. There are waxes that are meant for this very purpose. Another way is to use candle wax--you can buy blocks of carnauba or soy wax. Carefully use a heat gun (wax does catch fire!) to melt the wax, and rub it in using a cloth.

Soak the bark in epoxy prior to putting any sort of top layer or sealer on the wood itself. To really preserve the entire piece, it's important to seal all of the pores in the wood to keep it from drying out or soaking up spills. A product like Bar Top (another epoxy that is poured on counter tops in bars and restaurants) will create a thick (and very noticeable) clear top layer that is waterproof as well as chemical- and abrasive-resistant - it stands up very well to hard use, and you'd still see the wood grain through it.

Buy a wood preserver, or a varnish works well, too. If you don't have these around, you can mix 1 liter of linseed oil to 25 g of beeswax to make your own wood preserver.

Cover them with polyurethane to make it hard and protect it from the elements.

Well there isn't much to salvage, in truth it's just best to get rid of them.