| Staining treated lumber Is there a period of time you have to wait before you should stain treated lumber?
Had a deck extension built and the guy who built it said you should wait a month or so before staining treated lumber. (lumber was bought from Lowes already treated)
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Therapy Chicks |
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 KenPremium,MVM
join:2003-06-16
Markle, IN | You can't stain pressure treated wood if it is wet. The high water content will stop the stain from penetrating into the wood. So if the wood was stored inside and is dry, yes you can stain it. Use a moisture meter to be sure, otherwise just wait a couple weeks to be safe. |
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| OK thanks. One of the guys said "wait a week", and the other guy popped up and said "no, you have to wait a year".
The "waiting a year" sounded crazy, and so thought I'd ask. I'll wait a few weeks to be safe, but the wood doesn't "feel" wet or damp. I know that when it's wet it's heavier too, so it's not just that it doesn't feel wet to the touch, but it's not heavy like wet wood is.
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Therapy Chicks |
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| It depends on the quality of PT you used. If you purchased it from a box store and it is wet or if you purchased it from a lumber yard and it was KDAT. KDAT can be stained immediately while normal PT needs to dry out for a month or more depending on moisture content.
FYI - KDAT = kiln dried after treatment |
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 UHFAll static, all day, ForeverPremium,MVM
join:2002-05-24 | reply to TherapyChick
Put some drops of water on it. If they bead up, you can't stain yet. If they soak in, it's ok to stain. |
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| said by UHF:Put some drops of water on it. If they bead up, you can't stain yet. If they soak in, it's ok to stain.
Great idea, thanks.
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Therapy Chicks |
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| reply to TherapyChick
I would recommend a month. If it is hot and dry out like it is here in Ohio right now it will be plenty dry in that time. |
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| reply to TherapyChick
I was fixing someone's deck last fall just before the rainy season really set in, and I stained the 2x4s the same day when I bought them -- they had about 4 - 5 hours to dry. ( rain was forecast for the next few days, so I didn't have much of a choice) Accidentally run into customer a couple of months ago, and at that time she was still very satisfied with my work.
I think a week of drying should be more than enough in most places, but if you really have to, you can stain it as long as the surface is not wet.
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Wacky Races 2012! |
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