Paints form a thin film-like layer over the surface of the wood, with the continuous layer slowing the rate at which water reaches the timber. However, it will help if you understand the pros and cons of each.įirst, you need to decide between using film-forming or penetrative finishes. The question of staining versus painting depends more on the look you wish to achieve, as both finishes can be applied to pressure-treated wood. I would advise against leaving it for too long, however, as the wood can crack and split from weathering, which will make it harder to protect the item adequately. If you’ve already built your project, leave it for at least two weeks for the pressure-treatment chemicals to dry and the wood moisture level to stabilize. New, wet pressure-treated wood may take several weeks to reach a moisture level low enough to be ready for painting. If you haven’t built your project yet but wish to dry your wood, stack it undercover with thin strips of timber separating each layer, ensuring good airflow around and through the stack. If they bead and sit on the surface, the wood is too wet. It is dry enough to paint if they get absorbed into the wood. This inexpensive device comes in two forms, pin and capacitive (pinless), giving you a percentage moisture reading when applied to the surface.Ī less scientific method is to place a few drops of water on the wood’s surface. The most scientific way to tell whether the wood is ready for a surface coating is by using a moisture meter. You’ll get the best adhesion when the wood’s moisture content is below 14% and preferably around 12%. When preparing to paint or stain any timber, whether it’s treated or not, the moisture content of the wood is important. Should you try to apply a surface finish over that degree of moisture, the results will be patchy, and the covering will fail to adhere. However, when the wood has been pressure-treated, it becomes very wet with preservatives and is often still very damp when sold. We’ll also discuss selecting your primers and topcoats to ensure you don’t need to repaint too frequently. This article will explain why we pressure-treat wood, the method and chemicals used, and how best to apply paint to ensure a long-lasting finish. However, some are better suited for durability and protection than others. If done correctly, you can apply most surface finishes to pressure-treated timber. However, when I did use paint, I quickly learned that if you want longevity in your paint finish, there are a few rules to observe otherwise, you find yourself redoing the work in less than two years. I used a lot of pressure-treated timber to build fences and decks back in the day, and I seldom painted them because I quite liked the rustic look of weathered timber. The short answer to the question is yes, you can paint pressure-treated wood as long as you observe some basic safety precautions and points related to the pressure treatment chemical itself. Our readers regularly ask whether it’s possible to paint pressure-treated wood and how best to go about it.
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