# wet pressure treated lumber



## champer71 (Mar 12, 2012)

have any of you guys had any exp. priming & painting wet p.t. lumber. is the lumber to be dried b4 prime & paint? i have tried drying them in the sun, bad idea they worp & bend & they never seem to dry completely. I have primed them & let the primer set for a day or two and can come back and scrape it off with my finger nail. Any tips?


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## wills fresh coat (Nov 17, 2011)

champer71 said:


> have any of you guys had any exp. priming & painting wet p.t. lumber. is the lumber to be dried b4 prime & paint? i have tried drying them in the sun, bad idea they worp & bend & they never seem to dry completely. I have primed them & let the primer set for a day or two and can come back and scrape it off with my finger nail. Any tips?


Let dry for 6 months and don't ever paint ptl?.......I stain it with solid stain if ho wants paint look


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## Builtmany (Dec 5, 2009)

I have had decent results using Coverstain after I let it dry for several months and top coated with SW. The stuff will stay wet and hold water for a long time and I would say never paint it when it's wet but it's nearly impossible to get it completely dried out.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Painted PT all day. Will get some pics posted tomorrow. I tested out three different primers. In the past I have been using a solid white stain as a primer. 

I agree on letting it dry as long as you can. This was close to six months.


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## champer71 (Mar 12, 2012)

so, should i go ahead and install the lumber on the deck and come back to it later? i don't have the option of leaving the deck the way it is now.


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## doctors11 (May 17, 2010)

In the ten years I've been doing this I've never once used wet treated lumber. I don't even give the homeowner the choice. I simply explain the benefits to kdat lumber (kiln dried after treatment), show them the difference in price and that I can paint/stain it immediately. Not once has a customer said no to that.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

After is installed and dry. I primed with BM penetrating primer and let dry 3 to 4 weeks before prep. and paint.


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## HJ61 (Nov 14, 2011)

It needs to be dry. All wood does actually, moisture content of 17% or less if you have a moisture meter, good way to see if the deck will breathe, build it and see how long it takes for wood to dry! (although I would not build with wet lumber...) PT looks great stained with Arborcoat though.


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## champer71 (Mar 12, 2012)

thanx


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## StripandCaulk (Dec 30, 2011)

champer71 said:


> have any of you guys had any exp. priming & painting wet p.t. lumber. is the lumber to be dried b4 prime & paint? i have tried drying them in the sun, bad idea they worp & bend & they never seem to dry completely. I have primed them & let the primer set for a day or two and can come back and scrape it off with my finger nail. Any tips?


Let it dry out, as previous people noted. You seal that moisture in its just going to peel out/fail. Not sure what your using it for, PT lumber is pretty common in use for decks/ railings. I always let it dry for 6-9 months. A year for hardwoods. Lets it dry out, and it opens the poors in the wood giving you a better substrate for product uptake.

Since you have already primed..i suggest stripping it and letting it sit. Not what you want to hear im sure but i wouldnt trust that primer.

Also if its a horizontal surface i wouldnt recommend a paint.. go with a stain


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## champer71 (Mar 12, 2012)

i have 2 2x6x12 pcs that are already primed & painted that go on a pergola. We have already purchased the lumber for adding on 2 a deck, i have already framed in substrctr & ready 2 put in the deck [ not painted or primed ]............... thnx guys so i have a new game plan for 2day.


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