# painted lumber?



## wileyboy (Dec 30, 2013)

This is not the place to post this question I'm sure but I also do not know the correct place.
It's time to resurface my deck, all of the frame and support structure is very sound and good for another 20 years, but the decking boards have past their useful life. And I want to paint the new deck instead of staining the boards, thus my question, Can I use untreated lumber if I an going to paint the wood and none of the deck has any soil contact?
If I use treated lumber I will have to wait at least a year to paint as the fresh decking will have such high moisture content.
Please give me the benefit of your collective wisdom

thanks, Wileyboy


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Got no deck, but I know they paint houses.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

flip the boards over...
seal the deck...

treated lumber... 
has to be used for it's intended purpose (UC3B) none of which you will find at the BB's..

to paint..
seal the end grain well..
paint all 4 sides..
use emulsion primer to start...

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, George; I see you're down in Georgia. You guys don't really have Winters as we think of them up North? Am I also correct in thinking you have a lot of humidity?
Personally, I detest these new waterbourne paints; they are way less durable than the old oil based products, but you may not have any other options. 
If you can find oil based exterior primer, you might consider pre-priming all the material before you install the decking...a year sounds like overkill.
'Stickering' the pile allowing LOTS of airflow through it, and having it under cover and out of direct sun would be helpful in the drying process; installing it wet and 'green' sounds like a bad idea, from my own experience.
I'm thinking maybe something like an Epoxy floor paint (exterior) might give you more durabity, but if the coating isn't specifically recommended for floors/decks you'll be lucky to get a year out of the higher traffic areas.
I wish I had a more optimistic pov but unfortunately I'm redoing the tops of my deck railings as we speak, after two only Winters...I'm not happy.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> ll.
> 'Stickering' the pile allowing LOTS of airflow through it, and having it under cover and out of direct sun would be helpful in the drying process; installing it wet and 'green' sounds like a bad idea, from my own experience.(


heavily weight and cover it...
adding a box fan for more air flow is a big plus...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"I wish I had a more optimistic pov but unfortunately I'm redoing the tops of my deck railings as we speak, after two only Winters...I'm not happy."
-Me

I followed all the instructions on the product label; I bent over backwards to ensure a long life...5 yrs. minimum I thought was reasonable. I remember in the long ago past, linseed oil based paint, you'd get 10 yrs on a deck railing.
But I digress, this c**p I used is called 'Sharkskin'. I replaced all the railing caps in Aug. 2016. Air dried Cedar, tested the moisture content, around 12% ...Sharkskin is approved for up to 20%. 
Overpriced waste of time and money, in my opinion, based on it's performance on the WR Cedar. I'll try and find the pics I took before I belt sanded it down a couple of weeks ago. I got up at dawn this morning and got a fresh coat down at 7:30AM. It was dry to the touch by 9:00AM; I'll do a second coat tomorrow same time.
The pic below is what it looked like in 2016 after installation and painting. (I hadn't done the rest of the railing yet. In fact I used an acrylic exterior solid stain on the rest of the railing and it's held up just fine.)


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Personally, I detest these new waterbourne paints; they are way less durable than the old oil based products, but you may not have any other options.


A few years ago, for some forgotten reason, I did some research on oil based house paint, and water based acrylic latex house paint. The claim was that now the water based are as good as, or in some cases better, than the oil based paints. Don't know how accurate that is, but did lose a piece of plywood painted with acrylic latex for about a year, on the ground outside my shop, got covered with leaves. Thinned latex at that. Looked like it had been painted the day before. Oh yeah, now I remember, it was a test piece, seeing how thinned latex compared to regular stain. Didn't mean to test it outdoors tho.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Looking a little farther down the road, I suggest you add grit to the paint. A wet painted deck is very slippery without it. Home Hardware up here carries it. It comes in pouches and 2 per gallon is enough to give some grip.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

FWIW, my son-in-law has a painted deck with the treated lumber that has a green color. The paint is peeling off already after about 5 or 6 years.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

He got *5 *yrs. out of it?! Outstanding! What was his secret?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I did the 7:30AM thing again this morning...got the 2nd coat on before it got too hot on the substrate to apply paint. Then I washed down the window trim (facing South) in prep for painting _and a tiny, bright green, tree frog popped out from behind the shutter! _.
Hope I didn't harm it with the TSP solution; those guys are really sensitive to chemicals...


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Amphibians are the "canary in the coal mine" for the environment. Too small for frog legs.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Consider the composite boards and forget painting and the like. Power washing rules. I prefer to make my life easier which doesn't include painting, especially painting. I'll leave that to the pros.

-Steve


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

I got tired of the "every other year" need to strip the old coating and apply new and even paid a "painting company" an extortionate amount to do it the last go around, hoping that it would last longer but no such luck. I gave in and replaced the decking and handrails with "maintenance free" products, and am hoping that this chore is finally behind me. As a plus, my wife loves her new deck, all kinds of brownie points achieved. I still need to replace the lattice work around the underneath, that's been held up by the recent incessant rain and the (happily departed) kidney stone.

I've never had much luck with exterior paint, regardless of brand, and now have all exterior trim wrapped in aluminum except for the basement door which is on my list. I built a storage shed 27 years ago and it's held up well, although needing to be power-washed and repainted every five years or so. It's probably due for another coat, and I'm seriously considering covering it with vinyl siding - at 8' x 12', the cost won't be too bad, probably more cost in the trim pieces than the actual siding - as the T-11 siding is starting to look a little shabby underneath the paint. A possible project for cooler weather though.


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## Flipsaw (Mar 11, 2016)

Would definitely recommend going with a "manufactured" material and just biting the bullet on the cost. Sometime you can get a 12 to 18 month interest free deal at the big box stores to help spread out the cost. You will be thanking yourself many times over when you don't have to touch up or completely redo the what ever finish you would apply to wood material.


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Daninvan,

I remember when I visited you in 2016, you showed me that you were going to re-do the railings. 2 years is not impressive. I have had good results using marine paint, I painted the new plywood floor I installed in my trailer 10 years ago and it is still great. Funny how some of the Tremclad I used on the metal sides is starting to peel !
I am currently building a new section of deck for the new pool we had installed and we are considering painting the railings white with the brown treated wood decking it should look nice. If we do, I'll be buying the marine paint again.


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Tom,
Are your spindles aluminium tubing powder coated ? or ?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Danman1957 said:


> Daninvan,
> 
> the marine paint again.


like topside boat paint???


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Wasn't me, but sounds like a good idea. A bit pricey though (you get what you pay for I guess).


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Danman1957 said:


> Tom,
> Are your spindles aluminium tubing powder coated ? or ?


Powder coated. Went with the dark color based on a article I read that the dark color faded into the background when you looked through them - and it appears to work. Couple things I would do different next time - but then I'm hoping that there isn't going to be a next time.


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