# pressure treated wood



## Chimguy87 (Jan 30, 2012)

I bought 2 4x4' s of #2 pressure treated wood today and routered out a 1/2 slot in one side of each to insert two sheets of 1/4 to make a outdoor sign, how long will it take for the 4bys to dry out before I can paint them and is there a way to speed up the drying ?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

They should have been dry when you bought them.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Phil; I'm not sure what Charles was referring to but out here on the West Coast the Hemlock PT lumber HAS to be allowed to drip dry before it's shipped from the treatment plant. I couldn't find a dry piece of PT lumber if my life depended on it; I try and keep some in stock and let it airdry over time, under cover. That way Ihave it when I need it.

The lumberyards try and keep it from drying out in _their_ yards because it has a nasty habit of twisting and/or splitting if it's left in the sun...not a problem from now till April as there isn't any (here) 

The short answer then is how is it going to dry this time of the year? If it's _indoors _(your garage) without heat it could be weeks depending on your relative humidity. If you try and speed up the process (heat) see my first paragraph...bad things will likely happen. On the other hand, it might not be Hemlock, depending on where you are. 
Can you just carry on and paint it in the Spring? Or maybe leave it natural?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Once you get away from the coast it is PT pine or spruce and it is usually pretty dry when you buy it.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ahhh, I was wondering about that; thanks for the info, Charles. Certainly would make life simpler.
Having said that, we _do_ get those look-like-log, PT pine peeler core landscape ties that _are_ dry....and rot in a decade (in our wet climate).


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

*Pressure Treated Lumber*



Chimguy87 said:


> I bought 2 4x4' s of #2 pressure treated wood today and routered out a 1/2 slot in one side of each to insert two sheets of 1/4 to make a outdoor sign, how long will it take for the 4bys to dry out before I can paint them and is there a way to speed up the drying ?


General rule of thumb is to let the PT lumber alone for one year before trying to paint it. Paint is almost sure to peel if you try to rush the natural aging process. Even after the one year, You need to use a high grade primer if you want your paint to last and adhere. Any cuts you make need to be treated with preservative too @ the time of cutting. Most PT lumber sold in Canada is Hemlock, to my knowledge.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Most of the PT I've bought is pine. Hemlock doesn't get red stain and lots of what I've used had it.


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## Dr Neon (Apr 15, 2010)

A damp climate cries for Redwood or Cedar. They take oil seals well, so they can then be painted. The chemicals in PT wood, whatever the wood species, make priming, and painting difficult, no matter how dry they get. Spend the extra on the good wood, and the long life of the project will save you lots, both in $$$, and the good will of the customer.
Tim


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

Amen to that, Tim. It just never works out well when you try to go cheap.


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