"Existential Angst" wrote in message
...

I've read you have to delay painting PT lumber from everywhere from two
weeks to a year. Latex paint...
What's the deal?

And, how does one tell if PT wood is ready to be painted?
It feels quite wet from the lumberyard/HD, but seems much drier in a cupla
days.
Does rain further extend the wait?
Does a sprayer allow you paint sooner than brushing/rolling??

Also, just curious: Will non-PT wood last as long as PT wood (outside, of
course), if it thoroughly painted?
In the northeast. Any special painting methods required?

Appreciate all the varied responses -- a surprising lack of consensus!! But
all good perspective on the problem.

If I can ascertain if stain might make a good primer for paint, I'll try
that. Altho, perhaps a good way to go would be to just find a suitable
stain, spray that on, see how it holds up, and then try painting in a year
or two if the stain fades, doesn't hold up, etc..

Someone mentioned painting at 50+ F. Does that apply to stain, as well??
If so, I'll have to sort of trade off drying time with temp, as fall is
already here.

alt.home.repair was trimmed from this piece of the thread, but since it was
the only ref, I though the ahr people could benefit from it.

==============
"Contrary to the belief of many consumer's and paint companies, it is
not necessary to allow newly installed pressure-treated wood to
weather or season for long periods of time before applying a coating.
Most newly built CCA treated wood decks can band should be protected
with a water repellent, toner or semi-transparent stain as soon as
possible after construction. Research has shown that exposing
unprotected wood to weathering for even short periods of time can
cause surface damage. This damaged surface reduces the ability
of the wood to hold onto subsequently applied coatings-a situation
that can ultimately lead to premature coatings failure. This, unless
the new treated wood is still very wet, it should be coated as soon as
possible after deck construction. If the wood is obviously wet, no
more than 2-3 weeks of air-drying should be allowed before a coating
is applied."

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2000/ross00b.pdf



Good to know but I noticed that most suggested coverings that you
mentioned above are not opaque, as paint is. So I would surmise that
paint would not be a good coating for new PT wood.
====================

I thought the ".... coated as soon as possible...." was interesting.

So basically I'm going to just give this a shot. My cobbled-up paint
sprayer will make this a whole lot easier, that is f'sure.
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EA







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EA