DIYbanter - View Single Post - Reclaiming pressure treated lumber for outdoor furniture

) wrote in
om:

My neighbor is replacing his deck top with composite, and just
finished removing all the lumber from the prior deck top. He's got no
plans for it, and, actually, doesn't know how to dispose of it. Seems
to me, it'd serve well for some outdoor furniture. It's about 10 years
old, but he took good care of it, so it's already pretty flat and
straight. It's got a red stain on the top side I'm not fond of, but I
figure I need to mill it square and flat anyway.

Any special considerations?

What about edge gluing pressure treated lumber? I've got plans for a
chaise lounge that requires a couple 7 1/2 boards, but I don't think
he's got any that wide. I could glue them up, but worry about
longevity of such a joint outside.

What about finishing? I'd like to put a long lasting finish on it. I'm
thinking spar varnish, but am anxious to hear other's opinion.s

TIA, as always.

Ten years ago, pressure treated lumber generally meant some sort of arsenic
treatment. Before I used it for furniture, or ran it through my surfacing
and cutting tools, I'd at least do a little research.

That's not sawdust & chips I'd throw into the compost pile, at the very
least. You may decide differently.

When I put in raised vegetable gardening beds five or six years ago, I paid
extra, a lot extra, for good grade redwood (we're in Northern California),
so that we wouldn't have the PT leaching problems to deal with. The world
offers enough to worry about, without buying more.

Patriarch