Well, I just finished step 5 of the sheet metal shed I bought from Home Depot, where I have laid the plywood floor, 3/4" treated plywood. It is messy, with whatever chemical it has on it, and I was wondering if it's ok to paint the floor (just the top side) so it's a bit nicer. I suppose I wouldn't sand it, lest I remove the treatment from the surface. Still, I didn't know if painting it is a bad idea. I'd like to do it before I put up the walls and roof tomorrow. I don't want to do the wrong thing, since I spent nearly as much for the wood as I did for the whole shed kit. Cheers, Joe
Why buy treated if you want to paint it????????? Take it back, buy some marine plywood (if you want to spend money), prime all sides, paint all sides x2. By the time you are done, you could have poured a slab for less :o)
I have no idea about that. The year was because paint would not stick very well. PT wood is not as toxic as it once was, but you may want to check with the manufacturer for details. Ed
Because if you use untreated plywood in a very moist environment (flooring directly on dirt or directly over dirt with little ventilation), it's going to rot whether it's painted or not. In fact, under some circumstances it'll rot _faster_ if it's painted.
Except for some of the exotic rot-resistant woods used in some marine plywoods, ground-contact floor plywood MUST be treated (and "foundation grade" to boot) to last any significant amount of time.
Dry PT plywood where all cutting dust has been removed during construction is pretty innocuous unless you chew on it. I wouldn't worry too much on that score. Or lay down plastic sheeting where you store the toys. Or, wait a year and paint it with an exterior breathable latex paint or transparent stain.
That being said, if you're concerned, putting some sort of breathable covering over the treated plywood would probably be better than painting. Ie: cheap exterior carpeting with some sort of open-mesh backing.
The SO made me install vinyl (cheap HD roll-ends) in a shed renovation we did. I believe the original floor wasn't PT. Despite making considerable effort to improve under-shed ventilation, I'm a little worried I'll be replacing the floor plywood in a few years due to the vinyl making the floor more-or-less perfectly impervious to moisture.
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