Is it normal for new pressure-treated lumber to look this uneven?

Pressure-treated wood is ussually saturated with chemical preservatives when it leaves the yard, so your contractor is right about the waiting game. If you try to seal it now, the internal moisture will just reject the finish and you’ll end up with a peeling mess within a year. A quick way to test the readiness is the water bead test. Drop some water on a few different boards; if it sits on top, the wood is still too "green." If it soaks in quickly, you're ready for stain. This usually takes anywhere from two to six months depending on how much direct sun the deck gets.

The color variations you're seeing are totally normal for standard PT lumber. Some boards have more heartwood while others are mostly sapwood, and they react differently to the chemical treatment. That industrial look won't last long, though. Without a UV-rated sealer, the sun will bleach everythign to a uniform **silvery gray** faster than you think. If you want a specific tone, look for a high-quality penetrating oil stain rather than a film-forming one.

While you’re waiting for it to dry out, it’s a good idea to peek at the framing. Sometimes a crew that does beautiful finish work—clean cuts and nice pickets—will skip the **Simpson hardware** underneath to save a few bucks. Check if the joists are sitting in metal hangers or just "toenailed" in. Also, look at how the deck meets the house. Attaching a ledger board directly to brick veneer is a common mistake that can lead to structural failure since brick isn't meant to carry that kind of lateral load.

The stairs are another spot where people take shortcuts. Usually, you want stringers spaced every 12 inches or so for composite, or 16 for wood, which often means four stringers instead of the three you see on basic builds. If the stairs feel bouncy or if you don't see metal connectors where the stairs meet the deck frame, you might want to have them beefed up before you commit to the final staining.

Have you ruled out mill glaze on those boards? If the blades were dull at the mill, they can compress the fibers and leave a sheen that looks like a pattern but actualy blocks penetration. No amount of waiting for it to 'dry' fixes that; you'd need a light sand or a specific cleaner to open the pores.

Also, since it's on brick, did you check what kind of anchors they used for the ledger? If they just used sleeve anchors into the mortar instead of thru-bolts into the house frame, the whole thing coud pull away regardless of how nice the stairs look. I've seen 'pro' crews skip the flashing entirely on brick because it's a pain to cut the reglet.

Whoa, that sounds like a massive project! I’m so stoked to finally be building my own little outdoor space soon too. Since you mentioned the light hitting the boards at a wierd angle, it made me wonder—did you guys pick out any specific furniture yet? I’m obsessed with those hanging egg chairs but I’m terrified they’ll be too heavy for a standard joist setup. Do you think those require extra bracing underneath or can they just hang anywhere?

Check your fasteners before you worry about the stain. If they didn't use 304 or 316 stainless, that MCA treatment will corrode standard zinc-plated screws in no time. I’ve seen 10d nails practically dissolve in less than five years. Also, did they use Simpson BVLZ connectors for that brick ledger? If they just used expansion bolts into the veneer, that's a red flag beacuse brick isn't structural. Once you finally hit that 15-18% moisture level, grab some TWP 1500. It's a proffesional-grade oil that’ll acutally penetrate the grain rather than sitting on top like those garbage water-based sealers from the big box stores.

Make sure you check the spacing between those boards before they get too dry. I put mine in tight thinking it’d look cleaner, but PT shrinks like crazy. Six months later, I had gaps big enugh to lose my keys trough.

Also, did they put down joist tape? I skipped it on my first build to save a few bucks and it’s the only thing I regret. Water sits in those screw holes and rots the framing from the inside out while the top looks fine. If you don't see black tape on the joists when looking down through the gaps, keep a close eye on those fastener spots as it seasons.

Update: Thanks for the advice. I looked closer and I don't see those Simpson BVLZ connectors on the ledger—just standard bolts. Is that going to be an issue with the brick? Also, I tried the water drop test and it defintely beaded up, so I guess the 'waiting game' is real. I’m a bit worried about that mill glaze now too, since the sheen is still there.