Hello:
Have to replace a deck railing, and want to use an outdoor protected wood; the typical kind HD sells that has the greenish tint.
If I do, any problem with painting over this type of wood of wood as compared to a regular pine board without this impregnation ? Do I need a special paint, or primer? Do I need a primer at all ?
Might as well also ask: if I go with regular wood, but paint it heavily, think I could get away with doing it, or is "outdoor wood" a real necessity ?
Thanks, Bob
You can have ours!
We are ripping out our deck and other pressure treated items. It's all impregnated with arsenic. Very bad stuff.
I thought HD stopped selling that it. There are much better alternatives that won't put you at risk for cancer.
Home Depot as well as other places still sell it because there isn't anything much better.
The wood is not dangerous as long as you know how to handle it. (sort of like many things)
Cutting the wood is the most dangerous part. You need to do it outside with a good miter saw. Doing it in the house is where cutting it over and over it'll get into your lungs. Over time you can have a problem.
If you want to paint it, make sure you let it bake a little outside. The wood from Home Depot is pretty green and wet. Install it and wait a week. Make sure that the wood is nice and dry before you paint it. As for painting it, best bet is to go to your local Benjaman Moore store and see what type of recommend outdoor paint to use.
Depends on what you mean by "regular wood". If you start with DECENT wood. (STuff that actually *IS* #2 or better, not just whatever's left in the pile) then yes, untreated wood will work. The point isn't to paint it "heavily", it's to paint it REGULARLY.
HD did quit selling it. They were required to by law. However, the stuff they sell is still green and it is treated now with something else.
You can paint it. You should paint it. But you should let it sit for
6 months to a year to dry out first. These boards are pressure treated and dipped when they are right off the tree. If you deck is new you will be stunned at how much the boards willl shrink not only across the face but sometimes end to end. I no longer build decks, and the reason is that the material we buy is so poor that I wind up with a lot of warranty work. I don't like the product and neither do my clients after a couple of years.But if I built a deck for myself, I would probably do one of two things: try to find some kiln dried pressure treated and/or use synthetic decking for the walking surface with wood for rails, steps, etc. But kiln dried treated is hard to find and is usually quite expensive. And the cost of synthetic material is so much it is scary.
OR, I would think about building an all wood deck with yellow pine as a deck surface and treated for the rails, steps, etc. I have seen many an old fashioned porch here in the south that have been made from yellow pine that has been religiously painted and they are in great shape after many decades. Be aware that you paint the YP only after it has been down for a month or so, then prime it with a thinned coat of deck paint. Then finish off with two coats of oil based exterior deck paint and you should be good for a few years. You will need to renew/recoat the walking surface, but the oil based deck paints are surprising durable. Besides, you can roll out a deck in no time with a
4' extension.Just my opinon. Others will certainly have theirs.
Robert
The wood comes wet, needing maybe 6 months to dry, buy a cheap moisture meter or you will never know if its dry enough. It could be dry enough in a few weeks. Stain is better it breathes and should not peel.
Why not use mahogany, ipe, or cypress? No chemicals, long lasting, high quality. Expensive, but will last a very long time. I'm told Ipe will last
50+ years with no treatment, double that with some care like a coat of Penofin every few years.Edwin Pawlowski:
2nd thatdont paint!
Use stain! Makes recoating easy!
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