Can you stain treated lumber? Will it look the same as untreated lumber? This matchbox car holder I am making the outside frame is from soem old treated lumber. (It looks green kind of).
The slats inside it the cars sit on are untreated.
Would this look bad with a light stain or would it be better to paint?
You could, I guess, but I wouldn't want to use treated lumber for anything indoors, or anything that will be used by kids. This is a matchbox car holder? Definitely get some different lumber. Old treated lumber (made about 2003 or earlier) was treated with arsenic to keep fungi and other wood-eating critters from eating the wood. However, arsenic is obviously bad for people too - do you really want your kid playing with this stuff? Spend the $1.50 to buy yourself a brand new, un-treated 2x4, and stain 'til your heart's content. Andy
Well, people have and do work with pressure treated all day long. Cutting up a piece for this application wouldn't be any more toxic than building a deck. My question would be why do you want a piece of PT hanging on the wall?
PT lumber should not be used indoors. Perhaps there is one exception--the base frame for a wall that will sit on a basement concrete floor. Old PT lumber may contain arsenic compounds.
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