Painting a deck

[Larry Rose]

I've got a coworker who has put up a new deck and wants to paint it. It is made out of pressure treated lumber. His question is how long to let the PT lumber dry before painting. Any Ideas?

 

[Nativespec]

A long time and use an oil base that will soak into the wood.

David

 

[Jim Murphy]

At least six months, the longer the better. After 20 years of trying various coatings and finishes on my lake property's outdoor wood surfaces, I have come to believe in Cabot Problem Solver Oil Based primer, let dry a week but less than a month. Follow up with three (yes, three) coats of Cabot solid color deck stain, a day's drying time in between coats.

Although Lowes carries the Cabot brand, my local stores only carry GRAY primer. Cabot does make a WHITE base primer, look around. Plan on re-covering (one coat will do it) every 2-3 years.

Note well that the only reason I bothered to coat/color is because of my bride. Left to my own devices, I wouldn't bother. And it is a bother.

See this link for a different take:
http://extension.missouri.edu/webster/ag-edge/structures/acq-cca-paint.html

 

[DaveO]

Dry time depends a lot on the weather conditions. I generally tell my clients around 1 month, and have never had any complaints. The best thing you can paint your PT deck with is a solid hide stain. It will last much longer than paint as it is more of a penetrating finish vs. a film finish like paint.
Dave