# Painting Pressure Treated Wood



## stephen44 (Feb 24, 2009)

I did try searching and unbelievably I couldn't find an answer -= so sorry if I missed it !

How long do I have to wait before I can paint 'new' pressure treated wood ?.

I need a long lasting '1-coat' exterior paint - I was thinking of Sherwin William's Duration® Exterior Acrylic Latex ?

Any advice please ?

TIA - Stephen


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

paint is not a good choice. Best to use sikkens stain. Cabot stains are also good if you do not want to spend the money for the best. Stain will last, no paint will last. Wait at least 3-6 months. Weather conditions vary is why this time frame will vary.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

Agreed. Stain also will not peel.


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## stephen44 (Feb 24, 2009)

i understand the comment about stain - but this does not come in the bright colors we want for this project.

The SW paint is an outside paint and is guaranteed for 'life' - what ever that is !!! - so i'm assuming it must bond for a reasonably long tome - right ?

so my question was how long do i wait before using over treated wood - 3-6 months seems to be a consensus ? (I an in VA)


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

The SW paint is an outside paint and is guaranteed for 'life' - what ever that is !!! - so i'm assuming it must bond for a reasonably long tome - right ?:no:


WRONG, read the directions on the can, there is no paint that will stick to pressure treated lumber. Pay heed to the advise already given or switch to different building materials that can be painted.


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

only colors that use natural pigments will last long outside. These are made with rock as the pigment. A rock is not effected by sunlight, thus these pigments also last. All synthetic pigments will not last nearly as long. Pressure treated lumber is made with southern yellow pine. This releases a lot of moisture and has a lot of movement during its life. Paint film is flexible to an extent (the one you selected anyway) but not enough for this wood. So, certain pigments in the paint tinting machine (namely the ones that are white, mustard yellow, reddish brown, chocolate brown, very very dark brown, and black) are more colorfast and opaque than the other pigments, and using a tint formula that calls for these colors will result in your getting a higher hiding paint that fades much less due to exposure to the UV light from the Sun.


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## joenusz (Apr 26, 2009)

First, SW Duration Exterior has a lifetime limited guarantee which requires the use of primer on certain surfaces, treated lumber included. Also, Duration Exterior requires the use of 2 coats for the guarantee - look at the fine print, it is supposed to *hide* and *protect* in one coat (the first coat acts like primer on certain surfaces), but two coats are required. Also, the guarantee does not replace the cost of labor or paint, it just gets you some new gallons of the same stuff *if* the SW laboratory believes that paint failure was the cause of your trouble. They most certainly will not if you paint treated lumber with one coat and no primer.

Treated lumber is pressurized with the treating liquid, so over time it will leech the liquid to kill termites, protect the wood, etc. This is designed to last for several months to years. If you coat the wood with paint, the treating liquid will continue to leech out underneath the paint, eventually destroying the paint binder and making the paint peel right off. The same thing happens to unprimed cedar and redwood which have tannins - a resin that is leeched out of the wood which destroys coatings.

Your best bet is to leave the wood in the sun for several months until it no longer leeches liquid, and then coat. It is designed to look good for a long time, so unless you can't deal with the color just leave it. Otherwise, try coating it in an *oil* based exterior primer. Oil will try to penetrate the wood, so if there is any room left in the wood pores to make the primer stick, then it will. Otherwise, the primer will peel right off. When you can get primer to stick, you can topcoat in Duration (and since you got primer to stick, you can use 2 coats for your warranty). Personally though, I'd rather use A-100 at $30 per gallon than Duration at $60 per gallon considering the risk.

Also, is this a walking surface? If so, then rethink everything - using a standard latex, even as good as Duration Exterior, will cause you grief. Look into SW Porch and Floor Enamel (only if you can get oil primer to stick, however).


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## stephen44 (Feb 24, 2009)

excellent information - this is what I was looking for thank you. What is A-100 and where do I get that ? I only said SW - as I had heard of it - so am definitely open to suggestions.

Thanks - Stephen

No it is not a walking surface.


joenusz said:


> First, SW Duration Exterior has a lifetime limited guarantee which requires the use of primer on certain surfaces, treated lumber included. Also, Duration Exterior requires the use of 2 coats for the guarantee - look at the fine print, it is supposed to *hide* and *protect* in one coat (the first coat acts like primer on certain surfaces), but two coats are required. Also, the guarantee does not replace the cost of labor or paint, it just gets you some new gallons of the same stuff *if* the SW laboratory believes that paint failure was the cause of your trouble. They most certainly will not if you paint treated lumber with one coat and no primer.
> 
> Treated lumber is pressurized with the treating liquid, so over time it will leech the liquid to kill termites, protect the wood, etc. This is designed to last for several months to years. If you coat the wood with paint, the treating liquid will continue to leech out underneath the paint, eventually destroying the paint binder and making the paint peel right off. The same thing happens to unprimed cedar and redwood which have tannins - a resin that is leeched out of the wood which destroys coatings.
> 
> ...


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

What is A-100 and where do I get that


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## joenusz (Apr 26, 2009)

Yep, SW sells A-100 too. Just remember, if oil primer doesn't stick, it's not time. Pick up a quart of A-100 exterior oil primer (confusing, I know, but A-100 comes in paint and primer). As time goes buy, put a little oil primer on the wood, and if it sticks for a month, I'd feel confident in putting on topcoat. Go back to SW, get enough A-100 oil primer and A-100 latex paint to do the job and try it out.


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## stephen44 (Feb 24, 2009)

great - ty

so this is for some trim around an exterior kitchen. Hence since it is outside i was thinking treated wood. It is "Make Pretty" trim

You have now all made me think I should use untreated wood and then prime and paint ? - am I right ? - if so - still go the A-100 route (primer and paint) - it would at least allow me to finish the job - rather than return to it some months later.

Sorry I didn't ask my "real" question earlier - 




joenusz said:


> Yep, SW sells A-100 too. Just remember, if oil primer doesn't stick, it's not time. Pick up a quart of A-100 exterior oil primer (confusing, I know, but A-100 comes in paint and primer). As time goes buy, put a little oil primer on the wood, and if it sticks for a month, I'd feel confident in putting on topcoat. Go back to SW, get enough A-100 oil primer and A-100 latex paint to do the job and try it out.


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## joenusz (Apr 26, 2009)

Now that we know that you have a choice in treated/untreated lumber, this is a lot easier. I don't know your budget, but here we go:

If you are painting, get untreated lumber. Enough said.

A-100 exterior latex primer will be fine for all woods except redwood or cedar, both of which *require* oil based primer (A-100 exterior alkyd primer).

You have a choice in latex topcoats. Least to most durable (least to most expensive) goes like this for SW: A-100 exterior latex, Super Paint exterior latex, Duration exterior latex. 

If you want this to look good at Home Depot prices, get A-100. You will likely get more years out of it than you will be living there (or your customer will remember your name).

If your customer is a stickler for durability, get them off your butt with Super Paint. With a 25 year warranty and good primer, they should be easy to keep quiet.

Depending on sales and primer costs, the least expensive option can be Duration because it is self-priming on most surfaces (including pine). At the regular prices: 2 coats of Duration @ $60 per gallon vs 1 coat A-100 primer at $30 per gallon and 2 coats A-100 paint at $30 per gallon. Don't forget to add the difference in labor for 2 coats vs. 3 coats as well. Learn the sale prices and Duration could tip in your favor.


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## Sgtg9795 (May 14, 2016)

Help, I had someone build me a deck,for my camper. Pressure treated.He said seal it with Teak Oil. I did it....it is now turning very black Algae I assume Do I use a pressure washer to clean the surface? What do I do to seal it ..maybe a paint this time?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Start a new thread with your question you will get more responses than on an old thread.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Sgtg9795 said:


> Help, I had someone build me a deck,for my camper. Pressure treated.He said seal it with Teak Oil. I did it....it is now turning very black Algae I assume Do I use a pressure washer to clean the surface? What do I do to seal it ..maybe a paint this time?


Clean it anyway you want. Pressure wash gently or buy one of the deck cleaners out on the market, mix it up, spray it on the deck with a pump sprayer, scrub with a stiff bristled brush, rinse, and let dry (48 hours at least).

Apply a clear coat like CWF-UV from the Flood Company. Paint will just peel off. Just note that it will be a continual maintenance issue.......about every 2 or 3 years, repeat the process of cleaning and reapplying.

http://www.deckstainhelp.com/


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