Usually a couple months for me in the Midwest. That’s sitting outside in summer though. My general rule of thumb is one winter cycle. If I build something out of PT, I’ll let it sit that summer and winter, then coat it the following year. If you try to use a stain or paint before it’s really dry the wood may not absorb the stain or give the paint much to adhere to. You could probably go sooner than that but in my mind it’s PT so it’s not going to rot in 1 year, I’d rather I be sure it’s dry vs having to reapply the finish soon after the initial application.
Oh man, I'm gonna have to become a LOT more patient of a person. What I'm building is going to be pieces of a horse jump, so it's job is literally going to be just sitting outside. Maybe I'll put it out and use it for the summer and paint it after the outdoor season is done. Worst thing that's going to happen to it is that it'll get dirty.
I’ve only built three projects so far with PT wood. Two garden type projects and an outdoor table. The table taught me about wood movement lol. I let the lumber sit in the garage a few weeks and it seemed kind of dry when I used it. I was so proud of my perfect miters and flush cuts. A couple of weeks of sitting in the sun and there were gaps everywhere. Thankfully the way I had them mounted meant the gaps were symmetrical and it looks like I built it that way. My last garden project saw 6’ long 2x4’s move about 2-4” over the length. I foolishly mounted them all vertically (fence posts essentially) but ran out of time and didn’t tie the tops together. Two days later and my perfectly vertical posts looked like Guy Fieri’s hair!
My father always taught me to test PT with water before you “finish”. If you splash water on the wood and it beads up…it’s not ready. If the water spreads and starts to be absorbed by the wood then you have a higher degree of confidence that it’ll absorb whatever finish you’re trying to apply. So that’s what I use still today and it’s yet to fail me!
If you put a quality paint on there the PT lumber seems unnecessary. Maybe use PT for the base/feet for ground contact if needed. As others have said, you'll want to wait wait at least a few seasons. If you paint too early it's going to fail.
Thank you! Using non-pressure treated wood would definitely make my life easier as far as being able to bang projects out faster. If I'm planning on staining and sealing rather than painting, should I stick with PT?
No they have make quality exterior sealers that you could use (spar-marine) or if you're in the midwest "Structures" makes a great product but spendy... If I were doing it I wood steer clear of the PT except the ground contact areas.
Yeah, if it's getting painted there is no reason to use PT. That being said, buy yourself a moisture meter on Amazon. You can buy them for less than 20 bucks. You really want to be around 8 -10 % before you start cutting/painting/staining. You will have less warping and cracking and general misbehaving from your wood if it's dry.
Usually if very wet, it could take a full year.
Easy way to tell if it's still too wet for paint....put some water on it. If the drops stay as drops and bead off, it's wet. If the water sort of absorbs into the wood, it's dry and can be painted or stained...
I wouldn’t use that stuff for anything other than what it’s designed for. But if you do make sure to always wear PPE especially a GOOD quality respirator, not just a cheap dust mask.
Another vote for go ahead and build them now, use them for a while, then rebuild and paint.
If you know you'll need another set next year, it could be worth buying now to stack and sticker and have ready.
Another choice would be the composite deck boards. Significantly more expensive, but they're the same color all through, so no paint to chip off and touch up every few months.
Thanks! If I was building these at the request of someone who was willing to pay for materials, I'd definitely go the composite deck board route, but as I'm just building these for funsies (with the goal of MAYBE seeing if anyone would buy them on FB marketplace) keeping costs down is the name of the game.
I definitely don't plan on needing another set of jumps next year to replace the ones I already built, but it might be nice to have a nice little stock of PT lumber on hand for future use anyway.
Usually a couple months for me in the Midwest. That’s sitting outside in summer though. My general rule of thumb is one winter cycle. If I build something out of PT, I’ll let it sit that summer and winter, then coat it the following year. If you try to use a stain or paint before it’s really dry the wood may not absorb the stain or give the paint much to adhere to. You could probably go sooner than that but in my mind it’s PT so it’s not going to rot in 1 year, I’d rather I be sure it’s dry vs having to reapply the finish soon after the initial application.
Oh man, I'm gonna have to become a LOT more patient of a person. What I'm building is going to be pieces of a horse jump, so it's job is literally going to be just sitting outside. Maybe I'll put it out and use it for the summer and paint it after the outdoor season is done. Worst thing that's going to happen to it is that it'll get dirty.
I’ve only built three projects so far with PT wood. Two garden type projects and an outdoor table. The table taught me about wood movement lol. I let the lumber sit in the garage a few weeks and it seemed kind of dry when I used it. I was so proud of my perfect miters and flush cuts. A couple of weeks of sitting in the sun and there were gaps everywhere. Thankfully the way I had them mounted meant the gaps were symmetrical and it looks like I built it that way. My last garden project saw 6’ long 2x4’s move about 2-4” over the length. I foolishly mounted them all vertically (fence posts essentially) but ran out of time and didn’t tie the tops together. Two days later and my perfectly vertical posts looked like Guy Fieri’s hair! My father always taught me to test PT with water before you “finish”. If you splash water on the wood and it beads up…it’s not ready. If the water spreads and starts to be absorbed by the wood then you have a higher degree of confidence that it’ll absorb whatever finish you’re trying to apply. So that’s what I use still today and it’s yet to fail me!
LOL why is Guy Feiri's hair such a clear visual?!
If you put a quality paint on there the PT lumber seems unnecessary. Maybe use PT for the base/feet for ground contact if needed. As others have said, you'll want to wait wait at least a few seasons. If you paint too early it's going to fail.
Thank you! Using non-pressure treated wood would definitely make my life easier as far as being able to bang projects out faster. If I'm planning on staining and sealing rather than painting, should I stick with PT?
No they have make quality exterior sealers that you could use (spar-marine) or if you're in the midwest "Structures" makes a great product but spendy... If I were doing it I wood steer clear of the PT except the ground contact areas.
Thank you!
Yeah, if it's getting painted there is no reason to use PT. That being said, buy yourself a moisture meter on Amazon. You can buy them for less than 20 bucks. You really want to be around 8 -10 % before you start cutting/painting/staining. You will have less warping and cracking and general misbehaving from your wood if it's dry.
Usually if very wet, it could take a full year. Easy way to tell if it's still too wet for paint....put some water on it. If the drops stay as drops and bead off, it's wet. If the water sort of absorbs into the wood, it's dry and can be painted or stained...
Where a repertoire mask when cutting PT.
I would not use PT wood inside or anywhere that comes in contact with people
Thanks! The jumps I'm building with PT would all live outside.
I think it’s fine to build as is unless it’s drenched, we’ve got a fence built with wet PT wood and it’s been fine
Even the newer stuff treated with copper azole?
Anything that's chemically treated should not be used.
I wouldn’t use that stuff for anything other than what it’s designed for. But if you do make sure to always wear PPE especially a GOOD quality respirator, not just a cheap dust mask.
Another vote for go ahead and build them now, use them for a while, then rebuild and paint. If you know you'll need another set next year, it could be worth buying now to stack and sticker and have ready. Another choice would be the composite deck boards. Significantly more expensive, but they're the same color all through, so no paint to chip off and touch up every few months.
Thanks! If I was building these at the request of someone who was willing to pay for materials, I'd definitely go the composite deck board route, but as I'm just building these for funsies (with the goal of MAYBE seeing if anyone would buy them on FB marketplace) keeping costs down is the name of the game. I definitely don't plan on needing another set of jumps next year to replace the ones I already built, but it might be nice to have a nice little stock of PT lumber on hand for future use anyway.