New deck boards - how soon can I paint them?

[RetiredAt63]

The boards on my back deck run from not good to quite bad, so they are all being replaced with pressure-treated 2x6s.  Right now the whole deck and railings have solid stain on them.  I plan to repaint everything with solid stain, new and old, so everything matches.

Some people say I can paint the new boards right away, and some say to let them dry for a few months first.  If I wait, they will be dirty, which means pressure-washing and letting them dry.  Whenever I do it, the boards will be painted on the top side and the two long edges, and the cut edges that show I can get at, and the bottom sides won't be painted so the boards can breathe.  It would be even easier if I painted the boards before they ever went on the deck.

So those who have done deck boards - how soon did you paint them, and how is the paint job holding up?

[Miss Piggy]

It would be even easier if I painted the boards before they ever went on the deck.

So why not do this? If you have to let the boards "dry" for a certain amount of time, do so, then paint, then install. No?

[RetiredAt63]

New deck is happening this weekend, the old one is being demolished as I type.  Materials will be delivered today. So it is paint now or paint later.

It would be even easier if I painted the boards before they ever went on the deck.

So why not do this? If you have to let the boards "dry" for a certain amount of time, do so, then paint, then install. No?

[MNBen]

It's my understanding pressure treated wood is basically injected with additional chemicals to help prevent rotting.  That is why they are extremely heavy and still 'juicy' when you nailing or screwing.

My father helped me with a deck last Fall (October) and told me they need to dry for a season or two.  We just purchased our stain this week.

Disclaimer:  This is all based on what he told me and a little reading online.

[Frugal Lizard]

An old guy at the hardware store redirected me to the seasonite from the wood care when I was in to buy protector for my cedar deck.  Said to wait a year.  Now the new pt wood that is brown instead of green says it must be treated within a month of installation to maintain the wood.  So - I donno.

[Zaga]

We read up on this when we put in a deck built of pressure treated lumber.  The experts opinions ranged from painting after a month of drying up to 6 month of drying, but no sooner.  We built in the fall and painted the following spring.  And yes, we used paint.  It is opaque, so it blocks the UV better than stains or sealers, so in theory the deck will last longer.  I call the color we got Chocolate Frosty, I love it, looks great with our house.

But right away?  No way!  The wood is far too wet for paint to stick to it properly right away.

[RetiredAt63]

Update: The boards were delivered yesterday and installation starts tomorrow.  They are pre-stained a colour close to my deck colour, so visually it won't be too bad if I have to wait to stain.  The previous finish was a solid stain, not paint, I think, since the grain doesn't show but there was no flaking paint.

The installer said that he will be able to tell if the wood is ready to stain or needs to dry more when he screws the boards in.  It would be bnice to paint right away so the deck is clean, but if I have to wait and clean it first it is OK - but it is easier while the deck is totally empty.

[BurtMacklin]

I did the water test on my deck. Sprinkle some water on the boards, if it soaks it in then it's ready for staining.

[Metric Mouse]

Last month I was at the lumber yard, and a patron had this exact question. The staff member stated that you should wait a year, not *just* because of moisture content, but because the chemicals they soak the pt in will need to leach out for a bit. So if you seal them in, they'll leach out and ruin the finish you applied.

Not sure how true that is, or if 6 months is enough time, but waiting does seem to be conventional wisdom.