Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
How Long ?
Marty Rose
Purchased a few Treated 2X6"s at the Orange Store. A couple were very wet. Been setting nearly a week and are still STICKY to the touch. Do I wait a day or more for more drying, before I attempt to put a primer coat on them? All are for a Fascia for a deck "That should be white" Or just Roll The Dice and see what happens????
Re: How Long ?
Jason Roehl in Lafayette, IN
Hate to say it, but you should be thinking in terms of weeks, not days. As in, 6 weeks or so minimum, under good drying conditions.
Jason
Re: How Long ?
John K Jordan
>>>Purchased a few Treated 2X6"s at the Orange Store.
My experience is much PT construction lumber is saturated, soaking wet. I wait months or a year before applying anything. If I want it somewhat dimensionally stable (and not shrink like crazy) I sticker the boards and wait that long before putting it up. Some deck builders, for example, tell customers to wait six months before applying sealer. An alternative is to hunt at the store for boards that were at the top or outsides of the bundle - you can see the band marks. These are sometimes drier, depending on where and how long the bundle sat. Some are not very straight, though.
The best thing is to buy KDAT, kiln dried after pressure treatment. It is pretty dry and usually better quality wood, but at a price. I don't know if the big boxes carry that - mine comes from a real lumber yard or pro building supply.
JKJ
Re: How Long ?
Mark Nowicki
Roll the dice.
Re: How Long ?
Barry Irby
I would not bother to paint treated lumber. Never had any that looked good after a year or two. A waste of time.
I would consider some of the composite stuff Like Azek or MiraTEC. The cellular PVC if white through and through and the Miratec is factory finished. They are expensive, but considering you never have to paint it, it might be worth it.
Re: How Long ? *LINK*
john in lutz
My experience is to wait at least 6 weeks. The link is to a youtube video by yellow wood that discusses the splash test you can use to see when the surface is dry enough to paint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp3v4ZIaz9Ihttp://
Re: How Long ?
Mark Nowicki
In six weeks he will have spaghetti, not lumber.
Re: How Long ?
William Duffield
As far as I'm concerned, the only acceptable materials for decking are recycled milk jugs (Trex, et.al.) or recycled Coney Island board walk (ipe, compliments of Sandy). 
Re: How Long ?
Don Stephan
First, I would soundly nail them in place to hold them against warp as they dry. Then, ask the store where you normally buy paint, or contact the paint manufacturer.
Re: How Long ?
GolfSteve in Calgary
My neighbour, who is a professional painter, and I build a cedar fence with pressure treated posts a few years ago. He said he prefers to let the fence sit unpainted over a full winter before painting. This is to let mill scale oxidize and the pressure treated posts to dry and for the pressure treatment chemicals to oxidize and stabilize before coating with paint or stain.
Re: How Long ?
GolfSteve in Calgary
My neighbour, who is a professional painter, and I build a cedar fence with pressure treated posts a few years ago. He said he prefers to let the fence sit unpainted over a full winter before painting. This is to let mill scale loosen, for the pressure treated posts to dry, and for the pressure treatment chemicals to oxidize and stabilize before coating with paint or stain.