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Radiata pine for painted exterior use

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Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#1

Radiata pine for painted exterior use

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I need to buy some boards for use as exterior trim, and the local lumberyard offers redwood and cedar, both nominally 1" but actually 5/8", and radiata pine, nominally 1" but actually 3/4". The existing trim on our Victorian is 7/8" (insert brief nostalgic whine about the old days), which makes matching tricky.

Online research says that radiata pine (also known as Monterey pine, and a California native, it turns out) has low durability in exterior uses, unless treated. Does anyone have experience to confirm or refute that?

I don't know that I can afford to buy 2" stock and waste it down to 7/8", so I may be buying the 5/8" stuff and using 1/4" (true dimension) lath to shim it out. With enough filler and paint, it might pass...

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#2

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

Paul in NJ

>Bill,

The Home Depot's around here (NJ) stock ponderosa pine in 5/4 (1" finished) thickness. You could mill that down without wasting too much wood. I would be surprised if you couldn't get 5/4 softwood in your area.

Paul Dzioba

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#3

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

Robin Corell in Atascadero Ca

>I have milled a couple of monterey pines and they are very susceptable to fungus and rot in exterior situations. I would not recomend using it.

You should be able to get some redwood, cedar, or cypress from Evan Shiveley over in Marshal(415) 663-9126 or (415) 663-0763 He can mill to your exact specifications and has some spectacular local woods.

Robin

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#4

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>Hello Bill,

I can confirm that un-treated radiata has low durability used outdoors. Most New Zealand houses built over the past 30 or so years are framed with pinus radiata and a fair number are clad with it too. Using painted but un-treated radiata outside is asking for trouble.

regards

Angus Barclay

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#5

Confirm - poor durability

Andrew F in Australia

>Hi Bill,

I saw Angus in NZ has replied, and while I haven't read it, I'm sure his answer will be the same

Radiata's got a life expectancy of about 6 months in the weather.

It's treated with a copper/chrome/arsenic solution to get it to last outdoors - I don't know the US equivalent.

Cheers,

Andrew

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#6

Thanks - by the way, this has been OT all along

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I went with a finger-jointed cedar, a tad more expensive but worth it. It's only 5/8" thick (roughly 16 mm, for the metric crowd), while I need 7/8" (aka roughly 22 mm), so I'm making the difference up with 1/4" lath (6 mm - hey, the math works!), and vigorous painting.

Fortunately, the 1x6 cedar is actually resawn 2x stock (giving up on the metrication here...), so the "back" edge is square-sawn, and, I hope, the lath will blend in. It'll probably pass the one-block test (looks good from a block away). Interestingly, in replacing one window, I discovered that the apron on the interior trim of the two windows in the breakfast nook was done the same way, and I hadn't realized for the 34 years we've been here, so I am hopeful.

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#7

CCA isn't used anymore in NA

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>They use another compound, can't remember the name (still has copper in it, I believe).

DC

Re: Radiata pine for painted exterior use

#8

Couple of different compounds

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>using copper, and some of the pine in California is borate-treated, though the local yard's pine is untreated.

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