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| I just finished building my deck it's 33'x16' with all treated lumber. I've been told different things when it comes to the timing of staining and sealing. Some people say wait a year for the wood to breath others say do it right away. Can anyone give me professional advice? What are your experiences? Thanks!
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| Hi Taskey, thanks for your question and using the forum. Pressure treated wood requires up to 6 months of exposure to properly dry. If your deck is in full sun most of the day that time will be less. If in full shade the timing will be longer. The reason for the 6 month drying time is some areas of the deck will dry slower or faster then others. Also the size of the lumber will cause various drying times. 4x4's/6x6's will dry slower then the decking or smaller lumber. I hope this helps and thanks
Anderson Pro Carpentry
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| Thanks for responding to my question I really appreciate it. The deck is rather large at about 535 square feet and it's in sun half of the day. In 6 months it will be December and cold where I live which is in IL. So I think I will plan to stain and seal the deck in the Spring of 2007.
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| Hi taskey, you could stain in the fall if the deck sees sun for part of the day. Late Sept. or early Oct. should be enough drying time. I fear if you wait until next spring the wood may start to gray. It better to protect prior to it's first winter. Use a good UVL stain or sealer. Flood or Cabot make excellent products for wood decks.
Anderson Pro Carpentry
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ok, I am going to have a deck built in August. That forces me to go throught the winter and have the graying. What can I do? Will the stain not take or will it just look a little different?
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| Hi Donald, if the deck is pressure treated material the moisture content will be over 20% at installation. Most stain manufacturers recommend the woods moisture level be below 5%. They also require a minimum of 50 degrees air temp. Both of these factors are working against you to get your deck stained this season. If your deck is in full sun and you experience a warm late October early November you may get a chance to apply stain. But first check with the manufacturer guidelines for the product prior to starting. Thanks
Anderson Pro Carpentry
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