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Painting pressure treated wood white

MachServTech

New Member
I have a job where I need to paint several large pressure treated posts white, I would like to match a competitors quote for 8 year durability.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
No primer. Use a solid color white stain and tell them the posts should last at least 8 years. The paint job, not so much. Nothing on pressure treated will last that long. They'll need a sprucing up in about 5 years..... and so will your competitors.

The trick here is..... the posts will last, just not the paint.

My question is....... are these permanent posts or for a real estate company ??
 

d fleming

New Member
Put lumber flat on concrete slab a day or so if very fresh and still wet to wick out a little, prime with kilz (not the water based version), paint with decent oil based paint. Take small amount of paint to install to do touch up when finished. Gino's way works well also.
 

MachServTech

New Member
They are permanent and very visible in a hard to reach location. The customer is concerned about upkeep. Gino would you use a sprayer to apply? Also will stain provide a semi transparent finish or a dense cover on green pressure treated?
 

SignProPlus-Chip

New Member
My advice would be acrylic latex paint, not oil. Oil based paint have a high probability of growing mold or fungus in damp areas. They also get chalky over time. Acrylic paint will expand and contract with the wood. Oil based paint will harden to a shell and start to crack with that expanding/contracting.

Been using latex with no primer on pressure treated wood for a while now with outstanding results. tends to soak into the wood a bit and really tighten up once dry....can't even scratch it off.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
It's called SOLID color stain for a reason. It's a solid color, not semi-transparent, but it's still a stain. However, if these are permanent I'd use good cedar posts and use primer and oil based paints. Using a roller will work nicely.

When painting any pressure treated posts, plywood or even decking, you need to let the wood breath. Unless it's a good grade 2Xkiln dried, you'll have problems down the road if you use paint. Anyway, around here you do. The old saying if you wanted pressure treated painted... was to let the wood alone for a year and it will go through it's changes and just about dry out. Once it gets that greyish color, you can then paint it with any kind of paint.

The oil based paints will not allow the wood to breathe and this causes checking, warping and peeling of the paint as the pressure treated liquids try to dry. By using oil, they can't do anything, but using a stain... the various wet elements still inside can pass through and dry.

I would never use pressure treated for anything permanent. Unless you're lucky, they just don't look nice after a while. Cedar will look great and weather very well. I've had posts in the ground over 20 years without much problems. The biggest detriment to posts are people with weed-whackers. If cutting is needed right up against, use a small PVC sleeve at the base.
 

SignProPlus-Chip

New Member
We can't used cedar or redwood here because of the termites. We continually replace old posts with pressure treated because they are now empty husks, having been devoured over the last 7-8 years. Thankfully T-mites don't like the taste of pressure treated wood.
 

MachServTech

New Member
"The biggest detriment to posts are people with weed-whackers. If cutting is needed right up against, use a small PVC sleeve at the base."

Excellent advice. Thanks Gino

Chip, I know the stain Gino is recommending can be sprayed, how about the acrylic stuff you recommended.
Also do you have a brand name for reference?
 

SignProPlus-Chip

New Member
Most paint stores, such as Glidden have their exterior paints formulated as an acrylic latex. We spray it through the HVLP all the time.

Oh and as Gino stated, especially here, the "weed whip" as they call it is important. The landscapers here love chopping down posts with their tools of the trade...LOL
 

rjssigns

Active Member
Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy their post covers for vinyl fencing. No painting or staining no mess period. They will be around long after you're gone.
 

Kottwitz-Graphics

New Member
I have a job where I need to paint several large pressure treated posts white, I would like to match a competitors quote for 8 year durability.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Post cover. I have yet to find a paint that will stay any time on pressure treated posts... Most of the ones you see now are still damp, and wick water for a while.
 

Baz

New Member
I paint pressure treated posts all the time. Now these are for real estate companies or apartment building managers. We usually just coat them straight up with exterior latex (two coats using a roller). This lasts many years (like 4-5 years). We have also primed with oil based paint then added two coats of latex overtop wich makes it last a little longer and makes it tougher when handling during installation. Latex primer will not adhere as good as oil does.

If it is for a permanent application your best bet would be to use covers but if you are going to paint them ... Paint is paint and will need some refurbishing a few years down the road.
 

Tony Teveris

New Member
Would you ever paint / stain ceder? I want to put up a biz sign for my wife's law biz outside our house. I want something to last a long time. Raw ceder really would not go with the look of the house (English Tudor) in a very rural area, at least that is what I think.
 
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