PT inside?

[Michael Weber]

getting ready to build some paneled wainscoting in a small powder room remodel. This will be painted but I still want clear stock. Considered several sources of clear wood for this including poplar and pine. Also ripping either plywood or even MDF. At the borg today I notice they had some "appearance grade" pressure treated stock in various widths. Totally clear, it was much cheaper than any other stock they had including the warped white wood stock available. I was shocked at the price. It didn't seem real wet and was a brown color, not green, and was straight and flat. Is there a reason PT wood isn't advisable for indoor use even painted?

[Wayne Lomman]

If it's dry enough it is ok. If the brown colour is any indication check the fine print as not all pt is equal. Main problem for me is the machining dust hazard. Also it may be losp which is intended for joinery use. Cheers

[Evan Stewart]

Michael, the other thing to keep in mind is that PT doesn't take paint very well until it is really dry. I always told my deck customers to wait until the end of the season to paint it just to be sure. Wayne brings up a very good point too. I still build decks now and then and last year i had a woman who wanted some really heavy duty lattice made so i told my guys it would be easier for me to make it in the shop than it would be for them to do it on site. OH MAN what a horrible mess and that dust is no joke. Even with a mask ans the dust collector i managed to get some in my sinuses and it raised hell for about a week. Granted i was ripping 2x12s into 1/2" strips for about 3 hours straight but still something to be aware of.

[Jim Becker]

The caution about moisture is very justified and you can't go by how it looks or feels to your hands. You'll want to check it with a moisture meter for sure...

In general, pressure treated material can be a challenge for checking as it dries as well as for finishing.

[Von Bickley]

I wouldn't use it indoors......

[Michael Weber]

Thanks, guess I'll use something else. I was just really surprised how cheap it was. It was yellow pine but still. Don't quite understand how come what appears to be a quality board can be pressure treated and still sell for less than the knot filled white wood across the isle. May be a one time thing. Thanks again.

[Cary Falk]

Also not mentioned is that it is corrosive. Combined with the high moisture content it will make a mess out of your tools. No way does PT lumber goes near any of my woodworking tools.

[Nike Nihiser]

I think I would use MDF. Easy to work, takes paint well and I think it's inexpensive. A 3/4 x 49 x 97 sheet is $26.66 at my local Menard's. 1/2inch is 18 something.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I was recently told that the other issue with at least the new brown PT is that it eats fasteners. I was helping a contractor do a garden shed and all the fasteners going into the PT had to be double dipped galvanized. I'm just passing along something that I was told. I have no expertise in this area, but he told me that ordinary nails and screws will damn near dissolve in a year or so.

[Jim Dwight]

I've never used PT inside but I would if it was dry. I would use dust collection cutting it but bathrooms tend to be damp so there is some benefit, I think, to the PT. The PT I've bought has all been very wet, however. So I use it for outside projects and paint it after a few months when it dries out. I don't have a lot of checking or other problems. I have a gate on the dock that warped some but still works. I would normally have used mortise and tenon joints for the gate but in PT, I just put in long lag bolts. That let me tighten the joint back up when the wood dried and shrank.

[Peter Christensen]

As much as I despise MDF I'm using it to make trim for my basement. If you are worried about moisture in the powder room there is water resistant MDF available but not likely from Borg type stores. A place specializing in sheet goods should have it. Costs almost double regular MDF sheets but you won't need a lot for a powder room.

[Wade Lippman]

I was recently told that the other issue with at least the new brown PT is that it eats fasteners. I was helping a contractor do a garden shed and all the fasteners going into the PT had to be double dipped galvanized. I'm just passing along something that I was told. I have no expertise in this area, but he told me that ordinary nails and screws will damn near dissolve in a year or so.

Actually I have heard that no galvanized will last.
But I wonder if that is only true outside where it gets wet. Maybe (and i am just guessing) if it is kept dry it won't be reactive.

[Bill Dufour]

Simpson makes stainless sesmic clips, nails, bolts, screws etc for use in contact with pressure treated. they say a damp basement will eat galvanized alive in a few years. I am sure a bathroom or kitchen would be as damp.
Bill