Deck staining

[Kerry Adams]

Good Afternoon,


Home Depot is advertising that you should wait a year to stain treated lumber for a deck. Huh? I thought three months would be fine. What do you deck builders advise?

Thanks,
Kerry

[Joe Pelonio]

I built my deck in spring, and didn't stain it but waited to treat it in the fall.

I think it really depends on your climate and how dry the wood was when you bought it. For the decking I went with a more expensive lumber yard that specializes in cedar and you could tell by the weight it was pretty dry already.
Most of what they had at HD weighed at least twice as much.

[Joe Chritz]

The wood should be acclimated before staining or treating.

Ever cut PT lumber and have the juice spray out? That is too wet to do much with, the stain and or sealer needs to penetrate and it can't if the wood is full of juice.

Joe