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I had new wooden decking installed on my balcony. The guy that did the job says it doesn't need stain because the wood is already treated: http://www.diy.com/departments/premium-brown-softwood-deck-board-t28mm-w144mm-l3600mm/945944_BQ.prd

He said to sand and stain it in two years time, but I was wondering if I stain it now maybe it will last more than two years? I live in London so, as you probably know, it rains A LOT. Wood is a very poor choice, but I can't change it because of the rules in my apartment lease.

Gep
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2 Answers2

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I'm not sure what preservative-treated means. [Edit: lower in the page it specifically reads "pressure-treated".] Around here, pressure-treated lumber is soaking wet and not suitable for stain/sealer until it's dried at least an entire season.

If it's truly kiln-dried, you're free to apply a stain/sealer at any time. To preserve color and prevent surface degradation, sooner is better.

isherwood
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  • +1 for the edit, but I still think it's just normal pressure treated, which might be kiln dried before pressure treating. Here's an interesting [video about pressure treating](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed582Y2_pjk) (if you care). – Ben Welborn Jun 10 '16 at 21:32
  • That's what I meant. Typical PT lumber is kiln-dried before treatment but not after. Or at least not very well after. – isherwood Jun 12 '16 at 15:36
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He's probably right, but you should have someone check it in about 6 months... any painter worth his salt will tell you if it's too soon.

This appears to be similar to How long should I wait before painting or staining pressure-treated wood?

Community
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Ben Welborn
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