We’re rebuilding our front porch (started out as stairs, and then…). We’re located on the California North Coast, where the winter can range from 60-70 degrees and sunny to low 20’s and raining. We’re now at the stage where the stairs are installed — treads in place, waiting for sunlight this afternoon to install plugs for the screwholes. Then, we thought (since we’re getting a couple of days of warmish sunlight), painting. Treads are green con heart redwood; risers similar.
Today, when I was getting mildewcide put in the deck paint, the paint store guy said we should wait for a full year before painting, so the wood can dry out; then pressure-wash it and paint.
I’ve heard contradictory things on this subject: paint new wood quickly, before it weathers. Also, LOML doesn’t want to wait for a year with partly-done steps before painting.
Opinions? Is the paint store guy right? If so, is there something we can do to make them look decent for a year?
Replies
Just in the last couple of weeks an old episode of This Old House aired in which Norm visited a lab at, I believe, the National Forest Products Laboratory. On his tour they showed the test area, where wood decks are exposed to weather with various treatments. One set compared wood treated shortly after installation to wood allowed to weather a year before the finish was applied. After a few years the wood with the finish applied immediately faired better that wood that was allowed to weather a year first. So, their recommendation was to finish wood immediately.
Having said that, the wood should be somewhat dry when painted, so I would say let it stand a couple of weeks if it was pretty wet when installed. Latex paints can tolerate more dampness in the wood than oil based.
Unless the wood you used is green (i.e. not kiln-dried) or wet from weather, my opinion would be to paint it right away. My experience has been that wood, when left to the weather, starts to open up at the grain and is never the same again.
Furthermore, I would use an oil-based primer. I have stripped wood when oil- and water-based primers were used, and without question the oil-based has always penetrated deeper and held better. This is anecdotal, but it is my experience nonetheless.
If necessary, I would tent the steps with visqueen so that you can finish the project this year. LOYL should be happy, too. ;)
Good luck on the steps,
Ragnar
EDIT: oops, I see from your post that the wood IS green..... I'd still paint it. I've painted wet cedar before and it turned out fine.
Edited 1/2/2003 9:21:09 PM ET by ragnar
I'm considering a compromise approach: using Thompson's Waterseal or similar product (probably with a UV protectant) to increase water repellency, but waiting for paint until Spring. This seems like it would protect the wood, but not prevent water vapor from releasing.
I glued the counter-bored screwholes with plugs yesterday, and the wood's wet enough that the glue was still damp on some of them this morning when I trimmed them flush. So an oil-based paint that seals the wood (I backprimed the steps, too, half with oil, half with latex) might not be a good idea.
The "water seal" approach might be a good one. I got some information from a local manufacturer last season, and they recommended a similar approach. This was Daly's from Seattle, and the recommended product was Ship and Shore. According to the reps, the product would inhibit water entry for a season or so, but would also wear off with time, so that it would not cause problems with the primer bonding later on.
Just make sure that whatever you use won't cause problems with the primer when you get around to that phase.
Ragnar