Hello —
First visit to the forum. Read “breaktime” in the magazine and find it interesting, but never thought I would need help (now I do !)
I am most of the way thru building my own deck. I wanted to have strong posts for the railings so instead of bolting on 4 x 4’s to the outside joist, I instead ran 4 x 4s from the footings all the way up ! (deck walking surface is 3 ft tall, 4 x 4 posts for the rails are 6 1/2 ft tall).
The 4 x 4s are pressure treated wood (PTW).
My problem is the best method for filling in the “pock marks” in the posts and painting.
A friend suggested Bondo for the fill in (instead of some type of regular exterior wood filler).
Talking with Dunn-Edwards; they indicated that primer would work just fine with the Bondo, but they did NOT have any experience with BONDO and PTW.
Don’t know if the chemicals in the wood prevent things from sticking to them. (Note that I believe the PTW is of the CCA type as it has the typical green patina.)
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Does anyone have experience with “finishing” pressure treated wood ?
Replies
First, a comment concerning the type of wood that you have. You need to find out for sure if it is CCA. If it is the newer ACQ, and you didn't use the correct fasteners, then you new deck will fall over in a couple of months. Check, and be certain.
And are you really sure that you want to paint the pressure treated wood? My experience is that PT wood does not hold paint well at all.
Now, to your real question -- bondo in the pockmarks. (Are those the teeth marks that treated wood gets out west? I've heard others talk about them.) My guess is that bondo will work just fine, but only if you allow the wood to dry sufficiently first. Treated wood moves a lot while it is drying -- first six months or so. And if it hasn't stopped moving, nothing will stay, not even the paint.
So, stop by the Woodshed Tavern, have a cold one, and wait till July. Then have at it.
Thanks for the response !
(BTW -- I'm not a contractor, just someone who does lots of projects around the house.)
When I started the deck project (mid summer 2003) I knew that the CCA was being phased out (blips in Fine HB and such), but I didn't see any information re: the significantly higher corrosive copper content.
I DID go with all stainless fasteners because I only wanted to "build the deck once" (also used a Trex-type top board for the same reason).
BUT the joist hangers are just standard Simpson style. I guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope the Calif rains don't do too much damage over the years.
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And thanks for the tip on the Bondo -- I will make sure the wood is good and dry before applying !