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Post by shabbychick on Jul 28, 2013 15:40:24 GMT -8
I've spent the last couple of days repairing and rebuilding a section of the privacy fence that surrounds my patio. I used pressure-treated 2x4s for the toppers and face boards and a much softer cedar 9/16" by 4" wood for the slats (or whatever you call them). When I picked out the wood, it was pretty moist. I am wondering how long I need to let it dry out before I can paint it. I'm going to try an oil-based primer with latex paint over that and see if it peels less than the previous boards. Any advice on how long to wait to start priming? It's pretty warm here these days (high 70s and low 80s) and not too humid. Do you think if they dry the rest of today and tonight, they'd be okay? I've had most of the fence up since yesterday; I only bought one new 2x4 today, so most of the wood has been at my house for a couple of days. I'm going to have to redo the pavers on the patio, too, but that's another post. First I have to have the tree roots removed that are growing through it!  |
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Post by allen820 on Jul 28, 2013 16:25:31 GMT -8
Shabby, if you have "green wood," i.e. pressure treated pine, you need to let it weather at least 6 months before you put any kind of finish on it. Otherwise, it will a) not dry evenly and b) spot and peel. Oil based primer with a latex finish coat is a good choice, but if the wood is not well cured, you will be disappointed with your results. On the other hand, you can paint the cedar any time, assuming it is not a treated product.
Sorry . . .
Allen
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Post by shabbychick on Jul 28, 2013 18:55:08 GMT -8
Thanks, Allen. Per the HOA rules, I have to paint the fence right away, so I'll have to go ahead and slap the paint on it within the next several days. This probably explains the poor luck we've had getting paint to stick to all the fences around here. I'll bring it up to the rest of the HOA board. Maybe it's time to revisit the policy. Thanks for letting me know about the curing time. I don't think any of us knew about that.
The cedar is not treated, I don't think. It was actually the wettest of the wood when I picked it up. And let me tell you, even as soft as it is, trying to cut a 4 foot length of cedar lengthwise with a hand saw is not an easy proposition. I think I qualified for sainthood today.
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Post by allen820 on Jul 30, 2013 15:36:20 GMT -8
Yep, I would say rip cutting anything 4' with a handsaw would make quitting time look awful good! I'll attach more info about painting your pressure treated fence. Maybe you could get by with only painting the untreated cedar boards for now. Really, the HOA needs to consider if it is better to have some raw wood showing for a while vs. having a whole bunch of crappy looking wood structures around forever. It just doesn't make sense to me to require something that is not going to get the desired result. See the attached link. www.ehow.com/way_5471550_painting-treated-lumber.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=askNote, they recommend using acrylic latex paint, so I stand corrected on that point. However, the oil-based primer would be what you would want to use on the cedar. A |
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Post by shabbychick on Jul 30, 2013 16:03:33 GMT -8
Thanks for the link, Allen. I'll send it to the HOA Board president. He did tell me the other day to wait a week before I paint.  Part of our problem is that there are really only about two months a year here where it's dry long enough to paint, so that's when we all run out to clean and paint our fences. I agree with you that we may need to adjust our expectations regarding painting new construction. Now I'm turning my attention to patio pavers and trying to decide on a pattern and a style. I have about 70 square feet to cover once I get it leveled off. I figure I can do this for less than $500 and still end up with something that looks pretty nice. I just have to limit myself to pavers small enough for me to lift and place by myself, which is probably 20 pounds or less. I found a pretty travertine I kind of like but haven't entirely settled on it yet. It looks like it might get slippery in the winter. |
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Post by Vintage Girl on Jul 31, 2013 16:53:57 GMT -8
Be very careful with the type of pavers you use. My parents put travertine on their front porch years ago in their old house, and every winter when it rained it got dangerously slippery |
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Post by shabbychick on Jul 31, 2013 20:13:32 GMT -8
That was kind of my concern. I have the sample paver I bought sitting outside getting wet right now so I can see how slick it gets. I'm planning a field trip to another paving stone store tomorrow or Friday to see what they have to offer. I might just go with rainbow pea gravel and a few stepping stones. It would make things easier, and gravel isn't so slippery. It's just a pain in the neck to pick the pine cones and autumn leaves out of it.
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Part of our problem is that there are really only about two months a year here where it's dry long enough to paint, so that's when we all run out to clean and paint our fences. I agree with you that we may need to adjust our expectations regarding painting new construction.