Categories: Decks & PorchesPainting and Finishing

Staining Pressure Treated Deck Framing

Our deck out back was framed with pressure treated lumber. We used cambara decking for the surface and it’s treated with Penofin sealer. In order to get the pressure treated to look more like the stained cambara decking I bought some Cabot’s deck stain in the “red wood” color. As you can see in the photos it stained the pressure treated really well. One word of caution, most stain manufacturers say to wait 6 months to a year after you buy the pressure treated lumber in order for it to dry out. I did wait a year and it stained beautifully.

Deck Stain
Cabot Deck Stain
Staining Pressure Treated Lumber

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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View Comments

slingbox reviews says:
August 13, 2007 at 10:39 am
Very helpful and practical. I enjoy reading this blogs.
donny mcpherson says:
May 17, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I just biult a 6 foot fence with pressure treated lumber. I had heard about waiting for the lumber to dry. Mt hardware guy says to wait 3 months because there is a fine coat of wax on the lumber and it takes 3 months for the weather to wear it off ?
- Todd says:
  May 17, 2010 at 9:05 pm
  Donny - The time frame depends on the product. Some clear sealers can be applied immediately while many of the most popular sealers need 2 to 3 months. Water based sealers need a full year. I'm not aware of a wax. As far as I know the deal is the extremely high moisture content of fresh pressure treated lumber.