Drying Pressure Treated Lumber

[Tom Hogard]

I buy a couple of extras in each size I need and sticker stack any pressure treated lumber I use. If you get the semi dry boards off the top of the stack at the box store, they'll never straighten out. I would much rather have something further down in the stack, still wet and heavy, and by stickering when I get home I have a better chance of controlling the degrade as much as possible.

[Jamie Buxton]

If what you need is a pressure-treated flat plate, you might consider starting with pressure-treated plywood, and laminate enough layers to get the thickness you want. I understand that the mill treats the laminates first, and then glues them into plywood. They have to dry the laminates before the glue-up to get the glue to take.

[Tom M King]

One thing that helps is to only pick boards with straight grain. Any time we're buying framing lumber, I glance at the treated stacks of 2x8's, and larger. If there are any clear boards laying on top of a new stack, chances are good that there will be more near those. I'll buy any good ones, and add them to the rest. I really don't get much loss by doing this.

I don't bother to look at stacks that are less than half of a whole bundle. Those have already been picked through.

Any board with grain that changes direction going down the board has a chance that approaches zero of staying straight.