Wood – What’s better for outside trim- treated pine 1×4 or painted/primed yellow pine in Houston

exteriorpaintwood

Which is best choice? Contractor says pressure treated pine does not hold paint because it might still be wet. He prefers primed and painted yellow pine. This is for a rental. On my home I live in, I have seen the untreated Yellow Pine (fascia) fail in <8 years even though it was primed both sides with Kilz. 19 years ago I had treated pine 1×4 trim installed and painted and still is good. Oil base primer will be used regardless. Is there a pressure treated 1×4 spec. or brand that is more dry & paint friendly? This is Houston so high heat & humidity and lots of rain.

Best Answer

I think there is some confusion going on, pressure treated lumber for ground contact and yard / deck use is a completely different animal than the pressure treated radiata pine product that is used for trim, fascia, and barge rafters. This material is kiln dried and as a contractor since 1989 and a carpenter since 1978 the pressure treated resawn pine is used 80% of the time and is sold in all lumber yards including home depot and lowes. It is expensive but comes with a heavy prime that seems to be infused into the wood, no knots, and is rot and mildew resistant, very straight and does not shrink, split or warp. All the large lumber companies have their own brand name for this product. Its probably not used on some lower end tract homes because of its cost, but in the long run it is more stable than the clear resawn cedar and redwood we used to be able to use.(even in the 70's almost clear redwood 2x8's were extremely expensive, and they were usually somewhat wet so they would change a bit over time).