Carpentry and Woodworking - swingset and fort question

Help!!

I made a swingset and fort out of treated arsenic-free red pine. It turned out wonderful. My husband told his mother and she told him to stain it or it will rot. I believe it does not make a difference if it is stained or not, it is treated to prevent rot. Please give your opinions. I have to convince the husband before he gets to the hardware store. Thanks much, Vicki

If the wood is treated and rated for ground contact it will say so on the label and that would be the case. Treated wood is treated against insects and such.

The exposed wood is exposed to sun and water. To make it last long, seal the cut ends to keep water out, but it ought to go a decade without anything. The pressure treatment forces the chemicals into the wood. This is something that the best stain or paint would never achieve.

People who stain decks are doing so for appearance. To protect the structure, the finish must shield it from the sun and keep the water from penetrating. To keep any protection afforded by stain on a deck or other such structure will require cleaning and renewal annually. That is something that most don't want to do.

The best protection for exposed wood is paint. It keeps off the sun and the water.

But if everyone will be happy with it stained, it sure won't hurt.

HTH

Thanks for taking the time to type all that information. I have a better understanding of it all now. I also did not know about sealing cut ends. I will definitely do that now. Also, is it a good idea to cover them up in winter so that the snow does not sit on them all winter? My hubby also thought that would be a good idea but I was not sure.

Vicki

I don't know much about snow. South Carolina where we get some snow that lasts a couple of days a couple of times a year.