Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Working with wet, pressure-treated lumber

I just purchased some pressure-treated lumber for a deck. It is quite wet. Do I need to let it dry out before I begin working with it? If so, how long does it usually take to dry out? It seems to me, it's gonna get wet once its up, so what's the difference?

It's OK to work with the wood wet provided it's not "soaked". Some guys like to work with PT wood that is slightly "damp" to reduce exposure to PT saw-dust.

Take care though, PT wood can seriously warp when it's allowed to dry out unbundled.

Best wishes.

When I built my deck, I had 12' joists that I cut prior to hanging. The wood was slightly damp when I cut it and the joists shrank 1/4 inch or a little more more in overall length after they dried. Fortuantely, this was not enough to cause a serious problem for me, but just be aware that some minor shrinkage might occur as the PT lumber fully dries and over 10' or greater lengths, this may have an impact on the length of the board.

I've seen guys screw one side of deck boards, then allow the deck to dry out and shrink a little bit before coming back (a few weeks or months later) and screwing down the other side of the decking. Sounds good in principle, but the problem is that the deck boards will warp and twist if not screwed down tight. Then when you go to put that other screw in, you're trying to pull the twisted board down tight. It's kind of a catch 22.