Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - How long should I wait (if at all) before sealing pressure treated wood?

Some guy at the Home Depot said wait 90 days before applying a wood sealer (assuming a standard, off the shelf wod sealer) to pressure treated wood.
The sales rep that sold my soy-based non toxic wood sealer said no need to wait at all (but that was for redwood or cedar wood which was NOT pressure treated).

So taking a combination of the above, if I were to apply a non-toxic soy-based wood sealer to pressure treated wood, do I have to wait and if so how long?

In other words, is that waiting period a function of the pressure treated wood (as opposed to the red wood or cedar wood) or is it a function of the readily available wood sealers?

I appreciate any insight,

thks,

-MC

I have always had better results by letting the PT weather a little before staining/sealing. There are products for sale that claim they can be used over new/wet PT.

I was always told that you had to wait for the treated wood to dry out or remove the moisture, so that the weatherproofer could be absorbed. It seemed to make sense to me since there was nothing to force the sealer into the pores that had water in them.

Dick

let the pressure treated wood dry out amap and then apply the sealant,

thanks for the tips,

-MC

PT wood should be allowed to dry until it has a surface moisture content between 12 & 20%. If kiln-dried, this will be immediately. If not, it should take 4-8 weeks to reach this level.

talked to the contractor I hired to do the fence, he also stuck these pressure treated 6x6's in the ground for me to hang my various exercise equipment from.

said there's no need to treat these items with sealant, I'd have to re-apply annually and all it does is keep the stain looking nice (if I had stain)

am I headed for destruction?

-MC

While PT wood is designed to last it will last longer with a coating applied and yes it would need a new coat every few years to keep it looking nice.

Check out the Wolmanized Wood web site maintenance guide at:

http://www.wolmanizedwood.com/maintenance.shtml

Depending on whether you're simply sealing, or you're painting or staining, the answer varies. Since they make the wood, they know best how to treat it.