Best Way to Paint Rough Cut Lumber
Rough cut lumber is often used for outdoor projects or indoor shelves, and can provide an economical lumber choice to suit the needs of your project. Although this lumber is untreated, it can work well and be long lasting as long as you paint it to seal out water from seeping into the grain of the wood causing damage to the wood.
- Lay out a tarp or other protective material outside to protect your work area.
- Set your lumber up against a flat surface that will adequately support the lumber from slipping while you are painting.
- Fill a spray bottle that has a misting option with clean warm water.
- Spray down the lumber that you want to treat with a fine mist of water. You want to moisten the wood but you do not want to make the lumber wet to the touch.
- Wipe down the wood with a dry towel after spraying it down to wipe away any remaining moisture on the surface of the wood.
- Clean the lumber with a hydroxide-based cleaner that you have on hand. If you do not have one on hand, you can purchase one at your local home improvement store. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for applying this product.
- Allow the lumber to dry out completely before moving on to the next step. This may take a few days depending on the ventilation where the wood is stored and on the temperature and humidity in the area in which you live.
- Prime the surface of your lumber with a roller made for textured surfaces. This roller will be thicker than you standard roller which will help the paint to get into the dips and grooves in you lumber.
- Allow the primer to dry completely before moving onto step 10. You may want to allow it to sit overnight to ensure that is completely dry.
- Apply paint in your choice of color to the cleaned and primed lumber. Allow it to dry to the touch for about an hour or two before you apply the second coat. You should use the same type of roller that you used for the primer to apply your paint to the lumber.