Warning: green pressure treated lumber warped on me in 2 days

I picked up a stack of green treated 2x6s from Lowe's in Akron last Tuesday for a deck project. By Thursday morning, four of them had twisted so bad I couldn't even use them for joists. I had to return the whole batch and let the replacements dry for a week in my garage before cutting anything.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_fiona7d ago

Man that's rough, I feel your pain. Green treated lumber straight from the big box stores is a total gamble, I've had whole bundles look fine then twist up on me overnight. It really helps to sticker them with spacers and let them breathe for a few days before you start cutting.

sam_rivera7d ago

Read that someplace else too, it's the water content that makes it warp. Heard a guy say the kiln dried stuff is way more stable but costs a lot more. I've had bad luck with the cheap pressure treated from the big box stores too, seemed fine in the store then after a few days outside it looked like a potato chip. Sticking them like you said is the only way I've gotten decent results without paying double for the premium stuff.