Subject: CPES on raw pine before painting ???
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001

Hi,

I have 3 brand new lathe turned porch columns that will be installed soon. I am worried that since they are fabricated from pine that they will rot at the floor line of the deck. So, I think that they need to be preserved with something before being painted white. Will CPES do the job? Does paint adhere well to raw wood surfaces that have had CPES applied to them? Is a latex primer needed before the latex paint top coat? Thanks for your help.

Daryl J.

CPES would be the perfect answer to protecting your wood. I would suggest that just before installation, each base and top be propped in a shallow pool of CPES so the wood ends can absorb all the CPES that they will. This will happen within 1/2 hour. Then all exterior surfaces should be brushed with CPES as well. Give it 24 hours (or longer) and then install. If you are nailing or screw-fastening the columns in place, pilot drill every fastener hole and squirt in some CPES to protect that area as well. This is important, because water will leak in around fasteners and allow rot to develop inside the column.

Paint will bond with the CPES-treated wood, and actually last longer than it would with normal primers. You can use any type of paint, and you can use a primer if you wish, although it is not necessary for the wood preparation. Some folks will use the primers because they can be easily sanded to help produce a very smooth final finish.

Depending on the size of your columns, either a 2-pint or a 2-quart unit of the CPES will be plenty. Un-mixed CPES kept in the cans and stored so there is no prolonged freezing temperatures will last indefinitely.

Come on back if you have additional questions.

Doc