Building some garage shelves with H2 treated pine (blue dyed). Can these be painted? What preparations and techniques are needed given they are pretty rough on the surface? Also do they need to be seasoned before use and painting? Thanks.
Hi @Ozheart,
You can paint H2-treated pine without any major issues, but the result depends a lot on how much preparation you do. The timber is considered stable and has already been dried.
The surface is usually quite rough, and if you paint it as-is, that texture will show through, which is fine for something like garage shelves but not ideal if you want a smoother finish. Using a sander to remove the raised grain and milling lines will improve the look significantly, especially if you follow up with a primer to help the paint stick better and to stop the blue dye from bleeding through.
While paint can adhere directly to bare timber, using a primer and applying two coats of paint will give a more even, durable result, and lightly sanding between coats can help reduce any raised grain for a cleaner finish.
As a quick safety note, wear a dust mask or respirator, eye protection, and gloves when sanding or painting treated timber.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Thank you Mitchell for the guidance, in particular with the respiratory safety of working with chemically treated timber. Almost forgot that. Thinking also of running it through a thicknesser to shave a bit off than a massive sanding job. It’d be more than good enough for a garage rack. Just don’t like that blue dyed appearance. Job for the Anzac long weekend… 😃
