Finishing #1: Sealing Pressure-treated wood

I don’t know how the Chromated Copper Arsenate affects topcoats. I imagine house paint would be the way to go.
After that spar vanish would seem like a likely choice.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Marc,
I have been informed by a painting professional that you must wait until the wood has dried sufficiently before applying anything to it. Living in Arizona as you do, it may not take very long. In order to paint it and have it stay stick, you will have to first apply a paint primer and then a good exterior paint.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Thanks, Doug and Tom. What I had planned to do was wait until it has dried suficiently and eventually coat it with spar varnish. we have monsoon season right now, so I need to store it inside to dry…LOL (It is a DRY heat—except for July and August.)

I guess, I will let it dry for a week or two, then seal it with Zinser top coat. Is that a good enough sealer, Tom? Am I figuring correctly?
Thanks,
God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

The sealer might be good enough, Hawg, but your drying time might not. I’d suggest using a moisture meter to make sure it gets down to the 8% or so you should be looking for before you seal it.

The pressure treated lumber I’ve always worked with has almost always had water literally dripping out of it when I picked it up. Not sure if two weeks would be enough to get the necessary moisture out of it. And I’m not sure how the Zinser will work if the wood is still too wet.

-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/