Can pressure treated plywood be painted?

[GregH]

If so, what type of paint should be used?

[MushCreek]

You have to wait for it to dry out first. There is KDAT (Kiln Dried After Treatment) plywood, which can be painted right away. Might be hard to find, though.

[GregH]

You have to wait for it to dry out first. There is KDAT (Kiln Dried After Treatment) plywood, which can be painted right away. Might be hard to find, though.

How long to dry out?

[sp_clark]

Depends on just how wet it is when you buy it, get it dragged home. If 'fresh' it can be almost dripping wet when it's offloaded at your supplier. How fast it will dry depends on how thick it is (3/4" can take a week or longer over the time for 1/2") and where you store it once it's yours. Obviously outside, uncovered, in a high-humidity environment like Mississippi will take longer than in Arizona. If inside in a 'conditioned' space, 3/4" left standing with both sides exposed to good air circulation & 50% RHI will take two to three weeks, 1/2" maybe a week less. Higher temp will shorten these intervals, 80F's better than 50F in that respect.

I did a small project w/2x4's not long ago. Took 'em three weeks to dry acceptably in my ventilated garage in October, temps 50 - 70 & RHI maybe 60-65%.

Latex paint can go on sooner, will still permit passage of water vapor once it's been applied. Oil-based needs thoroughly dry substrate or you're begging for failure.

[BillP]

Are you talking pt ply like the old greenwood xl panels or regular pt ply from the big box stores? I used the big box store pt pine ply to rebuild a 1965 frp boat in 2002. I glassed everything except the 3/4" pt seat bases and painted them with Interlux Brightside oil base over a coating of epoxy resin without glass. The paint stuck fine but after about 10 yrs the ply started checking badly. I ended up stripping it and glassing with epoxy like the rest of the rebuild. I used pt dimensional lumber and 3/4 pt ply for the whole job and air dried it in my garage for 2-3 months before cutting parts...90-95% RH and 90F avg temp. The ply was still moist so I let it air dry a total of 6 months before more cutting revealed dry ply. Still have the boat. It sat outside in full exposure until 2015 when it went under roof on a boat lift. So painting worked but the cheap pt ply checked. I don't do latex or waterbase on boats so can't comment on it.

[AndreasJordahlRhude]

Yes of course it can be painted. It must be dry however

[wizbang 13]

Prime it with thinned oil paint at the least...not flaketex

CPES would be a better primer/sealer.
A moisture meter is not an expensive or exotic tool anymore.