PSA: 2x4 pressure treated lumber can shrink more than you think

Built a raised garden bed last spring using wet pressure treated 2x4s from the local lumber yard. By fall, there were quarter inch gaps between every single board where the wood dried out and shrank. Had to fill them with soil to stop it washing out every time it rained. Next time I'm buying the lumber 3 months early and letting it dry in the garage first. Anyone else deal with this or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron53825d ago

Had a similar thing happen with a deck I built, used the wet lumber straight from the store and by next summer the gaps were big enough to drop a screwdriver through. Letting it sit in the garage for a few months made all the difference on the second go around.

the_patricia25d ago

Heard somewhere that some builders actually buy lumber way ahead of time and let it sit for like six months or even a year before using it for outdoor projects. I guess it depends on the climate too, like if you live somewhere super humid it might take even longer to dry out. But yeah, that first time learning curve is rough, I remember reading that in some forum actually, where a guy said he just started storing all his deck wood in his basement for a whole season before building with it. Seems like a lot of extra work upfront but probably saves a ton of headache later.