PSA: Don't hang heavy crown molding on green boards like I did

I was finishing a living room in a new build over off Maple Ave and hung 20 feet of crown on studs that were still damp from the day before. By the next morning the nails had started popping and the whole thing sagged a good quarter inch in the middle. Anyone else run into this with fresh lumber and have a fix that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_lane2928d ago

Wait a minute, green boards are usually treated lumber that's still wet. That stuff shrinks like crazy as it dries. Sounds like you used regular studs that just hadn't dried out yet. Did you check if they had a stamp from the mill or any kind of waterproofing treatment?

oliver24227d ago

Wait, did the lumber yard guy hand me wet studs and tell me they were green treated as a joke? Man, that would explain a lot about my deck's current "wavy" look. I didn't check for a stamp because I figured green boards are just green boards, you know? But you're right, the shrinkage is brutal. I basically built a deck that's slowly trying to become a pretzel. Guess I learned the hard way that "green" doesn't always mean "pressure treated for ground contact." Lesson learned, time to unbuild a deck.