How to Cure Pine

Curing pine lumber is a process of removing the moisture from the wood.

Trees have a large amount of water content and when cut, this moisture remains in the wood. Pine is a commonly used lumber for all sorts of projects from house framing to furniture and needs to be properly cured before use. Commercial lumber producers dry and cure lumber in large heat rooms and kilns, but if you are cutting your own wood, you can cure it for free; all it takes is time.

Things You'll Need

• Cement blocks or bricks
• Measuring tape
• 2-by-4 pine boards
• Stickers
• Corrugated roofing panels -- optional

Instructions

1. Lay out cement blocks or bricks every 2 feet for the size of the boards you are curing. Set the blocks in a rectangular pattern. The wood should be kept at least 2 inches off the ground to allow air flow.

2. Lay the 2-by-4 pine boards across each set of blocks a supports, the boards to be cured will be set across these. Make sure the space is wide enough to set 6 of your curing boards across the base you have built, with 2 inches air space between the boards for air flow.

3. Set the first layer of boards in place perpendicular across the supports, leaving the air space between them. Lay a set of stickers across the boards in the same location as the bottom 2-by-4 supports, these should be perpendicular to the boards you just laid. Stickers are 1-by-1 strips of wood used for making air space between curing boards. These should be pine also, as any wood used in the curing form should be the same type of wood you are curing.

4. Lay the second layer of boards in place across the stickers. Try to offset them a bit from the first layer so the air flow doesn't just rise directly through the gaps but circulates around the boards.

5. Continue layering stickers and curing boards until you have all your boards stacked. If you have a large amount of lumber, you may need to create two piles.

6. Add a last row of stickers across the top of the pile, then set a piece of corrugated roofing across the top to protect the pile from rain and weather. Set cement blocks or bricks on top of the roofing panel to weigh it down. Cure the wood at least six weeks in warm dry weather, it may take longer in high humidity or colder seasons.

Tips & Warnings

• Stack piles in sheds or garages to keep the curing boards dry and assist in the process, these type of piles do not need roofing.

• Seal the ends of the boards with water resistant sealer to prevent cracking.

References

• Lewis County Industrial Development Agency: Air Drying Lumber
• Life Guides: Curing Wood -- How To Cure Wood