I bought some "pineapple" post caps made of treated pine. When they arrived, I was taken aback to see, rather than an overall greenish tinge, splotches and patches of green. As my plan has been to leave these unstained, I will probably have to send them back-- unless someone knows how to "fix" this problem? Additionally, what caused these caps to look like they have green splotchy paint on them?
Fresh Alkaline Copper Quaternary(ACQ) treatment leaves the wood very wet. In a month of dry conditions (in the sun), they will dry out and be much less splotchy. The green will eventually be gone, going to gray in 12-18 months.
I know you didn't want to stain, but consider a light 'cedar' tone to even things out, until the green fades.
Once dry (3-5 weeks), you can stain for a more even color (water or oil based, )
Part of the unevenness comes from a mix of end grain (very absorptive), face grain and knots (non absorptive). Pre-treatment of the end grain (usually at the top of turnings) with a sanding sealer (25% finish, 75% solvent) will help the stain finish evenly.
