They have finished the new deck. That's a good thing.

There are a couple of knot holes in the top surface of a couple of the railing
header, however, and, that's a bad thing.

These holes are not through and through, just ugly pits that will collect water
and make for ant sized skating rinks in the winter. Sorry, I can't afford to
but skates for the ants.

The railing headers are pressure treated. Does anybody have any suggestions for
a type of filler to use in these pesky holes prior to sealing so that the till
material does not come out.

I am considering boring them in with a forstner bit and making wooden plugs,
but that is a lot of work if there is a simpler solution.

Would filling them with a build up of Gorilla glue work? Or should I be looking
at something like an outdoor version of plastic wood? How would these products
react with the chemicals in the lumber?

Thanks for any thoughtful and insightful suggestions.
____________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

I would use Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty. It is not necessarily
recommended for exterior use, but I have used with excellent
results.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
They have finished the new deck. That's a good thing.

There are a couple of knot holes in the top surface of a couple
of the railing
header, however, and, that's a bad thing.

These holes are not through and through, just ugly pits that
will collect water
and make for ant sized skating rinks in the winter. Sorry, I
can't afford to
but skates for the ants.

The railing headers are pressure treated. Does anybody have any
suggestions for
a type of filler to use in these pesky holes prior to sealing so
that the till
material does not come out.

I am considering boring them in with a forstner bit and making
wooden plugs,
but that is a lot of work if there is a simpler solution.

Would filling them with a build up of Gorilla glue work? Or
should I be looking
at something like an outdoor version of plastic wood? How would
these products
react with the chemicals in the lumber?

Thanks for any thoughtful and insightful suggestions.
____________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
They have finished the new deck. That's a good thing.

There are a couple of knot holes in the top surface of a couple of the
railing
header, however, and, that's a bad thing.

These holes are not through and through, just ugly pits that will collect
water
and make for ant sized skating rinks in the winter. Sorry, I can't afford
to
but skates for the ants.

The railing headers are pressure treated. Does anybody have any
suggestions for
a type of filler to use in these pesky holes prior to sealing so that the
till
material does not come out.

I am considering boring them in with a forstner bit and making wooden
plugs,
but that is a lot of work if there is a simpler solution.

Would filling them with a build up of Gorilla glue work? Or should I be
looking
at something like an outdoor version of plastic wood? How would these
products
react with the chemicals in the lumber?

Thanks for any thoughtful and insightful suggestions.
____________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA






While they are cosmetic, and may not affect the board integrity, an area in
wood that holds water is never a good thing.
You could try calling the deck guy back in to see if they will replace the
board(s).

AMUN

Amun wrote:

While they are cosmetic, and may not affect the board integrity, an area in
wood that holds water is never a good thing.
You could try calling the deck guy back in to see if they will replace the
board(s).

And he'll say, sure, that'll cost you $XXX. The decking materials were
(should have been) spec'd in the contract. Unless, the owner asked for
and bought clear wood, the contractor is unlikely to throw it in for
free - particularly after the other stuff has been installed.

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message

And he'll say, sure, that'll cost you $XXX. The decking materials were
(should have been) spec'd in the contract. Unless, the owner asked for
and bought clear wood, the contractor is unlikely to throw it in for
free - particularly after the other stuff has been installed.

R

Can you even buy PT wood that is clear? Mahogany, yes, Ipe yes, but I've
never seen clear PT.

Bill Waller wrote:
They have finished the new deck. That's a good thing.

There are a couple of knot holes in the top surface of a couple of the railing
header, however, and, that's a bad thing.

These holes are not through and through, just ugly pits that will collect water
and make for ant sized skating rinks in the winter. Sorry, I can't afford to
but skates for the ants.

The railing headers are pressure treated. Does anybody have any suggestions for
a type of filler to use in these pesky holes prior to sealing so that the till
material does not come out.

I am considering boring them in with a forstner bit and making wooden plugs,
but that is a lot of work if there is a simpler solution.

Would filling them with a build up of Gorilla glue work? Or should I be looking
at something like an outdoor version of plastic wood? How would these products
react with the chemicals in the lumber?

I'd either go with the wood plugs, or use a two part epoxy as filler.
Mask around the knot hole edges before spreading the epoxy.

R

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ups.com...
Amun wrote:

While they are cosmetic, and may not affect the board integrity, an area
in
wood that holds water is never a good thing.
You could try calling the deck guy back in to see if they will replace
the
board(s).

And he'll say, sure, that'll cost you $XXX. The decking materials were
(should have been) spec'd in the contract. Unless, the owner asked for
and bought clear wood, the contractor is unlikely to throw it in for
free - particularly after the other stuff has been installed.

R


The OP won't know unless (s)he asks.

As the OP doesn't say the whole deck is full of loose knots, the rest of the
wood may be quite clean.

Could be the "boss" just had an idiot working that day, didn't check the
final job, will agree that the top board with rough knots should have never
been used there.
And change it in a few minutes.

For $10.00 worth of wood, that he could still use at another job.
After getting perhaps $2,000+ for the deck.

He might just change it to keep a customer happy.

I would.
And not all contractors/tradesmen are thieves.
Some, but not all.

AMUN

Amun wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

Amun wrote:

While they are cosmetic, and may not affect the board integrity, an area
in
wood that holds water is never a good thing.
You could try calling the deck guy back in to see if they will replace
the
board(s).

And he'll say, sure, that'll cost you $XXX. The decking materials were
(should have been) spec'd in the contract. Unless, the owner asked for
and bought clear wood, the contractor is unlikely to throw it in for
free - particularly after the other stuff has been installed.

R


The OP won't know unless (s)he asks.

As the OP doesn't say the whole deck is full of loose knots, the rest of the
wood may be quite clean.

Could be the "boss" just had an idiot working that day, didn't check the
final job, will agree that the top board with rough knots should have never
been used there.
And change it in a few minutes.

For $10.00 worth of wood, that he could still use at another job.
After getting perhaps $2,000+ for the deck.

He might just change it to keep a customer happy.

I would.
And not all contractors/tradesmen are thieves.
Some, but not all.

Not sure where the thieving comes in as the OP didn't mention feeling
ripped off. He was asking about filling the holes himself, didn't
mention that anything more was owed him. I think you're assuming
something here, but you're right, there's no harm in asking. It might
annoy the contractor if it turns out the owner is asking for a freebie
he isn't entitled to, but that's not the end of the world.

I use the best pieces of wood for the handrails as a rule. The
handrails are the only part of the deck you touch with your hands and
are closest to your eyes while standing. Maybe the knot holes are more
objectionable because of those factors, or maybe the guy did use the
best STK (small, tight, knots) material for the railing and there are
so few knotholes that those that are there are that much more
noticeable. Can't tell from here.

To recap:
- Check grade of wood as specified in the contract
- If you're owed clear wood, tell the contractor to replace it
- If it's not included in the contract ask the contractor if he'd
replace it if you bought the new materials (splitting the difference,
so to speak)
- If the contractor wants you to pay time and materials decide if you
want to cough up the cash or fill/plug the holes yourself.

R

"Bill Waller" wrote in message
...
They have finished the new deck. That's a good thing.

There are a couple of knot holes in the top surface of a couple of the
railing
header, however, and, that's a bad thing.

As others have stated, I would go back to "them" and request the boards be
replaced, or the issue be resolved. The handrail is not an area where
defects are acceptable. If they are worth their salt, they will do the job
right. A few boards are worth a lot less than the cost of negative
advertising that can result from leaving a customer unhappy.

PME