Deck lumber recommendations
 

Part one:

We're looking to replace our 20 year old deck. What would be the best
material to use? I'm not too fond of composite decking, which leaves
either redwood/cypress or salt treated. Any reasons not to lean
towards redwood/cypress over salt treated? How about treating the
wood? Just the top or the bottom also? I don't want to paint it (a
friend did that, it looked good for a while, now he's going through
the pains of refinishing it).

The deck is going to be 10x20 and will be around 15' off the ground.
We live in Western NC at 2800', the deck faces east and will get
dappled sun until around 10, then full sun until 3pm. We do get some
snow/ice up here. We spend a lot of time on it, I usually eat
breakfast outside and my wife and daughter spend a good chunk of their
day hanging out on it.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

"cas" wrote in message
oups.com...
Part one:

We're looking to replace our 20 year old deck. What would be the best
material to use? I'm not too fond of composite decking, which leaves
either redwood/cypress or salt treated. Any reasons not to lean
towards redwood/cypress over salt treated? How about treating the
wood? Just the top or the bottom also? I don't want to paint it (a
friend did that, it looked good for a while, now he's going through
the pains of refinishing it).

Do the cost comparisons for Ipe and Mahogany decking. Last I checked they
were $2.09 and $1.89 a lineal foot. They are both very good looking and
long lasting. I'd put a coat of Penofin oil on them before laying the wood,
then just the top surface very couple of years. Ipe is reported to have a
50 year life with no treatment at all. Redwood and cypress are good choices
also, along with the Penofin oil treatment.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if you
don't want to finish it every few years. Paint is stupid on an open deck.
Stain and seal is a much better choice. I think redwood might be a little
soft for foot traffic. What's the 20 year old deck made of? Has it served
your needs w/o major maintenance?


"cas" wrote in message
oups.com...
Part one:

We're looking to replace our 20 year old deck. What would be the best
material to use? I'm not too fond of composite decking, which leaves
either redwood/cypress or salt treated. Any reasons not to lean
towards redwood/cypress over salt treated? How about treating the
wood? Just the top or the bottom also? I don't want to paint it (a
friend did that, it looked good for a while, now he's going through
the pains of refinishing it).

The deck is going to be 10x20 and will be around 15' off the ground.
We live in Western NC at 2800', the deck faces east and will get
dappled sun until around 10, then full sun until 3pm. We do get some
snow/ice up here. We spend a lot of time on it, I usually eat
breakfast outside and my wife and daughter spend a good chunk of their
day hanging out on it.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

On Jun 2, 10:37 pm, "Mark" wrote:
Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if you
don't want to finish it every few years. Paint is stupid on an open deck.
Stain and seal is a much better choice. I think redwood might be a little
soft for foot traffic. What's the 20 year old deck made of? Has it served
your needs w/o major maintenance?

It's PT. It was in decent shape when we bought the house, now it's
looking ratty. I treated it for a while then one year we had a rainy
spring/summer and I never was able to treat it, it went downhill from
there. Plus we have the cash to redo it, so I figure that the time is
right. I could probably redo what's there myself but want something
with some ROOM.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

On Sun, 03 Jun 2007 01:10:50 -0000, cas wrote:

Part one:

We're looking to replace our 20 year old deck. What would be the best
material to use? I'm not too fond of composite decking, which leaves
either redwood/cypress or salt treated. Any reasons not to lean
towards redwood/cypress over salt treated? How about treating the
wood? Just the top or the bottom also? I don't want to paint it (a
friend did that, it looked good for a while, now he's going through
the pains of refinishing it).

The deck is going to be 10x20 and will be around 15' off the ground.
We live in Western NC at 2800', the deck faces east and will get
dappled sun until around 10, then full sun until 3pm. We do get some
snow/ice up here. We spend a lot of time on it, I usually eat
breakfast outside and my wife and daughter spend a good chunk of their
day hanging out on it.

Redwood or cypress will work. Pressure treated works well and readily
available. Redwood is expensive unless you live on the west coast,
plus it is rather soft. A decking stain will protect the wood much
better and longer than a clear coating (I prefer Cabots Decking
stain). Coat all sides, paying particular attention to end grain
areas. Deck screws are better than nails.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

On Jun 2, 8:10 pm, cas wrote:
Part one:

We're looking to replace our 20 year old deck. What would be the best
material to use? I'm not too fond of composite decking, which leaves
either redwood/cypress or salt treated. Any reasons not to lean
towards redwood/cypress over salt treated? How about treating the
wood? Just the top or the bottom also? I don't want to paint it (a
friend did that, it looked good for a while, now he's going through
the pains of refinishing it).

The deck is going to be 10x20 and will be around 15' off the ground.
We live in Western NC at 2800', the deck faces east and will get
dappled sun until around 10, then full sun until 3pm. We do get some
snow/ice up here. We spend a lot of time on it, I usually eat
breakfast outside and my wife and daughter spend a good chunk of their
day hanging out on it.

I'd second the Ipe recommendation. Similarily priced to composite but
much better IMO. We have a boardwalk in our town which has been
around for 10+ years and still looks good, and being a popular public
trail, it gets tremendous abuse.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.


--
For email, replace firstnamelastinitial
with my first name and last initial.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

Larry Caldwell writes:

In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.

Agreed. I can't understand why I see all these recos for various types of
wood. I think the composite looks better from day one, but there's no contest
after 5 years. Mines at 5 years now and looks brand new after cleaning.
I don't expect that to change at 10, 15, 20.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

In article ,
Dan Espen wrote:

Larry Caldwell writes:

In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if
you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.

Agreed. I can't understand why I see all these recos for various types of
wood. I think the composite looks better from day one, but there's no
contest
after 5 years. Mines at 5 years now and looks brand new after cleaning.
I don't expect that to change at 10, 15, 20.

I think it's a matter of aesthetic preference. My five year old redwood
deck has gotten gray, dirty, and green with moss in spots. But to me, it
looks far better than any plasticy "manufactured" material.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

On Jun 3, 3:11 pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Dan Espen wrote:



Larry Caldwell writes:

In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if
you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.

Agreed. I can't understand why I see all these recos for various types of
wood. I think the composite looks better from day one, but there's no
contest
after 5 years. Mines at 5 years now and looks brand new after cleaning.
I don't expect that to change at 10, 15, 20.

I think it's a matter of aesthetic preference. My five year old redwood
deck has gotten gray, dirty, and green with moss in spots. But to me, it
looks far better than any plasticy "manufactured" material.

And I'd be willing to bet that Ipe will outlast composite decking.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

Dan Espen wrote:
Larry Caldwell writes:


In article ,
(Mark) says...


Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.


Agreed. I can't understand why I see all these recos for various types of
wood. I think the composite looks better from day one, but there's no contest
after 5 years. Mines at 5 years now and looks brand new after cleaning.
I don't expect that to change at 10, 15, 20.


I don't recall the brand of composite that my hubby used for our
finger-dock about 5 years ago. Full-sun, all day, Florida, and it looks
like new; well, like weathered wood the day it was put down. Yesterday
we had a bit of storm surge from Barry, with finger docks under water
for a while. The wood decks are popping boards, ours isn't. Don't know
what it is like in a wooded, shady yard - perhaps a lot of mildew? We
don't clean it, so it's just "there".

Deck lumber recommendations
 

My old PT deck lasted 20 years with not much more than a power wash every
few years. It was only about 18 inches off the ground and when it was torn
off a couple years ago so we could add a room to the house I was surprised
the underside of the decking looked almost new! Had I known that I woulda
turned all the boards over about 10 years earlier!


"Larry Caldwell" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if
you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.


--
For email, replace firstnamelastinitial
with my first name and last initial.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

marson writes:

On Jun 3, 3:11 pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Dan Espen wrote:

Larry Caldwell writes:

In article ,
(Mark) says...

Boy, I'd sure consider the composite. Maintenance free, particularly if
you
don't want to finish it every few years.

I pressure wash my composite deck once a year, which brings it back to
looking brand new. The framing is ground contact rated treated wood,
even though it sits on concrete, and the fasteners are stainless steel.
Replacing a deck once was enough. This one is going to last longer than
I will.

Agreed. I can't understand why I see all these recos for various types of
wood. I think the composite looks better from day one, but there's no
contest
after 5 years. Mines at 5 years now and looks brand new after cleaning.
I don't expect that to change at 10, 15, 20.

I think it's a matter of aesthetic preference. My five year old redwood
deck has gotten gray, dirty, and green with moss in spots. But to me, it
looks far better than any plasticy "manufactured" material.

And I'd be willing to bet that Ipe will outlast composite decking.

Hmm, one person on a forum says 30 to 60 years for Ipe,
another says the US Forest Service says 25 years.
I tried to find the US Forest Service study but no luck.

From what I've seen of my composite decking I'm guessing at
at least 50 years.

I still like the composite. Not sure I'm going to live long
enough to give Ipe a try.

Deck lumber recommendations
 

"Norminn" wrote in message
ink.net...

[snip]
I don't recall the brand of composite that my hubby used for our
finger-dock about 5 years ago. Full-sun, all day, Florida, and it looks
like new; well, like weathered wood the day it was put down. Yesterday we
had a bit of storm surge from Barry, with finger docks under water for a
while. The wood decks are popping boards, ours isn't. Don't know what it
is like in a wooded, shady yard - perhaps a lot of mildew? We don't clean
it, so it's just "there".

1. If you're satisfied with your use of composites for a dock, please tell
us how far apart are the joists for your construction -- I'm considering
doing the same thing --

2. If the wooden decks are losing boards, is it possible that the wooden
deck boards were nailed in place, whereas your composite material was
screwed in place, accounting for the difference?

3. I stumbled on an interesting discussion of composite materials,
including info on problems with fading and staining, at
http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library...eck-A2111.html

4. We also had a storm "surge" from Barry -- but our lake is so low that
there was never a threat to anyone's dock.

Regards --