using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

TIA,

Jonathan

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

"Jonathan Epstein" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Sounds reasonable. It is a bit more flexible than wood so take that into
account when supporting it.

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Cuts and works easily using common power tools. I didn't try a handsaw, but
I think that it might take a bit more work than usual - I may be wrong about
that though.


Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

I've been thinking of doing the same thing with it as the flooring as it is
splinter free.
I'm also planning to avoid PT wood except perhaps for posts.

-Jack

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

It's also a whole lot heavier, so the OP needs to take the extra weight into
account in his structural plans.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03


Sounds reasonable. It is a bit more flexible than wood so take that into
account when supporting it.

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Cuts and works easily using common power tools. I didn't try a handsaw,
but
I think that it might take a bit more work than usual - I may be wrong
about
that though.


Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

I've been thinking of doing the same thing with it as the flooring as it
is
splinter free.
I'm also planning to avoid PT wood except perhaps for posts.

-Jack

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

It is 49 square feet. So figure it weighs about 500 lbs vs maybe 200-250 for
dry redwood.
Not a huge deal for a small structure like this, but maybe so for a big
deck.

-Jack


"Swingman" wrote in message
news.com...
It's also a whole lot heavier, so the OP needs to take the extra weight
into
account in his structural plans.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03


Sounds reasonable. It is a bit more flexible than wood so take that into
account when supporting it.

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Cuts and works easily using common power tools. I didn't try a handsaw,
but
I think that it might take a bit more work than usual - I may be wrong
about
that though.


Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

I've been thinking of doing the same thing with it as the flooring as it
is
splinter free.
I'm also planning to avoid PT wood except perhaps for posts.

-Jack

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

That depends on how big the tree is. :)

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03

"JackD" wrote in message ...
It is 49 square feet. So figure it weighs about 500 lbs vs maybe 200-250
for
dry redwood.
Not a huge deal for a small structure like this, but maybe so for a big
deck.

-Jack


"Swingman" wrote in message
news.com...
It's also a whole lot heavier, so the OP needs to take the extra weight
into
account in his structural plans.

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

If it is a trex tree it should be accustomed to the weight.

-Jack

"Swingman" wrote in message
news.com...
That depends on how big the tree is. :)

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03

"JackD" wrote in message ...
It is 49 square feet. So figure it weighs about 500 lbs vs maybe 200-250
for
dry redwood.
Not a huge deal for a small structure like this, but maybe so for a big
deck.

-Jack


"Swingman" wrote in message
news.com...
It's also a whole lot heavier, so the OP needs to take the extra
weight
into
account in his structural plans.

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

plywood. for a very strong floor, you can get Sturdifloor at HD. it's
either 1 1/8 or 1 1/4" thick. way cheaper than Trex

dave

Jonathan Epstein wrote:

Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

TIA,

Jonathan

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

On 3 Oct 2003 11:34:02 -0700, (Jonathan
Epstein) wrote:

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

Go for larch or eastern red cedar instead. They last longer untreated
than the arsenical stuff does, even after treatment. The tanalised
timber, certainly round here, is usually spruce, which nothing will
make last well.

--
Smert' spamionam

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

"Jonathan Epstein" wrote in message om...
| The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
| materials budget.

It's about double the weight too. You might want to consider *that* for the use in a treehouse. IMO this would be overkill this
purpose, compared with alternative materials available.

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

"JackD" wrote in :

If it is a trex tree it should be accustomed to the weight.

-Jack

I've statrted interplanting Trex in my Wicker forest, it is an excellent
companion tree and provides needed habit for Naugas and Neets.

Jerry

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

Thanks for all the responses, especially those pointing out the weight
issue, which I think is not a problem in this case.

With regards to Sturdifloor, it seems that it's not suitable for
exterior use such as a treehouse ... or am I missing something? Won't
it rot within two or three years?

Jonathan

Bay Area Dave wrote in message om...
plywood. for a very strong floor, you can get Sturdifloor at HD. it's
either 1 1/8 or 1 1/4" thick. way cheaper than Trex

dave

Jonathan Epstein wrote:

Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

TIA,

Jonathan

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

I put it in more than 5 years ago in a shed. The shed is built pretty
much like a house and it doesn't get water inside. I sealed the
Sturdifloor with wood preservative and it's holding up fine. Is the
inside of the treehouse NOT going to be protected from rain?

dave

Jonathan Epstein wrote:

Thanks for all the responses, especially those pointing out the weight
issue, which I think is not a problem in this case.

With regards to Sturdifloor, it seems that it's not suitable for
exterior use such as a treehouse ... or am I missing something? Won't
it rot within two or three years?

Jonathan

Bay Area Dave wrote in message om...

plywood. for a very strong floor, you can get Sturdifloor at HD. it's
either 1 1/8 or 1 1/4" thick. way cheaper than Trex

dave

Jonathan Epstein wrote:


Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

TIA,

Jonathan

using trex as decking in treehouse?
 

It might not rot in a mere two years, but over time it will buckle and do
what plywood does when it gets wet. You could of course paint it...

-Jack


"Jonathan Epstein" wrote in message
om...
Thanks for all the responses, especially those pointing out the weight
issue, which I think is not a problem in this case.

With regards to Sturdifloor, it seems that it's not suitable for
exterior use such as a treehouse ... or am I missing something? Won't
it rot within two or three years?

Jonathan

Bay Area Dave wrote in message
om...
plywood. for a very strong floor, you can get Sturdifloor at HD. it's
either 1 1/8 or 1 1/4" thick. way cheaper than Trex

dave

Jonathan Epstein wrote:

Hi,

I'm building a kids' treehouse, mostly out of pressure-treated lumber
(the "good old" arsenic-laced kind).

I'm thinking about making the treehouse floor out of Trex or something
similar, since kids will be sitting, eating, etc., off the floor of
the treehouse regularly, unlike the way that a deck is used. Also,
this would avoid splinters.

The extra cost would be about $140, roughly doubling the treehouse's
materials budget.

Does this sounds crazy/reasonable to you folks?

Also, since the treehouse is 7' square, I think that I will need to
buy 16' lengths since Trex doesn't come in 8' lengths, and neither 12'
nor 20' lengths are practical for this purpose.

Is Trex easy to cut with a circular saw? What about with a decent
hand saw?

Any other suggestion for suitable materials which might be cheaper?

TIA,

Jonathan