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Porches & Decks

Cedar Fencing used for a DECK?????

15 years ago

Hello,

I have what is probably a very silly question.

Can 1"x6" Cedar fence boards be used as decking?? We have a chance to pick up some for a lot less then treated decking boards, but we didn't know if it would be a good idea to use it. We will be putting a hot tub on the deck, but we will have LOTS of treated posts in concrete for support.

Anyone know if we can/should do this??

Thanks for any help and advice in advance.

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Comments (4)

theporchguy
15 years ago
Thats questionable. Let see what others have to say.

The PorchGuy

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builtbymac
15 years ago
Questionable, my arse - that's a freakin' accident waitin' to happen. Umm, NO. Please god no! And you want to put a hot tub on it? Really, super duper no.

Actually, it might work out ok if your joists are spaced 1 1/2" apart from each other. Juuuuust kidding...

Really, bite the bullet and get the 2x6 decking. The ankle you don't break falling through those fence boards might be your own.

And it sounds like you're building this deck yourself. Other than a bunch of posts in concrete, what are your plans for supporting the hot tub? Beam sizes/spans/spacing; joist sizes/spans/spacing; bracing to prevent lateral sway; etc...

This isn't an elevated deck, is it?

Mac
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aidan_m
15 years ago
Any softwood species should be 2x material or clear vertical grain quartersawn 1x material. Longer boards make a stronger deck. 6' long fence boards are for fences. Were you planning on using 12" joist centers to make the short fence boards work?
mmike032
15 years ago
Absolutly no, never, dont even think about it.
do you have any idea how much weight a hot tub is filled with water.

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