Comparing Decking Materials
Laurel Francis
6 years ago
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MSDG
6 years agoUser
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Which Deck Material for MN, Northside?
Comments (9)One little thing I have done that works>>> Put a finish on composite in the begening The outside stairway at Butler Manor has a Moisture Sheild product called choice on the treads. The mateial was left over from a com job I did its also the low end grade MS makes for the box stores so this was a pretty good test. Two coats of twp 116, doing this makes the weak point of staining up real easy from birds,wine,trees ya know into a strong point the stuff just soaks it up. That stairway has been up for 9 years or so and looks the same as the day it went on. In contrast the material on the job looks like hammered sh**t the sun has broken down the plastic and the color the texture is gone and there is a little delaming going on. No mold probley because the decks are 30' in the air,one step thru but the girl was 300 lbs and jumping up and down in a rage of some kind. I have done the same thing with the high grade Moisture Shield that uses junipher or texas cedar same twp pre finish and that stuff looks really good. There are two givens here of course, composite is not markted with a seal clause and most Folks buy it thinking no work is involved. But its like the Contractor who broke me in said " When I came to this Country you could get a free luch with a nickle beer but there is no free lunch any more so you just better get to work" Warren Ove, Great Guy. John Mon...See MoreRedwood vs Ipe for decking material
Comments (21)A quick sanding w/ 60 grit on a RO takes away all the little Ipe splinters. Drilling the pilot holes into the PT frame will cause the boards to come loose. Using screws that are longer than necessary amplifies the effect of the head popping up as the joist shrinks. A 3.5" long screw embedded 3" into a 2x8 joist will pop out nearly twice as much as 2" long one with 1.5" embedment in the same joist. Use the shortest screw that will do the job, and do not drill the pilot hole into the joist. Use adhesive to hold the decking to the joist. Think of the screw as a clamp. After one day the adhesive is cured and the clamp can be loosened without losing the bond. Wood decks expand and shrink each season, a lot the first season and a bit less each year as the wood weathers. So the "clamp" gets constantly loosened and tightened a little bit. Retightening the screws one time after installation, or right before plugging may be a smart practice especially in dry climates. However I would not recommend continually retightening the screws manually. You will eventually strip or break the screws. if you overtighten them during the dry season, some may snap during the next wet season. Pressure treating reduces strength. Doug Fir (the wood available on the west coast) is not quite as strong as Southern Yellow Pine. PT Doug Fir 2x joists should be No. 1 structural grade. That is special order material you will not find on the shelf. It is easy to get but you have to pre-order a few days ahead. The 4x and up PT material is generally No. 1 but ask to make sure....See MoreLooking for advice for decking material for bayfront deck
Comments (4)A couple years ago I was looing for something that I could put over my old deck to restore the beauty of it. I found a product that was tropical hardwood strips mounted in squares on a special backing. The wood was called Curupay I believe. Anyway, I bookmarked the site because I couldn't afford it at the time. It is: http://www.ecoarbordesigns.com/curupaydouble.html. It was shown on a This Old House show so you can see how it goes up. It is a darker (not blackish) shade....See MoreHi, I’m looking for advice on what deck material to use on my cabin?
Comments (19)Our beautiful Trex deck was just built last month right in time for a July 4th bbq. We chose the Transcends Lineage Rainier color because it doesn’t get as hot as the other levels of Trex. It does still feel hot on bare feet but our dog and cat don’t seem to mind it as they love laying on the deck in the afternoon sun. We love the modern neutral color and texture. It’s very easy to clean with a hose, but water does pool on the surface until it evaporates. I’m impatient, so I tend to put a towel under my feet and dance around as the towel wipes up the water. It hasn’t felt slippery, either, a good thing since it rains here a lot in the PNW. After our deck builder finished the joists and support beams my husband and I waterproofed by adding joist and beam tape to the joist top edges before the Trex planks were installed. It took us a few hours for a 12’x24’ deck. The Trex warranty is for 50 years so we wanted the joists to last as long as possible. I love that we won’t have to baby it!...See Moresheloveslayouts
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