what decking material is coolest?
melissa scarry
3 years ago
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P Banos
3 years agoRelated Discussions
What's the Best Material for Steel Deck (Overall and For Walking)
Comments (0)I'm interested in what's a better material for a steel deck infill - cement, diamondplate, metal slats, etc.? Here's the feedback I've gotten so far (I'd love feedback from professionals and people who have real-world experience with different options): Cement is more expensive (about $3,000 more for our deck) but lower maintenance and doesn't get as hot for bare feet in the summer (but it's uglier), metal slats (what I'll call the Lopopolo deck) are pretty, let water and some light through, and will get hot probably; diamondplate gets fairly hot in summer but is less costly. One possible contractor said to get through permitting and building and then put an overlay of wood on whatever material we choose for the deck (but of course that means we pay for the steel or cement and then again for the wood). Thoughts? I'm in New York City and our particular deck has to be steel, nothing combustible, at least through the permitting process, if we're doing it legally (which most people don't do, but which we already decided we would do for whatever reason)...See MoreWhat decking/floor material is on your deck/porch?
Comments (4)Bought houses with Pressure treated and cedar decks. Recently changed current deck to IPE. Summary of experience & research: 1) Cedar is soft and subject to mildew. Poor deck choice. Will have short life. Eventually stepping through deck boards convinced me to replace! 2) Pressure treated: The old standard. Cheap to put in, relatively cheap to replace if needed. Vulnerable to carpenter bees(a real problem here). Being porous PT wood, accepts stain well. Can use without stain, but life shorter, greys and develops surface cracks 3) straight plastics. Best spill & stain resistance. No splinters. Get soft in high heat, high expansion/contraction with temperature can lead to sag/wavy. Need joists 12" apart or less to avoid excess sponginess. Minimum maintenance required. Like everything, color fades with sun exposure over time. Unlike wood products, can not renew color by restaining. 4) plastic+sawdust products(e.g.Trex). Stronger and stiffer than straight plastic. Originally claimed low maintenance. After class action lawsuits by deck owners, manufacturers have backed off claim. Mildew eats out sawdust leaving spongy plastic which disintegrates. Most of these products now recommend regular cleaning to prevent mildew growth. Newer versions have external solid plastic wrap to try to prevent mildew. Would not buy until at least 5 year track record of these newer products surviving without mildew or other disintegration problems. 5) IPE. Tough, strong, fire resistant, resist carpenter bees. Difficult to cut, screw(need to predrill and use stainless steel screws) increases installation work. Theoretically, very long life. Can be left unstained (like everything else, sun will turn it grey eventually). In order to keep attractive wood color, regular staining is required. Does not take stain well. Need special tropical hardwood stains. Need to restain more frequently than PT wood. Subject to discoloration by spills/stain if finish wears off or leave unfinished. 6) Other tropical hardwoods. Generally either same as or inferior to IPE in function. Worth considering if want different look than IPE....See MoreWhat decking material should I use?
Comments (6)Man Made Material, decking,rail system,skirting and the fence as well. That picture is a nice looking project but a little spendy for an $8000 buget. Pool decks are always more money because...nothing is square everything is angled thus more framing,more waste,more Contractor Time/ Labor. Doing a project that is 4' around on three sides would be less than the picture shown,it would also function as a walk around only no play space.Thus the higher sq ft. What material to use to make it look like your picture>> Composite decking in a gray color,white rail somthing like TimberTech sells but you will need several little posts under the bottom rail that dont show up in the pic if the pic is real at all. Nice Looking pic but it looks Comp generated. No way to tell what your job would cost but I am thinking its way beyond $8000. J....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 Morewsea
3 years agoMelissa Corinne
3 years agowsea
3 years agoMelissa Corinne
3 years agoAdvantageLumber.com
3 years agoMelissa Corinne
3 years ago
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