Decking materials- experiences?

[Rob Price]

Okay, we're about to expand our deck on the back of the house and I'm looking into materials to use. It's a big job (36x15-18 ft) so materials will be a big factor in overall cost.

I know Ipe is kind of the "gold standard" if you will, but I'm not sure my wallet is up to the challenge- but not totally out of the question. I realize most people go with pressure treated. I do plan on staining with a good oil based stain. Composite is out of the question, I want real wood. I've had someone suggest Tigerwood as a slightly cheaper alternative to Ipe. Someone also mentioned Garapa decking. There's a guy nearbye who sells "Tailorwood" which is kiln dried pine that is then shaped with a slight crown and expansion grooves underneath. It's still good old pine, but supposedly clear sapwood and premium boards. Price may be similar to Ipe. I've heard of thermally treated pine, but no one around here seems to know how to get it. I've heard bad things about cedar's longevity.

I thought I'd see what you guys have personally used and how it's held up over time. Thanks.

[Dan Hintz]

I wouldn't pay Ipe prices and get pine for it :(

I'm in a similar situation, needing to put on a deck last summer, but it has been pushed off until the coming summer due to the 50 million projects I have going on right now. Tigerwood is what I'm shooting for... cheaper than Ipe with nearly the same hardness, but the color will fit in better with what I want to do.

[Von Bickley]

Rob,

When I built my house I built a deck on the back and a small landing at the carport. I used the standard pressure treated decking boards on the deck, and pressure treated 2X6's for the decking on the small landing.

I wish I would have used 2X6's on the deck like I did on the landing. I had a lot of problems with the standard decking boards.
The PT 2X6's hold up much better.....

[Jim King]

If you are looking for a once in a life time project that you will not need to replace and costs less than Ipe look for Masaranduba or some times marketed as Brazilian Red Wood. It will last as long as Ipe and has a nicer more uniform color. 1 x 6 Masaranduba will not flex even a little on stadard 16" centers.

[Lee Schierer]

Just about all wood decks are going to turn gray with time and exposure to the weather and sun, even Ipe. The wood deck had splits, warps and twists that got worse over time despite weatherproofing. I replaced the decking on my rear deck 2 years ago with Veranda decking from HD and couldn't be happier. It looks nice, isn't hot under foot (in NW PA) and it has held up well despite lots of snow and summer sun. I went with a hidden fastener system and wouldn't do a deck any other way. Veranda also makes a 1/2" thick fascia board for covering the exposed frame edges. We liked the decking so well I redid the top of the picnic table and stools with a contrasting color decking. You can see the difference between the two photos.

[Erik France]

I've heard of thermally treated pine, but no one around here seems to know how to get it.I haven't used it personally, and we haven't speced it in anything yet. I've had a couple reps come by the office, but I can't find their info. I haven't heard anything bad about it, but I haven't been trying to follow the product either.
Might give these guys a shout for a quote: http://natureschoicedeck.com/
http://www.thebluebook.com/ is a pretty good source if you don't know about it.

[Van Huskey]

I like Lee am a convert to composites, wouldn't have a deck without it now but the prices are Ipe or worse. If I was doing another wood deck I would suck it up and do Ipe though, it is just indestructable.

[Kent A Bathurst]

There's a guy nearbye who sells "Tailorwood" which is kiln dried pine that is then shaped with a slight crown and expansion grooves underneath. It's still good old pine, but supposedly clear sapwood and premium boards.

It's kind of buried in your message, but Tailor uses their kiln to produce KDAT lumber - kiln-dried after treating, in case that didn't come through to you. KDAT is pretty unusual to find. By using the kiln to dry the wood after pressure treating, you get a much more stable product - it is not going to shrink like regular PT, and is much less prone to splits and checks. Also, if I understand their product correctly, not only do they use only sapwood [heartwood won't accept the treating chemicals], they also treat it completely through the boards - no one else I have ever heard of does that intentionally to 2x material. I don't know Tailor, haven't used the product/services, and know nothing about the price, but KDAT is a greatly superior product to standard PT SYP, IMO - so it isn't just "good old pine", FYI. Also, I can't imagine that it's price is anywhere near ipe, but I've never priced it.

Don't know where in GA you are, but you might check out Norcross Supply. They are by far the largest source of western red cedar and cypress in the Atlanta area. Never used the cypress, but I've gotten a lot of WRC from them in the past year. They have decking and 2x material [all the way up to 12 x 12, I think]. WRC would be an attractive alternative if I was putting in a deck. 3 weeks ago, surfaced 2x6 #2 STK [select tight knot] was $1.20/LF for 10-foot lengths - the price varies by length, moves around with market changes. I got a bit of 5/4 decking last year also, but don't see those notes laying around just at the moment. They can give you the $$ over the phone, if you give them a call.

[Dean Ousterhout]

I vote for Tigerwood. I did my deck this summer, about 450 sq ft. We love the tigerwood. It is not as dark as IPE and has fabulous grain. I hated to cut each board. I found AdvantageLumber and their prices were the best I could find. I think I paid around 2.18 per linear ft. The benefit for me was that I could specify what lengths I wanted. I needed lengths between 10 and 15 ft, 120 boards. The boards over 14' cost .40 more per ft. so the 15 footers were a little more, but I only needed a few so it was ok. For me, the random lengths that most companies wanted me to do just didn't work for me.

I over ordered by about 10 percent to cover any bad boards, etc., and I did have about 10 boards that were split or had a little shipping damage. I called AdvatageLumber and they were very polite, very nice, and replaced the boards, no charge.

Wow... I highly recommend these guys. I mean, how can you not like that kind of service. They even left me with the damaged boards, which I will be able to use...

Check out their web site. I also recommend for anyone doing a deck... you need the Hardwood Wrench. IT was soooo easy to use. I can't imagine how I could have straightened the boards and "cinched" them up without it. And the good news is... :) I have a used one, that is like new... that we could work a deal on. I certainly do not imagine needing this again.

I opted to use the hidden fasteners and so far.... am very happy with them. They have an option to buy the boards with the slot already cut, but again, it is extra. I figured since I have a biscuit slot cutter I would just do my own, and then for all the edges I wouldn't need a different order. It worked well, ok... it took extra time, and setting up the slot the first time is a little tricky because the hidden fasteners are T shaped and you want the T to sit flat on the joists.

How nice to see gorgeous long boards... The other thing I did was buy a used floor buffer... and I got the sanding screens from HD rental, and buffed that deck down before oiling it... wow... smoother than a baby's bottom. Yes, after rains and snow it has gotten a little rougher... but it is still very smooth.

Well, enough of my project... Good luck with your project...

You will love whatever wood you get...

[Don Bullock]

I like Lee am a convert to composites, wouldn't have a deck without it now but the prices are Ipe or worse. If I was doing another wood deck I would suck it up and do Ipe though, it is just indestructable.

+1

I have decks made from both Choice Deck and Trex.

[Greg Portland]

I have a small Ipe deck that has held up with zero problems over the past 10 years. There has been no splitting, cupping, or other problems mentioned here (and I live in a rain-rich environment). Note that you can keep the natural wood color as long as you re-finish the surface each year with a UV finish. If you don't then the wood will quickly turn silver in color. Most people do not want to deal with that level of maintenance so they accept the color change or go with a different option. Tips for Ipe or any natural wood:

1) Seal the ends and all cuts with anchor seal or a similar product
2) Finish both sides of a board prior to installation. Penofin (sp?) sells a product specifically for high-resin content wood decking.
3) IMO, screwless decks are worth the extra effort & cost. I used EB-TY on my deck but I'm sure there are newer and better products.
4) If you go with screwless you can get most suppliers to pre-notch the edges of the board (saves hours of biscuit cutter time).

The plastic decks -can- be nice but you need to do your research. Some of the materials are very poor, e.g. I've seen freeze/thaw cycles quickly break up the material. When budgeting for plastic decks remember that your joists will need to be closer together due to the bending strength of the decking material. In other words, it's not just the added cost of the decking material, it's the additional cost for extra joists. This can add up for larger decks.

[John Morrison60]

+1 for EB-TY, Used them to build a plastic wood deck, Looks great, no maint other than wash.
Hidden fasteners are where it's at.

[frank shic]

i used redwood and fastened them with deckmaster brackets and stained the entire thing with some behr product.

[Dan Hintz]

Dean,

Almost the same thing here... I purchased a used biscuit slot cutter from a member here with the intention of purchasing non-slotted boards and doing it myself.

[George Bregar]

I like Lee am a convert to composites, wouldn't have a deck without it now but the prices are Ipe or worse. If I was doing another wood deck I would suck it up and do Ipe though, it is just indestructable. :confused:

I'll chime in for WRC. Have a 35 year old deck up north on the lake and still looks great despite harsh consditions. Just roll on a UV sealer every two years.

[Brad Shipton]

Cumaru is a tad less than IPE. Have you thought about your railings? That can really add up if you want a wood system. I offered to do a deck in the spring and she wanted wood Box newels and railing. Wow, did that ever add up. I think by the time I am done I am going to regreat offering to do this. I have a $10k pile of cumaru sitting waiting for me. The stainless steel hidden fasteners and screws sure add up to. I was quite perturbed to discover they are a Simpson Strong tie product. I know I could buy them for a lot less direct.

I got my lumber from Advantage too. I just about fell out of my chair when they said they would ship 4000lb of material 2000mi for $500. What an awesome deal.

Brad

[Dan Hintz]

Brad,

I was leaning heavily towards a glass panel setup for my railings, possibly a stainless steel wire deal.

[Rob Sack]

I, too, am a convert to composite decking. I've done redwood in the past and its fine. It is easy to work with and holds up well, although it has gotten expensive, requires upkeep, and the quality has dropped over the years. When I built my house, I initially built all the decks with Apitong, a hardwood similar to Ipe that is used for truck beds. It is extemely hard, as is Ipe, and has the look of Mahogany. It also was cheaper than Con Heart Redwood at the time, having purchased it from a truck bed lumber supplier. However, it is miserable to work with. When Trex was first introduced, I decided to try it out on a small deck. I've been sold ever since. Although heavy in weight as well as not being particularly inexpensive, it is great to work with, can be installed with a minimum of fasteners since it virtually has no "memory," and makes use of recycled materials. It also requires no maintenance other than washing it down, and having screwed it down from above with stainless steel screws, has provided us with unlimited easy access the our son's friends' dropped wallets and cell phones.

[Rob Price]

I will be putting in aluminum barristers, either black or bronze finish. My biggest aggravation in deck maintenance is brushing all four sides of the wooden pickets with stain. Staining the flat surfaces takes no time at all. More work up front, but much less work over the years.

[Paul Cahill]

I finished up a major deck in '06. I went with all PT. I let it weather for 6 to 12 months before pressure washing and sealing. Granted I need to redo the horizontal surfaces every 2 years but I have been pleased with the color. For a large deck even PT adds up and I had no interest in the added cost for composite or exotics. I also rationalized that PT is wood (sort of), and that it is a deck, not a piece of furniture. At the time I had to go out of my way to find non Arsenic PT, but that is no longer an issue.179036

[Jamie Buxton]

Consider slate. It has been used for exterior surfaces for centuries -- think slate roofs. It just does not weather. It also isn't plastic. And it is rather affordable. Here's a link to an earlier post on the topic.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?144130-Decking-material&p=1509323#post1509323

[David Helm]

Over the years I have built hundreds of decks, from many materials. Redwood, Western Red Cedar, PT Pine, Ipe, Trex, other composites. I currently have 1700 square feet of deck at my own place. Most are WRC. I do also have a separate Ipe deck out over my pond. In my experience, when properly installed, the Trex is the best product. As with all composites, spacing is based on the temperature when installed. The worst product I've ever used is PT Pine. Whatever you decide to use, get manufacturers specs on installation.