PDA

View Full Version : Cedar Deck...



Greg Cuetara
04-09-2011, 5:34 PM
I have two decks which are connected. One is approx. 12'x20' and the other is about 14'x12'. The deck is approx. 24" off the ground. A few years back due to the snow things went really bad and I had to replace both decks, including the boards and footings, the framing was in good shape and for the most part I just had to take it apart and rebuild after I got new footings in place. I originally had PT on the deck and wanted a little nicer look and the only thing that I could afford was cedar. When I first put it down it was beautiful. I used the ebty hidden fastener system and a semi-transparent stain on all sides. Now 2 or 3 years later most of the deck boards are cupping. I really think it is mostly due to the fact that the deck gets a lot of sun and the top of the boards dry out whereas there probably is moisture below, because it is so close to the ground, thereby allowing cupping in the boards to be easier. When I put the deck down I tried to use the better face on the top side and really didn't think too much about the growth rings. now I am rethinking that decision.

Right now I am trying to figure out if there is anything that i can easily do or if I should pull up the whole deck and put all the boards back down making sure the growth rings go down. I also think one mistake I made is that I did not use any construction adhesive when I put the boards down. Makes it easier to take them up now but not sure if that would have made a difference with the cupping problem I am having.

Any advice out there? Also, I need to re-stain them this spring and was thinking I should probably use a solid rather than a semi-transparent.

Thanks,
Greg

David Helm
04-10-2011, 11:09 AM
It is a myth that putting the growth rings down prevents cupping. You had the right description of cupping in your original post. South facing decks take a beating from the sun, no question. At my own house, with 1800 square feet of multilevel decks, those on the south side have been trashed after only 10 years. I'll probably replace the cedar with a composite like Trex. Construction adhesive would have been a mistake. It wouldn't solve the problem and it would make it much harder to replace boards.

Kent A Bathurst
04-10-2011, 11:50 AM
It is a myth that putting the growth rings down prevents cupping. You had the right description of cupping in your original post. South facing decks take a beating from the sun, no question. At my own house, with 1800 square feet of multilevel decks, those on the south side have been trashed after only 10 years. I'll probably replace the cedar with a composite like Trex. Construction adhesive would have been a mistake. It wouldn't solve the problem and it would make it much harder to replace boards.

David's exactly right re: cupping & adhesive. I'd agree the composite materials would be the best choice long-term and for "fire and forget", but you have to balance price v. performance for the different materials available to you, and how distant your planning horizon is.

On the composites: The label "Trex" has morphed into generic status, like "Kleenex"......there are multiple brands out there, and my personal belief is that the Trex brand is middling in terms of quality, but tends to command a bit of a premium because of the name recognition and advertising budget. Not at the best point on the "price-value" curve, so don't be hung up on that name - but again, that is simply an opinion [an informed one, IMO :D], not hard fact.

Joe Pelonio
04-10-2011, 12:13 PM
Once you use a solid stain, you will be faced with sanding to renew it in a couple of years. I suggest that with cedar a simple clear preservative
is the way to go, if you can get it cleaned after turning them over. If
not, then you will have to use the solid stain to cover the discoloration,
but even if that buys you time until you have to replace with something more durable it's probably worth it.

Gary Max
04-10-2011, 7:30 PM
Let me guess------Cedar was still freshly cut when you installed it. My deck is 12 years old, I built it out of 2x6s that we air dried for 90 days before we put it down. If I had the time and wasn't so lazy I would sand the finish off and just let it go. I replaced one board last year because it had a crack and it stands out.

Bob Rufener
04-11-2011, 7:12 AM
I have a cedar deck which is about 20 years old. I have had to replace a number of boards due to the ends rotting out and will have to replace the entire decking boards some day. I have not had a problem with cupping so I don't have a solution for your problem. I have used a coating called TWP (Total Wood Protectant) http://www.woodsealants.com/ and it seems to hold up pretty well. I definitely would not recommend a solid stain. My brother did that and spent several days last year sanding off the solid stain because of deterioration of the stain. I power wash the deck first, let it dry for several days and spray on the TWP with a tank sprayer that can be used for this purpose and also for spraying herbicides etc. I need to do it again this year.

Greg Cuetara
04-22-2011, 11:27 AM
Thanks for all the thoughts. Finally got a free minute to pop back on here and reply. Been crazy busy at work but I guess that is a good thing right now.

Originally the deck was PT boards and i replaced with Cedar when the whole thing died on me. After I got the, very cupped, PT boards off the deck they relaxed and became flat again...lol. I wanted to put down a composite deck originally but it would have been about 4k to do so and the cedar was only about $1,200 so it really is all that was in the budget. Maybe I need to find a solar powered fan to circulate air below the deck...lol.

The other thing I could do is since there is a semi-transparent stain on there right now to give it some color i could try to just put down a clear protectant and live with what is there.

Thanks again,
Greg