boparks

Given a choice I'd go bark side up.

That said part of the problem is all the center cut boards that could go either way.

Theres' no clear option. I've see them all cup

hokiepokiegal

Azek or pvcs have up until now provided good performance with a marginal look , at least nothing that would compare to a freshly oiled Ipe or hardwood deck. Hardwoods definitely require a maintainence effort to keep "the look" but you know they'll last.

Not sure what your build schedule is like but there are some really nice products coming down the pike that will provide the perforamnnce of pvc with a true hardwood look. In fact Fiberon has a line available now called Horizons in both Rosewood (Cumaru) and another in Ipe color. This product has an inner composite core (green builder friendly) and an outer shell that comes with a 10 year color warrabty. We've used it and it is very durable. It is very scratch and scuff resistent.

As with most products it has a limited history but I do believe Fiberon is on track with this particular line. Azek and others are coming out with new versions that provide the hardwood look with cap stock products. These technologies are where the industry is going

. Although you'll definitely get multiple opinions when it comes to "wood or alternatives" I'm a believer in a short list of alternatives that will now provide both a performance and good look.

Oh yea, the decking was Azek pvc with Coretex fasteners

Thanks dgricus

It was typical framing for the most part using pressure treated 2x8s 12: oc The beam was configured to allow controlled distances with the cantileever. We established a pivot point and marked off the radius and cut off the joist ends. We came back in between the ends of the cut joist with blocking. This provided a screw down outer band for the decking and plenty to attach to when we wrapped the outer band.

We ran all decking wild and marked off again with the same pivot board, and then cut accordingly. We then bent a 5/8 Azek pvc trim board around the perimeter.

The radius work is not that difficult once you've done one or two. Too tight of bend can make it challenging. This was a 3/4 of the entire deck radius and a little thought had to go into the understructure side because it was viewable and with an intended useable space below.

It got alot of stabilty because it was tied back into the main structure and because the decking was on a diagonal

Bobby

I have to wonder how much difference operating in a differnt geographic region makes?

When it comes to alternative decking, I have been a fan in concept, a skeptic by nature, and dissapointed in the options we have had for the better part of 2 decades. The performance of most of whats been avaiable has been lacking in my opinion.

I've been building in the southeast for 20 years, delivered over 30 million dollars worth of deck and porch products, using mostly pressure treated southern yellow pine including turbo charged recipes such as parafin enhanced, # 1 dense, kiln dried after treatment options.

None of this has preformed even close to what I would consider satisfactorily. Cedar as decking here offers marginal performance at best and hopefully works better in other parts of the country.

I started my new company 18 months ago with the founding concept of only offering long term performance and / or low maintenance options. It was amazing as to how little there really is to offer.


Brazilian hardwoods are the tried and true performance options that has a history and limited risk factor associated with it. I'm a believer in them from that standpoint and rate them highly. I use them regularly inside porch floors. It is not a low maintenance product unless uyou're okay with the weathered look. Customers will need to be on a maintenance program to "maintain" the look.

Generally speaking I'm not a fan of "composites " as I believe they offer less favorable performance than other altrenatives. I believe wood flour is the built in flaw.

I do believe in the pvc products such as Azek, Trex Escapes, Sensibuilt. They are the first products in my opinion that appear to provide the type of performance we 're looking for. Either you like the look or you don't. All the customers I've built for love them.

I'm hopeful for a real performing and natural looking options that I believe are starting to appear. I'm interested and starting to use products such as Fiberons Horizons with Permatech outer layer with a true (or close to it even close up and not 20 feet away) hardwood look. Many products look good on a website but in person don't look so good. This looks good installed.

These mentioned options do in my opinion provide a much desired low maintenance decking board. Thats not to say there's not some risk associated with using them. There are. The reality is there are not many actual decking boards in use that have a real history because the formala and tweaks have continued because of the problems of the past.

Evergrain may be the only real long term unchanged older generation work horse thats been out there for over a decade.

I have 20 alterative decking options that I can show customers in my mini showroom. I'll only use 4 of them along with the Brazilain hardwood offerings.

With all due respect to the wood lovers which I am one of, I'm frustrated at seeing good work look bad after one Georgia summer and don't won't any part of delivering project I don't believe in.

Bobby

Paul, that is fantastic looking work and is the exception to the the coined phrase "we're not building furniture, we're building a deck" lol

This has that type of quality appearance.

Very clean, neat and stylish combined with excellent craftsmanship.

Hats off to you.


Bobby

It was interesting. I found all of them but lost 50 on the shirt on the ladder thing and apparently missed when I tried to click on the missing header and got dinged for another 50.

Bobby

Thanks alwayslearnn

We've used a couple of different products including Penofin and Cabots.

We've been using TWP lately with some pigment that helps somewhat in terms of retarding weathering.

Truth is the beauty does not remain long. These decks ideally require the customer to be on a deck maintenance program to keep the nice rich look.

Bobby

Heynoweasy,

Forgot the second part of your question.

I really like Azek and a short list of other pvc type of products. This includes Azek, Sensibuilt, and Trex Escapes.

Azek came onto the market as Procell years ago and was picked up/ bought out, by Azek who has been a major player in the pvc trim industry. It was a good match up and increased the production capacity.

Sensibuilt is under the Fiber Composirtes umbrella and some of the peolpinvolved were orginnally involved with Procell.

Theres a difference between these products and most typical composites which are made thru a combination of wood flour and recycled plastic, These can be good and reliable products but I consider them to be in a differnt catagory from the listed products.

I believe the pvc products out perform most when it comes to the "scratch, scuff, and stain test. Most do not absorb heat and they simply take less to clean up.

What we're all hoping to see is the introduction of a more natural looking pvc option which hopefully is not far down the road.

I believ you would be very happy with these products and the ease of use. Vey light and good fastening systems.

I'm very picky about products and we use these and only Brazilian hardwoods and very little pressure treated decking.

They all have strong backers in term of corporations etc

heynoweasy , structuring and transfferring loads, controling cantilever distances, and incorporating angled beams for radiused decks is not difficult to do and the simple point in this case is to cover up an unsitely unfinsihed landscape area below this decks. When you use Photo Shop you don't remove stuff you cover over it using one or more techniques.

It's more matter of having a new toy to play with called Photoshop and not covering up anything done incorrectly.

If you care to provide an emai,.address thru my website www.peachtreedecksandporches.net I'll be glad to shoot you over some detailed structural shots that will show a very clean, easy, and efficient way to build and structure radiused decks.

I've tried to add a couple to this posting but I'm getting a pop up that says becaused the contest is over I can't do any editing.

Actually we used a anti gravity framing system proprietary to our company... or maybe I did photoshop the shrubbery.

Pretty obvious in the last photo huh?

Great looking work Barry.

LindaSC Very impressive project. Must have been fun to visualize this one and then see it come together.


Great work!

Bobby Parks

A great example of true artwork incorporated into a deck project.

Absolutely awesome and impressive.

Very nicely done.

Bobby Parks

Peachtree Decks and Porches LLC

Alpharetta Ga