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I am planning on covering my old, tired, ugly looking concrete pad with a new deck. Does anyone have negative or positive opinions on the new man-made deck products, such as Next Wood, and such. They sound like a good idea, not having to stain, no splitting and splinters, etc.. Thanks..greg.
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I don't know "next wood" but Trex is nice. I can't wait till houses are completely plastic. (I'm not kidding)
*We are finishing up a deck made of Pau Lope. Man, that is some indestructable stuff. Expensive, but I think this deck will out live me.Ed. Williams
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I think that Pa Lope would make an excellent choice for this situation. A low lying area such as this requires a material that is resistant to rot and insects, Pa Lope would definitely be the choice.
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George,
I posted a question here a while back about deck fasteners for the Pau Lope deck and everyone suggested EbTy. We used them, and I will never build another deck without them. Fantastic little fasteners.
Ed. Williams
*I would be concerned about water accumulation under the pau lope: it, too, will rot. Consider shooting pressure treated 2x4's to the slab in the direction of the slope, probably perpendicular to the front of the house. Not only will this allow drainage, it will provide a surface to screw the pau lope. Pre drill the holes and use stainless steel screws.For Pau Lope spans, a nominal 1x will span 16", 5/4 will span 24" and a 2x should span 48" (check with your supplier). Seal the end grain of the PL either with parafin wax or Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) from Smith and Company: 1-510-237-6842.Good luck!
*I had to edit george eberle's comments about EbTys, because he is involved with the company that makes them.Andy
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I am going to be building a redwood deck next week and am confused about the whole "crown-side-up" or "crown-side-down" concept. Which side is the crown side? And does it really matter?
Denver, CO
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if a piece of lumber is curved, it has a "crown". The crown side is the convex side.
Install your deck boards with the convex side (looking at the end of the piece) up so water can run off the sides.
*Just put the best looking side up. There, I've officially opened the crown up/down debate. As long as there is no cupping, in which I defer to Ryan. Jeff.
*Jeff,you're absolutely right, the crown thing sounds good in text books but I've never had any lumber that wanted to cooperate either.
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I am on a posting craze today.
If you use regular dimensional lumber, stain, UV protect and seal all 4 sides and the ends before you install the deck. You can't believe how this pays off in terms of ageing, cupping, twisting, spitting and rot. Use lubricated wood deck screws, not nails. There is a lot less splitting this way.
I hate pressue treated lumber cause it down't last as long a non-pressure treated (above ground). Pressure treated for decks; etc, is a myth of the building materials industry. Pressure treated lumber is brittle and often the surface is dappled (and therefore compromised) to increase preservative penetration. The high heat and pressure applied artificial preservative drives out the natural preservatives found in all trees. Combine these features and you get a wood that splits easily and rots faster than regular, site-treated lumber. And, PT lumber is usually made from a lower grade than regular lumber.
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b TVMDC
Put the bark side down: Check the end grain to see which way the annual rings are oriented. If they are curved, the belly of the rings should be down (bark side). This way as the deck boards absorb moisture, more will be absorbed on the top causing the boards to cup down at the edges as the top side expands. But if you paint/seal only the top, more moisture will be absorbed on the bottom side and the boards will cup into a concave form . . . not good.
Thus, paint all 6 sides prior to assembly.
b CDMVT
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I can look at pressure treated decks that I built twenty years ago that are still quite serviceable. That simply would not be possible with regular lumber. Granted that the nicest deck that we ever built used quartersawn redwood 2x6's but how many people can afford that.
There are many possibilities for decking materials which will perform well but do not completely dismiss pt lumber. It is possible to get and pay for a better grade if that is what you want. Cupping will be a problem with thinner material no matter which way you lay the boards but it is a tough environment and most people can live with it. Just my $.02.
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hey bill. bark side up..
and if yur layin sod..
green side up..
b but hey, whadda i no ?
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It may be that you had a better grade and PT treatment quality 20 years ago. I look can point to PT decks and exterior framing that is rotten after 5 years. PT decking planks and porch materials here in northeast and in Canada are brittle, break easy, don't saw well and decompose very fast.
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Bark side up, unless the other side looks alot better.
Now if you live down-under in Australia, I think its bark side down.
but then again I could be wrong
*b TVMDCMike, If lumber had a green and brown side it would really be easy, wouldn't it? The fact is that the side that is exposed to more moisture will swell more than the other. If the boards are over a damp crawl space or on a flat slab, the tops will cup the wrong way creating bird baths on top. This is of particular concern for interior wood flooring over a damp substrate.You may want to check out this site for more info along these lines. As for deck boards, I put the bark down. As for sod, if it's crabgrass, I put the green down: that way you can kill the roots topically rather than systemically.b CDMVT
*b TVMDCMike, Attaching a picture of the ends of a couple of 1x6 knotty pine boards. Each is resting of a piece of straight 1x2 so you can see the crown which is up. The bark side is down.b CDMVT
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Yes, Francis, there really is a crown and it does make a difference. Take virtually any piece of lumber, turn it on edge and sight along it, you will find that it does bow in one direction. The part bowing out, the convex, is the crown, and it should definitely be installed up. The reason is structural, namely, that when a load is applied, the tendency will be for the lumber to want to deflect downward. By starting with the crown up, part of this deflection is taken up by the inherent crown. If it was down to begin with, the resultant sag would be even greater.
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b TVMDC
Jim, the crown you are refering to is the bow from end to end which for joists and rafters is always installed crown up for the reasons you stated. For deck boards, the crown you described is a warped board which either is straightened during installation or discarded. "Crown" in the sense used here is the cupping of the wide surface of a board and is also installed up to encourage water runoff.
*Greg,You have a patio slab? Have you thought about Kool-Deck? Bill
*b TVMDCBadhabits,Sometimes the most simple solutions are the best. I've never used Kool-Deck but there are a number of systems available for both slab-on-grade and waterproof membranes on cnc over living spaces. If slab on grade, you can clean the cnc, spray a textured slurry coat of mud then seal it. And you don't have to worry about which way the crown goes, either.
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I am planning on covering my old, tired, ugly looking concrete pad with a new deck. Does anyone have negative or positive opinions on the new man-made deck products, such as Next Wood, and such. They sound like a good idea, not having to stain, no splitting and splinters, etc.. Thanks..greg.