My brother has a few hundred extra sqare feet of 2 1/4″ x 3/4″ red oak flooring left over from renovating his house.
He wants to use it on a semi -covered exterior deck and asked me why not.
I’ve never seen it used exterior before and only have seen the effects when it gets wet inside such as cupping, swelling and such.
Anyone know or seen any different ? Has anyone used it outside with a sealer/preservative ? My first inclination was to tell him not to do it but I’d figure I’d see what comes up around here.
Thanks for anything I could pass on.
Replies
A couple of months ago, I rebuilt one of those asian made garden benches and replaced the original wood (whatever it was) with red oak. I finished the oak with three coats of marine grade poly and (so far, anyway) it's doing fine. I also replaced all the fasteners with stainless steel.
There's a good reason you have never seen red oak used for exterior applications.
If your brother uses this old flooring for a "semi -covered exterior deck" he will be replacing it within a few years time. And long before that, it will look horrible.
Red oak heartwood has minimal decay resistance, unlike white oak. But a larger problem is that unless it's quartersawn, there's going to be huge movement with gaps opening and closing which will be extremely difficult to keep moisture out, leading to decay. Presence of sapwood will greatly speed up the process.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!