Normally I hang out in the FWW forum, but the question I have may be better suited for this one.
I’m converting the garage (18′ x 18′ 6″) into a woodshop w/ a temporary raised floor – vapor barrier on slab, sleepers, plywood (just like the last Tools & Shops). Only, the material being used in the article for the sleepers, is pressure treated 2x4s – I was thinkin’ maybe that CCA stuff is not for me & I could use that new-fangled composite decking (in this case Choicedek). It’s 5/4 x 6, pretty darn tough, and there ain’t no arsenic in it.
My understanding is that after Dec. 2003 the EPA will no longer allow CCA treated lumber to be sold, so the thought is I could avoid the nastiness of having to cut & handle that stuff, and have something I could use elsewhere (when I move). Yep, probably a bit more expensive (maybe 2x).
Has anybody out there used the composite stuff? Is there any reason it shouldn’t work?
Thanks in advance.
Replies
Not sure I follow - you're going to use a 5/4 x 6 instead of the 2x4? Several things I see here - it's more expensive, you'll have to double it to clear the thickness of the insulation in that article, or use different insul (which really probably isn't a problem), and you might run into some unanticipated issues with anchoring it to the floor. I doubt it would withstand being gunned down.
If you're wondering if it will take it, I suspect the answer is yes; a decking material laid on a concrete floor doesn't have much room for flex. You would likely have to screw everything down rather than nail. Attaching to the floor is primarily to prevent sideways movement, and PL400 and tapcons would accomplish that, so long as the adhesive doesn't eat the composite.
I do think you're wasting a good worry. CCA is only one way of "treating" lumber, and you can't even get it here anymore. Other methods, such as ACQ, accomplish relatively the same thing without the arsenic content. Laying down sleepers underneath a plywood floor also isn't a way, even if you used CCA, to come into contact with it. Cut outside, be done with it if you're concerned. IMHO, the snafu over CCA is an issue that at one point, had a little merit in some applications, and the EPA has successfully blown it completely out of proportion.
" Clothes make the man. Naked people have litte or no influence in society" - Mark Twain
CCA is the only treated material locally, that I know of.
I thought I would just float 'em - once the ply is down, they're not going to be moving around, right?
Thanks for the reply!