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Wanted some advice. I am having a deck built and I think it should be stained on all four sides to fully protect the wood. The builders says NO it would not let the wood (pressure treated So. Yellow Pine) loose any moisture that will get into the wood. Who’s right? Or should I just use TREX and forget about the using wood?
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..........well ..you could RTFA....
or IMHO...the last is the correct route...
the point is moot,there are going to be so many splits and checks in that decking in a year, it probably won't matter.... but if it ain't in the specs why should your builder do it ? Its not common practise..
the PT deck will last longer if all sides are finished....
Kermit
*... so all 6 sides (as they say around here) should be done .. moisture will leave the same as it gets in ... the construction details are the most important, esp. drainage ... read the archives for lots of info on decks/stains/trex
*Stain or sealer?Regardless, all sides of a board should be treated in the same manner.
*Hey, are there exterior-grade stains without sealer?
*Stain is nothing more than a colorant. It does not have any protective properties to it (although combination stain/sealers do)When applying a finish to pt syp, the wood should be dried out (unless you are using kiln dried to start with) BEFORE any treatment is done (stain, sealer, paint, etc...)If the wood is not dried out, the wood will not absorb enough of the stain, sealant, etc... to do much good. SYP does not take stain well (pt or otherwise) anyway.If you want all six sides treated, then be prepared to fork out a lot of extra cash to the builder. Unless it is in the original agreement, this is an awful lot of extra work and material on the part of the builder. Plus, all of this will have to be done BEFORE the deck is built, and redone on the cut ends of each board. LOTS OF WORK!Just a thought...James DuHamel
*Here in the Great Northwest we don't see much SYP. I have only used it for one interior job and had to order it through a hardwoods supplier. It reminds me of Douglas Fir - dense, strong, the grain even looks similar to DFir. Does it have the same problems when used outdoors? Like checking and cracking, and failure to hold paint? Thanks - jb
*Hey Jim - "It reminds me of Douglas Fir - dense, strong, the grain even looks similar to DFir. Does it have the same problems when used outdoors? Like checking and cracking, and failure to hold paint? Thanks - jb"Yes it does have these problems. James DuHamel
*Hi jclb,It is stronger, more resinous, accepts treatment whereas Doug Fir does not, and is much less dimensionally stable. Whole units of SYP plywood will twist while still banded, Doug Fir would never do that.joe d
*We use the wet stuff to build decks. Push the boards tight to each other. By the time the sun has hit it all day, maybe two days, a gap of a full 1/8th inch has opened up, and a good amount of the screwheads are covered over. Obviously using these boards, they cannot be stained on all sides, but usually let the PT season for like, well, a season before thinking about staining or otherwise finishing.MD*
*Does it swell back tight when it gets real wet? Is it THAT unstable?
*Just my humble opinion...If you guys are getting SYP that is tremendously unstable, I can only guess that you are getting a very low grade wood (maybe #3 or worse) and maybe they're diguising it as #2 or better.SYP is not really unstable as far as structural grade wood goes. PT SYP will warp, crack, check, split, cup, etc... if it is not sealed and maintained. UV rays, and water are PT's worse nightmare. I would imagine this would go for any wood.The PT SYP sold here is actually pretty good stuff. When purchased, it is soaking wet. As it dries, it will shrink. This is one reason why the mills process it a little different. A 2 x 4 is actually 3 5/8" instead of 3 1/2". They know it will shrink approximately this much. The boards are also milled a bit longer (about 1/4" here)When PT wood is used for decking (especially 2 x instead of 5/4) it is a very good idea and practice to butt the deck boards up against each other. When each board shrinks the 1/8" it is expected to, this will leave a 1/4" gap. Sometimes it will shrink more, and leave a larger gap. If you leave a space to begin with, you will wind up with a 1/2" or more gap when it dries. I have seen gaps so large you could slide your fingers between the boards. I have never seen any significant swelling of the pt wood once it has dried, and gotten wet again. It will react just like any other wood when it gets wet, and swell somewhat. When it is properly sealed, this eliminates the introduction of moisture back into the wood fibers, and controls this problem. Unsealed, I would imagine it would swell if left to the elements.As with any wood, PT wood used on decks must be sealed (after drying) and maintained or it will indeed split, crack, warp, cup, etc...As a whole, the SYP is a very good grade of lumber for structural purposes. It is very strong. It does not take paint well (although I see lots of people painting it) so this is not the best material to use for finish trim or any other surface that you want a good finish on.Just my humble opinion...James DuHamel
*How long have you guys been framing with that stuff? Forever? The last 10 years? 20?
*Down here it has been used since the 1880's for framing and structural work. Back then, most of the 1 x boards were roguh sawn. This stuff is still available today too. This is about when the major timber companies opened their mills, and began hiring people around here by the hundreds. Timber took off as a commodity here, and houses started using local lumber exclusively in their construction. We have some very nice, very old mansions that have been turned into museums here, and they are all built out of SYP from Deep East Texas.The fir that was available was usually used for door jambs, window sashes, trim, etc...Fir never has been READILY available here. Since we live in the deep woods of Southeast Texas (PINE TREE HEAVEN), and one of the major industries here for over 100 years has been timber, we have an abundance of SYP available to us.James DuHamel
*Yeah, that's the way it was here with fir. It's getting really rare now though. I think most of the really nice fir logs get shipped overseas. I still marvel at the old fir framing when I open a wall, ceiling or floor. A lot of that stuff is clear. I'm constantly saving old door jambs and base, virtually all of that stuff was vertical grain. I guess SYP grows quite a bit faster than fir, or at least in a wider range of ground/climate. You guys still have plenty and we are running low.
*Yeah but what we're getting up here is a lot of stuff from small trees, very sappy.About everything James said applies to what we get here too. It shrinks fast but haven't seen a lot of swelling problems, though I think that's why if you nail it, you get problems.MD+++++
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Wanted some advice. I am having a deck built and I think it should be stained on all four sides to fully protect the wood. The builders says NO it would not let the wood (pressure treated So. Yellow Pine) loose any moisture that will get into the wood. Who's right? Or should I just use TREX and forget about the using wood?