I’m planning on boxing in some exterior posts on my porch. I live in Boston. What kind of wood is best? I don’t want to spend any more than I have to. I plan on painting these.
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As long as you seal the end grain well, plain old pine will work well. Try to find some pieces as close to 1/4 sawn as posible to minimize the movement. I've used a lot of pine for exterior trim over the years. As long as it's kept painted, it's fine.
Cedar, redwood, mahogany, & white oak are other good exterior woods. Stay away from pressure treated pine. Its too unstable, and doesn't hold paint all that well.
In the synthetic materials, I'd go with one of the PVC trim boards. Actually, that's what I'm wrapping the newels & posts with on my own front porch- Azek. It doesn't need painting ( but can be if desired), will never rot, & works just like wood.
I would have agree with the any old pine comment until this year. I think a good hal;f my income this year has been replacing rotted pine in situations where it has been backprimed and end sealed and is less than five years for most - all less than ten years old.All cases are where it stays damp from spashbacks or bottom of posts or where snow drifts to it. I blame the latex paints and no more lead.I have had good luck with the Windsor one so far, but have not had it in the more extreme locations yet. I do have a scrap leaned against the shop under the drip line for three years tho, with no warp or sign or rot yet.
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I've had coffee now, so I have some more ideas.
For pine, I'd use the Windsor One finger jointed and primed boards. Its a very nice, stable product, with a good prime coat on it.
Another option would be to use MDO ( medium density overlay) plywood, and rip strips out of the sheet.
But if it were me, I'd either use the Windsor pine, or Azek.
Shep I'm going to have to disagree with you here, because of the 'new growth' nature of WindsorOne, with wide growth rings. Yes, I know that it's treated, and I have it for beaded soffits on my own house ... but I wouldn't put it out in the weather.
By the way ... make sure you arent' using miter joints on these boxes - butt joints for such.
Jeff
Edited 9/27/2008 10:42 am ET by Jeff_Clarke
I used windsor like Shep mentioned with no problems at all. Just be sure to caulk prime and paint real well but I do agree with you aboutthe miter joints. I finally have it under contrel but never again and thank god it wasn't on someone else's house where I wasn't around to fix things down the line.
I even PL'd all the joints.
Azek would be best if yer using a composite material in my opinion but $$$$$$$!!
Kinda like using Kerdi in in a shower. If the customers willingt o pay for it..go for it.
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Thanks for all the advice. I was hoping pine would be OK.
I've used both miters and butt joints for pine columns. If I miter the joint, I really use a lock miter. I find that really holds the columns together well. I think its all the glue area with the joint. I glue just about everything I can outdoors.
With the Azek, I don't like seeing the edge of the product, so a miter is about the only thing I do with that. But with the Azek glue, it holds so well that I doubt there will be a problem
Using pine or most other untreated modern woods on the exterior of houses helps ensure remodeling carpenters have good job security. The only time I install untreated wood on the exterior of one of my houses is in a extreme last resort and those times are very few and far between.
I use either KDAT lumber or cellular PVC.
As far as the KDAT lumber (Kiln Dried After Treating) (sometimes called "re-dried" or just "dry") there is a new one out called DuraPine, which although expensive is, I feel, even better than regular KDAT because it has a lower copper content and is less corrosive to fasteners. This re-dried lumber holds paint very well too. The KDAT comes in laminated posts that are structural as well. They probably won't sell this stuff at a big box store. Check around with some real lumber yards.
Or, regular PT lumber posts can be fitted with a loose PVC plastic lumber wrap. My lumber yard sells both wraps that you can apply to a post, and PVC columns that come with a structural wood post in the center.
Here is a pic of a porch/house that just closed yesterday on which I used a combination of the above named products. The columns, railings and pickets are durapine and other KDAT lumber. Brackets are Fypon. The 356 molding under the top rails are PVC. The homebuyer picked the colors. :-)
Edited 9/27/2008 5:10 pm ET by Matt