pvc / composite decking

[james]

about a month ago, i started refinishing my wood deck for the third time　(in about 8 years), only to find the support framing and one of the main support beams were getting into the advanced stages of rot.

after much time and effort i put in a new support beam and rebuilt the support framing and used 3 coats of weatherguard. nothing fancy - i'm no carpenter by any stretch of the imagination, but it's in and very solid.

i then started working on the deck tiles, but have found that many of the planks have rotted from the underside. i started salvaging and refinishing the underside of what was useable so i at least had some at the entrance. i've been replacing rusted out crusty screws etc. it's been a real pita. the idea was to get the entrance panels useable again and then replace planks for the remaining panels.

i was starting to make progress, but the hardware store no longer sells the size of wood i need, or anything that could be cut to size with reasonable ease. the original planks are about 90 cm x 9.5 cm x 3.0 cm, ie a little wider and thinner than standard 2x4 fare - which i mistakenly bought thinking that's what i'd bought the last time i replaced a few of these.

i'm thinking now that i really don't want to do this again but my options are as follows:

1 - find somewhere that does custom cuts or find similar wood online to get about 16 of the above planks made and then do this again in a couple years when the others invariably rot.

2 - buy a bunch of 1"x10'x6's and just lay them across and scrap all of the original deck tiles and hope with some decent weather guarding i get a few years out of them.

3 - redo the deck in a pvc composite such as the stuff sold here.

does anyone here have experience with pvc composites? recommendations? can i secure them to my newly rebuilt support framing (wood) so i at least haven't wasted all of my time?

[james]

found some..

wood which i guess will do the trick for now.

still interested in hearing about pvc composites though.

[GomiGirl]

I have always considered decking wood to be a consumable. The framework shouldn't be of course.

For my deck back in Aus, I used to oil it frequently but knowing that it would need to be replaced over the years.


Sorry - can't help on PVC.

[james]

I have always considered decking wood to be a consumable. The framework shouldn't be of course.

For my deck back in Aus, I used to oil it frequently but knowing that it would need to be replaced over the years.


Sorry - can't help on PVC.

i'm happy that i've found the wood i need. once the weather clears i can put the rest of the panels back together and get to sanding the tops. things should go more quickly from there.

[gkanai]

I know in the US they sell pressure-treated wood for decks (which is usually made with formaldehyde and is very non-environmentally friendly ) as well as a plastic deck material that is made from recycled plastic...

[canman]

Up here in Aomori James everyone is pushing pressurized red wood cedar for decks and fences. But damn that stuff is expensive. I am in the middle of taking down my fence as the posts have almost completely gone to rot in the ground. I am now considering a tree lined fence as an alternative. Does anybody have any recommendations for a fast growing slim not fat type of ever green tree?

[james]

Up here in Aomori James everyone is pushing pressurized red wood cedar for decks and fences. But damn that stuff is expensive. I am in the middle of taking down my fence as the posts have almost completely gone to rot in the ground. I am now considering a tree lined fence as an alternative. Does anybody have any recommendations for a fast growing slim not fat type of ever green tree?

i like cedars personally and would take a tree lined fence over posts any day. i put mine in small a couple years ago and they're finally starting to fill in a bit. i should post pics of what i get up to out here.

for stuff that doesn't rot, i think wood/plastic composites are probably the way to go. been reading a bit more about them.

somewhat off topic, but i posted in the suggestions forum that it'd be nice to have a forum for diy / building / repairs and i guess gardening. what do people think?

[wuchan]

In the states they have been using this stuff:trex/ I have seen picnic tables made from this stuff in skateparks that have taken a beating from skating and harsh new england winters and still look pretty new after four or five years. I think it is sawdust, glue and polymer. The stuff you posted up there doesn't look like it could take hard impacts, like a tree falling on it or random flying objects during storms.

[james]

In the states they have been using this stuff:trex/ I have seen picnic tables made from this stuff in skateparks that have taken a beating from skating and harsh new england winters and still look pretty new after four or five years. I think it is sawdust, glue and polymer. The stuff you posted up there doesn't look like it could take hard impacts, like a tree falling on it or random flying objects during storms.

i took a look through that trex site, some nice stuff there for sure. perused the photo galleries and some of them are amazing and look like they'd hold up for a long time. some absurd monstrosities in there too.

[james]

well it's not quite finished, but i put in a new centre support beam, levelled the existing ones then built and put in new support framing:



i replaced the rotted planks on the panels and when i could get away with it, shaved the rotted sections out. it's all weather guarded underneath and i've replaced all of the screws, which had completely rusted, to the point where a lot of them needed "persuasion" to come out:



i then sanded the tops and fit them into the new support framing (some cuts were made underneath to make them fit):



and finally today i put the good weatherguard on the tops and secured them into place. (xyladecor - #105 ):



nearing completion:

[Big Booger]

What do you use that deck for? I mean it looks nice and all but without deck furniture, an outdoor grill, a swimming pool.. how is it getting used? And where are your lawn ornaments... fucking pink flamingos would set that shit off:

[Charles]

In the states they have been using this stuff:trex/

Coincidentally, my landlord decided to tear off my old rotting deck and replace it with Trex, they just finished it a couple of days ago. It's just a little balcony out over a second floor, I kind of liked the old decomposing natural wood look even if it was unsafe. Now they replaced it with Trex and it looks pretty solid and seems fairly attractive, in a cheap, pressed-wood sort of way. I presume my landlord cheaped out and used the lowest grade Trex materials, but it still looks like it's indestructible.

[james]

What do you use that deck for? I mean it looks nice and all but without deck furniture, an outdoor grill, a swimming pool.. how is it getting used? And where are your lawn ornaments... fucking pink flamingos would set that shit off:

today i finally got all the siding put back up and re-stained. there's a couple odds and ends left to take care of but i can say it's basically done.

the lawn furniture will be going back on it tomorrow i use it as an entrance to my school and for bbq-ing. maybe next weekend i'll inflate the pool