The ripple effect....need a good deck protector

[Burd]

If you ever saw a Azek deck, you wouldn't go wood. Soap, water, hose off in the spring.

 

[MitchM]

I have a Trex deck myself, happy with the durability, not impressed with the Trex fastening system.

 

[Burd]

You can blind screw or top screw with powder coated screw a, they are stainless steel, I like both.

 

[sissy]

I added extra footers to mine when I rebuilt both 2 years ago .Mine in the back are only 2 feet off the ground but there was not enough footers when I built them and I knew it .I did not like the little vibration you got when walking out there .I also added cross beams to each footer 6x6 .But maybe you should have went with composite decking at least under the tub .It will stay damp under there .I am still amazed here that they allow 2x3 pickets screwed to the outside of a deck railing .Any one can kick them out or even push them out when the screws weaken from expansion and contraction of wood .Mine are all done from the inside of the deck and here they said you can use 4x4's and joist 24 inch's on center .I used 6x6's and 12 inch's on center on my front porch since there is a roof and 4x4's on the decks out back .chicken wire is to protect my chihuahuas

 

[addy1]

We thought of doing the manufactured deck, but this wood deck will outlast us. And after our recent splurging we decided paying 25-40 per board vs 10 was a bit much.

We are putting around 1/4 inch in between each board.

Sissy we used deer netting on rails to keep missy safe.

 

[sissy]

yeh that is the major problem with composite decking PRICE .Thing is pressure treated wood these days is not old growth wood so will not last as long .I built both these decks in 2004 and they did not last long .Sad to say and made a lot of work for me .Plus the old screws were stainless steel and stripped and broke every time I tried to take them out of the old deck and had to use a pry bar in most cases to get them up .I then painted all the joists black and 2 coats of it before I put new boards down and used the star coated screws .Not an easy job by yourself .16x20 and 12x16 deck plus the pergolas .I hope they last .I tried oil stain and it turn black and had to strip it all off then I got a marine oil stain at over 250 dollars for 5 gallon bucket and needed 2 of them .But I got the rebate plus the senior citizen discount so that helped it come down in price .They even paid for shipping .But it was a real pain in the butt to put on and needed 5 days it said to cure right .I got it from a company online that sells stuff for boats and shore houses and docks

 

[addy1]

We put in a deck on the other side in 09, it was never treated and doing darn good. We might pressure wash and treat it when we treat the new side. We have good gaps between the boards. That one is lower to the ground and has the deck pond on it and currently a bee hive.

 

[Burd]

You can get Azek in 1/4" sheets too. I think I'm going to paint doors to match, then go around the sides and then make 2 X's at he bottom.

When you sell your house Azek is a nice investment, the new homeowners don't inherit a bad rotten deck.

 

[sissy]

not here .no deck is an asset as houses sell so cheap .I know I will make something on this house only because of the views ,other than that most house's here sell for almost nothing .Mine is valued at 229 thousand but will not get the value .I paid 89 thousand new and my house is the biggest in the neighborhood and has the best views ,but that does not always sell things here .Look at other house I own almost 12 acres and near Bedford lake and Smith Mountain Lake and only paid 29 thousand .Not all expensive upgrades will get you money .People here see decks as just work and no value .Geeze here they stay in the air conditioning and very seldom sit out side .They are glued to the TV or cell phone .Even here upgrades in the kitchen don't sell a house

 

[Jhn]

Agree with Mitch, just proper gaps in boards under hot tub, so it let's air circulate. If you don't reapply most sealers every couple years or less depending on location, they don't work all that great. As was said if you don't let the wood dry out it won't accept the sealer.

If using a composite board under a hot tub joists need to be narrowed up, as composite lumber is weak. Personally, I would use regular #1 pine board it will outlast the hot tub in all likelihood. Parents had a hot tub on a deck for over 20 years and the decking under the hot tub was still pretty much ok, but the hot tub wasn't.

Composite decks aren't all they are cracked up to be. On the dark brown deck pictured in previous post #16 it looks great, but dirt disappears when it is wet, so cleaning is a pain because you dont know where the dirt is once wet. Although it does hide it well. If that dark deck gets any amount of sun, you couldn't walk on it in bare feet. The composite decking, wood joists and kickboards underneath expand and contract at different rates resulting in screws popping.

All this being said I do like it better than the standard pine board, but it isn't issue free. Just different issues. I have that dark composite decking on my back deck, fortunately it is roofed over, so some of the aforementioned issues are alleviated.

 

[addy1]

We are using southern yellow pine boards, treated.

The original deck, was most likely, over 20 years old. We have been in the house 9 years, the deck was old when we moved in. The seller painted it with the red stain, but it peeled off, think the wood had a oil treatment at one time.
We will put something on the wood, but in the spring the wood is wet

I prefer real wood, the deck is full sun, and those boards do get hot. But you can still walk on them without burning your feet.

 

[Jhn]

Meant treated pine boards, All the lumber I work with is treated. So I refer to it as pine boards while in my mind i am thinking treated pine boards, but should remember to say treated pine boards.

 

[Burd]

Putting a crap deck in won’t sell your house either. Lol. Kitchens and baths sell a house. I put 8k in my last bath it sold my house along with the kitchen.

 

[addy1]

This is a small rancher, on 4 acres. We bought it for the land. If we ever sell it will probably sell for the land, or we will just let our executor sale it! If we manage to stay here until we are gone............

His previous house was 12000 sq, ex is trying to sale it, big houses are not selling. My previous was 4000sq, we sold it a few years back, it was in AZ.

We like our low care, easy clean small house..... I have never worried about if we do this, or that will it sale better. I do what I want and like and whatever happens happens.

We put in a very nice kitchen, for me, upgraded the smaller than a walk in closet bathroom, a better lay out, dropped a few walls, put in a bunch of ponds, plants, grass is disappearing.

No mortgage, nothing to complain about!

 

[Burd]

When I did the patio I used Cedar for this L shaped bench, it was made of 2x4's on edge, spaced with 1x3. Good water run off. It was expensive, the first stain it ran all over my new limestone cap and pavers, just a mess, 8-9 years later it had huge ants in it, I tore it out, then I put the Azek on it, is pricy, but it's not composite either, after 9 years on the azek bench, it looked like the day it was put in. I will never put wood outside again, other than a bird feeder. Lol
Next year I'm siding my house, there's a new plastic wood system that is notched so you don't use any J molding with vinyl siding, Ya it's pricy, put its done for 40 years. I whis I saw it before I did my shed last week, I could have tried it. I just did my shed as a mock up of what I want on the house.