Decking --- Cedar or Pressure Treated ?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Decking --- Cedar or Pressure Treated ?

Posted: 8/21/2004 12:58:39 PM EDT

I bought a house about 2 years ago and there's a large deck / set of steps off the back of the house.
The Wood is in pretty bad shape and most of it needs to be replaced.Previous owner did use cedar.
The price difference between the two is only 7cents per linear foot.
Composite decking is out because of price.
Which would you recommend ???

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:07:19 PM EDT

[#1]

If you get ceder those f***ing carpenter bees will riddle it in a year

PT wood is the way to go

or better that plastic wood, expensive but you will never spend a buck on Thompsons water seal
60.00 per 5 gals every year.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:11:01 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
If you get ceder those f***ing carpenter bees will riddle it in a year

PT wood is the way to go

or better that plastic wood, expensive but you will never spend a buck on Thompsons water seal
60.00 per 5 gals every year.

Friends don't let friends use Thompsons. Their product is Parifin based.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:11:46 PM EDT

[#3]

I've always used PT. Don't love how it looks but it holds up well.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:12:11 PM EDT

[#4]

Synthetic wood. EverGrain composite decking. Expensive but worth every bit in a long run.

www.evergrain.com/decking_professional/

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:14:24 PM EDT

[#5]

Lots of news and changing regs about PT lumber here in CA - ninnies up in arms about Arsenic levels - nevermind that you'd have to lick it every day, ALL day, to get sick.

My personal choice has been PT framing / underpinnings, redwood surface. But it ain't cheap.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:15:00 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
If you get ceder those f***ing carpenter bees will riddle it in a year

PT wood is the way to go

or better that plastic wood, expensive but you will never spend a buck on Thompsons water seal
60.00 per 5 gals every year.

the plastic stuff is great, no bees, no moss or anything like that, dont have to treat it every year.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:17:45 PM EDT

[#7]

Steel

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:23:09 PM EDT

[#8]

We put in some trex...

Its alright... heavy as hell, screw holes look bad IMO....

But its about the only option feasible for us at the time so we went with it. Way better than wood for a deck IMO.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:23:59 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:
If you get ceder those f***ing carpenter bees will riddle it in a year

PT wood is the way to go

or better that plastic wood, expensive but you will never spend a buck on Thompsons water seal
60.00 per 5 gals every year.

the plastic stuff is great, no bees, no moss or anything like that, dont have to treat it every year.

I can not say enough about that pastic /syn wood
yes it is expensive at first -- but brother does it pay for itself in the long run.

Also use ss screws to put it together -- nails back out and are a pain to deal with
again expensive at first but well worth it.

Posted: 8/21/2004 1:31:07 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you get ceder those f***ing carpenter bees will riddle it in a year

PT wood is the way to go

or better that plastic wood, expensive but you will never spend a buck on Thompsons water seal
60.00 per 5 gals every year.

the plastic stuff is great, no bees, no moss or anything like that, dont have to treat it every year.

I can not say enough about that pastic /syn wood
yes it is expensive at first -- but brother does it pay for itself in the long run.

Also use ss screws to put it together -- nails back out and are a pain to deal with
again expensive at first but well worth it.

Yup, built our front porch and back deck out of this stuff. They still look absolutely brand new.

Posted: 8/21/2004 2:37:02 PM EDT

[#11]

If you use PT, I recommend using stainless steel deck screws intead of nails. They keep it from warping better and allow you to remove boards easier for replacement or if you need to get underneath for some reason.

Posted: 8/21/2004 2:52:26 PM EDT

[#12]

I built a small one this spring using the plastic / synth stuff. Turned out great--very solid. RE the screw holes looking bad, they do make special deck screws for this stuff, with a shank that pulls the excess material into the hole rather than allow it to "mushroom." I'm happy with it.

Posted: 8/21/2004 3:46:31 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Lots of news and changing regs about PT lumber here in CA - ninnies up in arms about Arsenic levels - nevermind that you'd have to lick it every day, ALL day, to get sick.

My personal choice has been PT framing / underpinnings, redwood surface. But it ain't cheap.

+1 or go synthetic pt looks like shit I use penofin on my redwood and coat it 2x a year

Posted: 8/21/2004 3:52:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Pay a little more now, or pay a lot later on and not just money, but sweat and time.

The synthetic isn't maintenance intensive like real wood. Use deck screws, not nails or regular screws.

Posted: 8/21/2004 3:59:13 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
If you use PT, I recommend using stainless steel deck screws intead of nails. They keep it from warping better and allow you to remove boards easier for replacement or if you need to get underneath for some reason.

Yep, get PT also

Posted: 8/21/2004 4:31:33 PM EDT

[#16]

Synthetic all the way. They have one that really looks like wood and is non-toxic. But it's expensive

Posted: 8/21/2004 6:30:32 PM EDT

[#17]

If you plan on living in your house for a long time, do yourself a huge favor and go plastic!

They make special screws now for plastic decking, so it won't look ugly. They also make the hidden screw connectors.

GO PLASTIC!

Posted: 8/21/2004 7:25:19 PM EDT

[#18]

It rains a lot in Oregon and we have a huge deck. It's about 1/2 cedar and 1/2 p.t. We have to use a pretty "thick" ? stain to get it to look OK. Have to work on it every year.

We bought a small cabin in Alaska. It has a cedar deck. What did I get to do on my vacation this spring? Yep. Work on the deck.

Synthetics for me if I have a choice! The pay back in time saved is well worth the extra $.

Posted: 8/21/2004 7:34:16 PM EDT

[#19]

Don't jack around with it. Rip off the top, form up and pour concrete! I've got about 700 sf to replace at first opportunity.

Posted: 8/22/2004 4:28:26 AM EDT

[#20]

Trex. Built a saltwater dock out of the stuff, 6 years old and still looks new. If it were wood I'd have replaced the whole thing by now. I only wish they made it in a wider variety of sizes.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Decking --- Cedar or Pressure Treated ?

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