Building a House with Wood

[Harvey]

that composite decking looks great..no up keep!!!

It's not actually composite, it's PVC. So it's 100% plastic vs a mix of wood and plastic (composite).

It definitely looks good, and has less upkeep.

Downsides:

Cost
Harder to work with so more labor cost
Hot on bare feet in the sun
Slippery when wet (TBD)

For cost, the materials for a 8x28 deck were more then the wood for an 8x54 foot deck.

 

[Scrundy]

Hot on bare feet in the sun

Yea, I see people selling Adirondack chairs made of that stuff…. Big pass for me

 

[Harvey]

I wanted to try it. The spot it's in is sunny, but not ridiculously so, only for a few hours a day in the summer.

It's also a light color, maybe that will help. Worst comes to worst, we use a rug or maybe crocs.

Right or wrong we put the treated lumber on a porch with a roof, it should last a long time.

 

[Sbob]

I wanted to try it. The spot it's in is sunny, but not ridiculously so, only for a few hours a day in the summer.

It's also a light color, maybe that will help. Worst comes to worst, we use a rug or maybe crocs.

Right or wrong we put the treated lumber on a porch with a roof, it should last a long time.

I have original Trex decking and got 24 years out of it so far. Under the porch it’s still like new but the side deck is a little rough.
I’ve sanded it lightly a few times but the larger imbedded chunks are showing. It’s not real pretty like the new woodgrain choices available.

I’m not ready to give up on it yet. There’s some deck coatings that might work. I messed up in the original installation by not spacing it enough and when it hits 10° it sounds like a gunshot going off. Scared the crap out of me the first time lol.

 

[Tjf1967]

that composite decking looks great..no up keep!!!

You still have to power wash it. Pressure treated you power wash and paint it each year.

 

[Harvey]

You still have to power wash it. Pressure treated you power wash and paint it each year.

I never powerwashed the (pressure treated) cabin deck, I'm sure that is why it gets slippery. It's maybe 15 years old? It's still in decent shape. What happens to pressure treated under a roof?

Are you serious about paint? I was told it's possible to paint pressure treated but he results aren't great. No way I want to paint every year.

Is the power washing for pvc just for aesthetics or does it keep it from getting slippery? Does the washing wear on the surface?

 

[Joneski73]

I never powerwashed the (pressure treated) cabin deck, I'm sure that is why it gets slippery. It's maybe 15 years old? It's still in decent shape. What happens to pressure treated under a roof?

Are you serious about paint? I was told it's possible to paint pressure treated but he results aren't great. No way I want to paint every year.

Is the power washing for pvc just for aesthetics or does it keep it from getting slippery? Does the washing wear on the surface?

I built the deck (uncovered)on my home about 20 years ago. I used actual 2x6’s as the decking instead of the standard 1” decking. I use a solid color stain on it every other year. 3 years ago I actually sanded the entire deck surface down back to bear wood as there were areas where the stain wasn’t holding anymore. As I contractor I can say that I have replaced a lot of 1” pressure treated decking that was 10 years or less in age, but never had any maintenance done to it.

The PVC coated decking cleans up great. I do on average 8 to 10 jobs a year with it, even some handicap ramps as well, and I’ve never heard any complaints back as to it being slippery. Also, I highly recommend using a hidden fasteners system vs face screwing it - much better finished product.

 

[Tjf1967]

I never powerwashed the (pressure treated) cabin deck, I'm sure that is why it gets slippery. It's maybe 15 years old? It's still in decent shape. What happens to pressure treated under a roof?

Are you serious about paint? I was told it's possible to paint pressure treated but he results aren't great. No way I want to paint every year.

Is the power washing for pvc just for aesthetics or does it keep it from getting slippery? Does the washing wear on the surface?

Pressure treated won't hold any paint/stain for shit. You pressure wash it to know the loose stuff off the just roller it every year. It doesn't take long. You can put as much time in sanding as you want and you will still have to do it again the next year if you want a clean look.
I power wash the fake wood deck every year. It gets rid of the dirt and makes it look great again.
Some people don't care. I do and it's on my summer chores list once a year

 

[Sick Bird Rider]

Our cedar deck is 17 years old and definitely showing its age. Still walkable but looks a bit sketchy. Never painted or stained (hey, it is cedar, why bother?). Dumbest thing we did was pressure wash it, this raised the grain and opened it up to holding water and decay. Had we treated it with something, it probably would not need replacing for some time, though it has had a good run.

 

[Harvey]

Our cedar deck is 17 years old and definitely showing its age. Still walkable but looks a bit sketchy. Never painted or stained (hey, it is cedar, why bother?). Dumbest thing we did was pressure wash it, this raised the grain and opened it up to holding water and decay. Had we treated it with something, it probably would not need replacing for some time, though it has had a good run.

My builder recommended against cedar for precisely that reason.

I have no idea if we did the right thing. One deck pressure treated (under a roof) and on one exposed deck we got pvc.

For railings, on all porches, regardless of decking, I was thinking pressure treated balusters and pvc handrails. don't think I'll paint the balusters. Crazy?