Rotting deck, porch, or piazza

[ultrarunner]

Hey! I got my Whitney-Jensen bench top punch from the salvage yard. Cleaned it up, painted it and put it back to work. I think I paid $10-12 for it (10-cents a pound). My golf cart also came from the same place. It needed a little body work (it's old enough to actually be made of metal) and some wiring but still plenty of miles left on it and it works great. I had planed to convert it to gas using a cast iron 10hp Tecumseh from the same place but never got to that. Not counting the new batteries, I think I had $50 in it. People will throw stuff away if it has a scratch or squeaks. The place is gold mine for those capable of a little mechanical/manual labor.

You can tell when Winter is over. The place fills up with lawn tractors. Most don't need anything more than a belt and an oil change. I got two $500 wheel motors with hubs and brakes for something like $10. Not to mention a 5-segment hydraulic pump and a box of various control valves for basically pocket change. I'm constantly amazed at what people throw out, disgusted really, simply because they can't change a light bulb. The throw-away society is alive and well.

I see this all the time but the dumps do not allow scavenging...

Friends will decided to clean out the garage and everything goes... and they pay someone to haul...

America is truly the land of plenty based on what we toss out.

 

[ultrarunner]

Because someone figured out that the poisons that kill termites, ants, and mold spores in wood also kill people (carcinogen, so they say) so you can't buy it anymore. Leastaways, not around here. About the same time as they reformulated the arsenic and copper chromate out of the pressure treated wood (I have 30 year old PT on the property that has lasted longer than stuff bought 5 or 10 years ago). I think if you are selling telephone poles to utilities you can still get it. Probably have to account for every gram.

Actually, not being able to find it to protect wood is not my biggest complaint about them having banned it.

My biggest complaint is that it was one of the key ingredients in my favorite bug repellent "old time woodsman" which they no longer make for the above reason. There's nothing like being 3/4 of the way up Mt. Washington, soaked through with perspiration being followed the rest of the way by determined deer fly not able to get closer than 6". Had the side benefit of keeping social people away from us introverts, the stuff was...pungent.

In Austria the wood deck and railings are still excellent after 30 years...

At the time I built I asked what would be the best preservative and Xyladecor was the best... about $80 for 4 liters...

Tried to find it here and no luck... also, the original has been reformulated so who knows how effective.

Just found this link... maybe the same formula or not?

Pacific Paint (Boysen) Phils. New Design, Inc., - Oil Wood Stains - BOYSEN^(R) Xyladecor™

My 12 year old deck joists are deteriorating in Washington State... so I feel you pain.

 

[CCWKen]

I see this all the time but the dumps do not allow scavenging...

Friends will decided to clean out the garage and everything goes... and they pay someone to haul...

America is truly the land of plenty based on what we toss out.

The place I go to is a salvage or metal reclamation yard--Not a "dump". I missed getting a New Holland round bailer by less than an hour. I saw it but the office said it was sold and a guy was coming back with the money. Lots of farm iron shows up as well as factory equipment and New Old Stock.

Oh yeah, sorry for the drift. But I didn't start it.

What ever happened to treated lumber? Can't we get that any more? I always used treated lumber for decks and porches. I picked up some "treated" 2x4s but when I got it home I noticed the stapled label on the end said; "Not for ground contact". What's up with that? They don't want us poisoning the bugs any more?

 

[ultrarunner]

Some can still get it depending on who and the application.

It isn't sold at the box stores anymore around here... now they carry the "Brown" treated which doesn't have the longevity.

I built fences 30 years ago that are still very sound with the 40 year "Green" tinted 4x4 posts... no complaints.

 

[Oldpath05]

Because someone figured out that the poisons that kill termites, ants, and mold spores in wood also kill people (carcinogen, so they say) so you can't buy it anymore. Leastaways, not around here. About the same time as they reformulated the arsenic and copper chromate out of the pressure treated wood (I have 30 year old PT on the property that has lasted longer than stuff bought 5 or 10 years ago). I think if you are selling telephone poles to utilities you can still get it. Probably have to account for every gram.

Actually, not being able to find it to protect wood is not my biggest complaint about them having banned it.

My biggest complaint is that it was one of the key ingredients in my favorite bug repellent "old time woodsman" which they no longer make for the above reason. There's nothing like being 3/4 of the way up Mt. Washington, soaked through with perspiration being followed the rest of the way by determined deer fly not able to get closer than 6". Had the side benefit of keeping social people away from us introverts, the stuff was...pungent.

I remember using that woodsman fly repellent years ago, lots of it, thought it was still available. So creosote is whats on telephone poles, wandering what made them last so long. Carcinogen<< is this a high tech word for saying, if someone drinks creosote like kool-aid, it could cause going to the for-ever ever land. Sounds like, wood can be treated to last a long time, but the side effect is a short life, what kind of deal is that, can't I have my cake and eat it too..

 

[Oldpath05]

I would think a pair of PT 2x10's or 2x12's would last longer than anything you can mill off your property if you dont have white oak. Regardless of what you come up with to slather all over the wood.

Your right, but I'm not genetically engineered that way, I'm determined to use the logs I have, might call it stubbornness, in the mean time I'll keep looking for some good-ish slathering mumbo jumbo gumbo...

 

[Oldpath05]

In Austria the wood deck and railings are still excellent after 30 years...

At the time I built I asked what would be the best preservative and Xyladecor was the best... about $80 for 4 liters...

Tried to find it here and no luck... also, the original has been reformulated so who knows how effective.

Just found this link... maybe the same formula or not?

Pacific Paint (Boysen) Phils. New Design, Inc., - Oil Wood Stains - BOYSEN^(R) Xyladecor™

My 12 year old deck joists are deteriorating in Washington State... so I feel you pain.

30 years, that's outstanding, maybe they have better wood, and never heard of that stain, I'll see if it;s available in this galaxy, don't want to cross the neutral zone.

My 12 year old deck joists are deteriorating in Washington State... so I feel you pain.<<<Yup half dozen of my deck joist are on there way out. You know the old saying, " misery loves company".

 

[sld]

I wrapped all the joists and stringers on my deck with tar paper covering the top and 2 sides. This was 14 years ago and they are still like new.

I would think covering the wood with something, like tar paper, is better than any preservative. Even using thin metal would be good like they cover window trim with now. I guess whatever it takes to keep it dry is the key.

 

[Oldpath05]

I wrapped all the joists and stringers on my deck with tar paper covering the top and 2 sides. This was 14 years ago and they are still like new.

I would think covering the wood with something, like tar paper, is better than any preservative. Even using thin metal would be good like they cover window trim with now. I guess whatever it takes to keep it dry is the key.

Think your right, tomorrow when I replace one of my outside joist on one end of deck, it will be a 4x8x12' and tar paper will be applied on top and down the sides.
After I get that joist in, next will be the outer one piece 6x8x10', carrying beam TP applied, then re-level, then get two new 8x8x6'-6" post, one was getting bad so I'll replace both, TP will be applied, all done trusting paint, wood stain, and these two year pain in the blank wood preservatives.

 

[CurlyDave]

One of the few things left we can treat wood with is borax. There is a commercial product called Tim-Bor used to treat wood, or you can mix up a solution of good old 20 mule team Boraxo and soak the wood in it.

Do a Google search for "borax wood treatment" or similar and you will find lots of information.

Now, the boron compounds are water soluble, so I would be inclined to treat the wood, let it dry and then cover it with tar paper or metal flashing to protect it from having the borax dissolved out in the rain.

This is cheap and reasonably effective.