Experienced Deck Builders?

[tjkubota93]

This will be a good test to see how the new stuff holds up, compared to the old stuff.

The deck on my house was built in 1988 with pt. The staple on tags are left on some boards, say 1987. I just replaced the hand rails due to rot. The posts and decking are good, except a couple deck boards. Been planning on replacing them for a while, dont want to do just 2 boards. They used pt 2x4 for decking.

 

[check]

PT lasts for a long time, and is cheap. Use it.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

But old pressure treated wood is not modern pressure treated wood. The treatment changed.

Bruce

I have a PT deck that was built in 1967 that is still fine. I replaced a small number of boards about 10 years ago but that's it. There are fence posts around the farm that are 30-40 years old that are fine. But I'm lucky to get 15 years with the newer treatment.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Certainly for my camp deck project, I'll just go straight up wood, as it's likely a temporary (~10 yrs?) feature anyway.

If that's the case I'd think about non-treated wood. At the end of the deck's life you're going to have to dispose of it. Untreated wood can go right on the burn pile. Treated wood can't be burned, to get rid of it I'd need to hire a dumpster.

I sent my oldest son off to college last fall and one of the things we did together was take down his tree fort. We had built it together about ten years ago, and at that time I knew he wasn't going to be young forever so I bought untreated lumber. It made a glorious fire.

 

[newbury]

having built a few decks on the job - can say that the pt stuff does shrink. I always try to tell my customers dont buy them in advance and wait to install them just to get ahead in money. you always end up with quite a few pieces that twists or cracks and warped. I try to buy them wet and install them wet. the box stores keep putting the dry stuff on top in hopes the builders take em and then use it. <snip>

This is VERY important. You can stack stuff on top of them so they don't warp but after they dry out they will be almost hammer proof.
Being an extremely cheap person my first deck I built (about 1984) with good quality 2x6 PT from a lumber store when they went on sale. I laid part of the deck in early summer, then business took me on travel for most of the summer. I was using ring shank nails. That first section laid down went smoothly, I was using a 22 ounce framing hammer. The rest of the wood sat for months in the Virgina summer, I stacked it to prevent twisting and warping. When I went to finish the project off I went to a 28 ounce, then a small sledge hammer then finally finished off drilling holes and pounding them in with the sledge.
My wrists still ache from the 35 year old memories.
That PT lumber was like balsa when wet and ipe when dry. I should have kept the stacks wet for the summer.

 

[SirMaxwell]

I've used those concrete blocks and I don't like them. You need a lot of them, the recommended spacing is small, and getting them all level to start with is a pain. They will sink into the ground, at different rates, and your deck will wobble. For just a simple deck I'd build it on skids, just two 6x6's lying on the ground along the long dimension. It's a lot easier to get level and square. I'd frame the deck with 2x6's on 16" centers. I probably wouldn't attach the framing to the skids so if I ever needed to move it or adjust it I could pick it up, I don't think it would move.

If the deck is more than about 7" off the ground you're going to want steps or railings and then things get complicated. You could set the skids into the ground to keep it low. Another alternative is a single step running the length of one side.

I'm with quicksandfarmer, Its real easy to get all carried away and crazy with the "rules", when all you want is a ground level bit of decking, up off the wet/muddy ground, to hang out on in the woods. Make it strong, but simple. I will add, dig a slight trench the length of the 6x6, as deep as you can or say 12". Fill with sand and drain gravel. Level your 6x's to the height you need for finished height. Keep Deck less tha 6'ish inches off ground, so no railing or fencing or steps. Use angle brackets and bolts to bolt the deck to to the 6x skids. Now you can move it if needed. Lift it if needed, pull it up every now and then and blast some sealer under there. Easy peasey..

good luck..

 

[ultrarunner]

My 1982 PT fence posts with redwood fencing has not missed a beat... in 3 years the warranty on the posts will be up... looks like it will make it no problem.

 

[spitter]

Pre 1990 wood was a lot better still not old growth but wasn't the crap they sell now a days. Also the wolmanized lumber with arsnic in it lasted longer to . I remember picking up 16' 2x12 wolmanized that was so soaked with treatment that when you drove a nail in it the wolminised stuff spray out . Used to get some nice rashes and burn eyes. Now you get the stuff and the pt is so light if you are in the house no light you can barely tell its pt. I have found that if you use pl 2000 and blind fastening system like ebties or tiger claws etc. the deck boards last longer . no surface penetrations to let water in pours of decking. Good luck your hunting cabin looks great compared to some of the shacks I have stayed in.:drink:

 

[dalola]

I'm with quicksandfarmer, Its real easy to get all carried away and crazy with the "rules", when all you want is a ground level bit of decking, up off the wet/muddy ground, to hang out on in the woods. Make it strong, but simple. I will add, dig a slight trench the length of the 6x6, as deep as you can or say 12". Fill with sand and drain gravel. Level your 6x's to the height you need for finished height. Keep Deck less tha 6'ish inches off ground, so no railing or fencing or steps. Use angle brackets and bolts to bolt the deck to to the 6x skids. Now you can move it if needed. Lift it if needed, pull it up every now and then and blast some sealer under there. Easy peasey..good luck..

This is kinda the current plan, except I'll use 4x4 runners, and there will be minimal trenching due to tree roots, rocks, etc.. I plan to level mostly by going up, not down. Plus, I need to match the west end of the cabin.

Good luck your hunting cabin looks great compared to some of the shacks I have stayed in.:drink:

Thanks! We just used tents initially, and I decided a couple years ago to put up a small (12x14) cabin. We keep two futons in there to sleep on, and I have it wired up for generator service to run a few lights & a coffee maker. The Mrs. does expect some level of luxury! :laughing:

 

[EddieWalker]

Sounds like you have a good plan.

When you buy screws, be sure to NOT get the new style that doesn't have any threads on them. Look close to the picture in the link and you will see all sorts of extra garbage added to the screw that they claim will help them screw get through the wood, but what it actually does is remove materiel so the screw threads don't have anything to hold on to. Easily half of every one of these things will strip out on you.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Deck-Ma...ad-Wood-Deck-Screws-1-lb-Pack-DM3G1/300884054

No matter how far you have to drive, be sure to get screws with the traditional, normal looking threads. Star drive are the easiest to install, but whatever you do, just make sure not to get those new style screws. They are the worse design ever thought up!!!!