Untreated lumber for uncovered deck?

[etpm]

Where I live, we learned long ago to never imbed post in concrete.

The post shrinks away from the concrete and then the concrete holds ground water and the post rot sooner.

SR

My posts are pieces of old power poles. I sure hope they did all their shrinking before I put them in the ground. Each post is buried over two feet deep in fairly tight fitting holes. I used one 60 pound bag of post mix in each hole to fill the space between the pole and the undisturbed rocky earth. Hopefully everything will turn out all right because there is no way those posts are coming out of the ground before I did.
Eric

 

[ponytug]

I agree with @Sawyer Rob that when you use concrete around a post, not to encase the post in concrete. I was taught that it is important that bottom six inches of the post are in gravel, with four or so inches below the post for drainage. otherwise, it is a recipe for rotting out. Around here, I use post driven posts for the most part.

@beowulf rather than aluminum, I would look into a rubberized tape that will seal better around your fasteners. I used a product made by Graco, but Trex, and others, "Deck Tape" make similar products. I put tape along the tops of all the supporting beams, and it doesn't hurt to do the sides at the joist hangers, where you have nail penetrations. I also used some on the bottom ends, where there was contact between the pressure treated posts and galvanized footer fixtures to minimize rust and corrosion. Pressure treated posts corrode like nobody's business.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My posts are pieces of old power poles. I sure hope they did all their shrinking before I put them in the ground.
Eric

Wood never stops moving, shrinking and swelling is always going on.

SR

 

[jyoutz]

I think we have mostly short leaf pine, or some hybrid variation of it that volunteers from heavy planting in the region. People tend to call it yellow pine but not sure if that is accurate. I have tall, straight 40+ year old trees I can choose from. We also have loblolly. My loblolly trees are all old, very tall and waaay too big for me to handle on a portable mill. Wouldn't want to cut them down anyway.

We have lots of white oaks. In general I would prefer not to cut them down. However, we usually get a blow down or two every year.

Yellow pine is a group of pine species with 3 needles per bundle. The white pines have 5 needles per bundle. Yes, short leaf pine is a yellow pine.

 

[jyoutz]

Do not underestimate the durability of "natural" or "older" growth wood when compared to the "forced" growth of plantation-grown trees. A friend trimmed his house with eastern white pine milled from "natural" trees on his property. Others told him it would last 3-5 years, max. Forty years later it is still fine. He did prime 6 sides and painted the exposed sides.

You are referring to heartwood vs sapwood. Older trees have a higher percentage of heartwood than sapwood. Sapwood is softer and rots faster.

 

[s219]

Woodland Mills has been meeting or beating shipping estimates so I think you are in good shape. It's almost a year since I bought an HM-122 and it's been awesome.

I have an endless supply of yellow pine and have already sawed a lot of lumber from it, including 2x framing lumber, timbers, and board & batten siding. All have been working well. Very strong wood.

The siding boards were especially nice and look great (I sawed them at 1" thick). I feel like I could use the same boards for decking on our front porch, and have been debating that. The current floor is tongue and groove douglas fir with a poly finish, but it's been a pain to keep up the finish and I spotted some rotting in spots.

I would not do tongue and groove again. It worked fine on the back porch where it's more sheltered, but the front porch gets more sun/rain exposure and I don't think it's practical to have the boards tight with tongue and groove.

If I use the pine, I'd plan on putting linseed oil or similar on it, something that will really soak in. Then keep it up every couple years.

I have heard and seen very good results from Ipe wood (Brazilian walnut) but am afraid to ask what it costs or how to get it. I've seen it used down in the Outer Banks where weather takes a toll on decking, and it holds up better than anything else I have seen. I hear it's very hard wood. Most installs seem to use a concealed fastener system.

 

[oosik]

I have two small decks - 12' x 16'. Both are uncovered and are decked with untreated pine. Built along with the house in 1982. Both are still in fine shape.

I think it has to do with the fact that we are so very dry here.

 

[PILOON]

"This time I will get a 6" wide roll of aluminum (used in roofing) and before putting down the deck boards I will put that down on top of the support boards - and likely bend it down a bit on each side."

SMART MOVE

I have done similar on every deck I built ever since I repaired a 40+ year old deck that the builder had placed 4" strips of galvanized tin under the decking.
There was not any signs of rot at all while the actual decking was totally scary rotted.

Actually I'd think such strips would be a highly marketable item, (or perhaps a PVC type (UV resistant) in coil form).

 

[Panik]

I have an endless supply of yellow pine and have already sawed a lot of lumber from it, including 2x framing lumber, timbers, and board & batten siding. All have been working well. Very strong wood.

The siding boards were especially nice and look great (I sawed them at 1" thick). I feel like I could use the same boards for decking on our front porch, and have been debating that. The current floor is tongue and groove douglas fir with a poly finish, but it's been a pain to keep up the finish and I spotted some rotting in spots.


If I use the pine, I'd plan on putting linseed oil or similar on it, something that will really soak in. Then keep it up every couple years.

I have heard and seen very good results from Ipe wood (Brazilian walnut) but am afraid to ask what it costs or how to get it. I've seen it used down in the Outer Banks where weather takes a toll on decking, and it holds up better than anything else I have seen. I hear it's very hard wood. Most installs seem to use a concealed fastener system.

In regard to using untreated yellow pine for decking.... I would strongly suggest getting a very good understanding of how much rain and sun exposure your front deck gets prior to installing 1" deck boards and would like to suggest using 1.5" instead of 1".

Ipe is amazing stuff and as best as I understand things, pretty darned expensive in construction dimensions. Long shot... and possibly a rabbit hole but you may get some better pricing looking at ipe decking for trailers, or, if you can find ipe reclaimed from trailer decking.

 

[N80]

"This time I will get a 6" wide roll of aluminum (used in roofing) and before putting down the deck boards I will put that down on top of the support boards - and likely bend it down a bit on each side."

SMART MOVE

I have done similar on every deck I built ever since I repaired a 40+ year old deck that the builder had placed 4" strips of galvanized tin under the decking.
There was not any signs of rot at all while the actual decking was totally scary rotted.

Actually I'd think such strips would be a highly marketable item, (or perhaps a PVC type (UV resistant) in coil form).

All the piers and sills on my cabin have this. Primarily as a termite barrier. 20 years. No termite treatment. No termites.