Experienced Deck Builders?

[tjkubota93]

What brand of composite is good? Heard of so many fading, breaking down, etc. Kinda scared me away.

 

[s219]

What brand of composite is good? Heard of so many fading, breaking down, etc. Kinda scared me away.

I have yet to see a product that still looks good 5 years later if it's out in the open exposed to sun and weather. Some of them look like crap. Problem is, when something new comes along you won't have any real world experience with it for 5-10 years!

 

[Diggin It]

My problem with most of the composites is that they sit on top of deck boards (deck toppers) or emulate deck boards in size and profile. Those types are often available in stock at big box stores. Problem there is that water drains between them just like deck boards, which can cause problems underneath. They make a tongue in groove version that stops that from happening. Whatever is below stays dry due to surface channeling that directs water to the edge of the deck. You can seal/caulk along the groove if you need to.

I did a 6x12 porch with that 15 years ago (have no idea the brand or manufacturer) or more and it's held up pretty well. I have fiberglass panels over it as a roof, but the sides are open. It has faded quite a bit and I'll probably paint or stain it someday. It has a few surface nicks and flaws from foot traffic (stones in shoes, etc.) or where I dropped things on it. But there is no cracking, curling, shrinking or anything else typical of wood decks. It's still made by a few different companies, but can be hard to find and usually has to be special ordered. What I got was a little more than double the price of deck boards.

It's also quite a bit lighter since the bottoms are recessed meaning less material than boards.

 

[check]

Put 5/4 inch cedar deck boards down on my deck 15 years ago. They have held up well, a little a couple of them rotted out in certain spots, probably where there was a flaw in the wood.

When I do replace the boards, I will use the new lovely brown colored pressure-treated, and use 2 x 6 instead of 2 by 5/4. That new brown look is real nice, and will last maybe four or five years before it fades to gray, which is also OK.

It is too bad that Cedar feeds to Grady as well. There is nothing more gorgeous than brand new cedar when it rains. The grain just looks so lovely!

 

[crazyal]

I'm telling you for the price of composite you should be looking into hardwood decking. The stuff lasts forever. Unlike PT it rarely has splinters and the only time it's slippery is when it has frozen ice on it. In the hot summer it doesn't get any where near as hot as composites. The stuff is so dense and rot resistant that several versions are fire proof. Ipe is usually extremely easy to find if you start calling around but there's other species that are a little cheaper. It has a lot of silica in it so it will dull blades and you want to wear dust protection (which you should anyway when cutting wood) so it's not as easy to work with as PT or composites. It's also a lot stiffer than cedar so it doesn't dent.

 

[KennyG]

I have Azek, which is a solid composite. After about 7 years, most of it looks just like it did when installed. I've got a couple of stained spots under the oak trees I will have to hit hard with cleaner in the spring. Yes, it is slippery when it has snow on it, but I've gotten used to it.

 

[PILOON]

Also the composites get so hot in the sun that barefoot os a nono, especially darker shades

 

[bcp]

Some other thread mentioned aluminum decking.

Bruce

 

[dalola]

No worries, for this project I'm sticking with wood. It holds up well here in Ohio.

 

[ultrarunner]

Some other thread mentioned aluminum decking.

Bruce

I looked at Aluminum Decking but the freight was a killer... clear across the country.

In the end I went with a local builder... as with most things... time will tell.

 

[radioman]

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.

As for composite stuff i installed both pt and composite 5/4's and i always try to tell my customers pt is better if you plan to use it from house during the winter since its not as slippery and around pools to be cooler for bare feet. otherwise composite is fine in shady areas and everything else. composite is much heavier to carry - for a 5/4 8 ft length it may not be too bad. I have carried many 16 footers 2x6's by hand on foot on slope for several hundred feet each way. its alotta work.

The best advice i can give you if you wanted a floating,freestanding deck is use the blocks on 4 corners only, use 2x10's doubled up on the headers and frame spans off from that and you wont need any middle supports for the size you wanted (8x12 or even 10x12)) and have virtually zero bounce. since you said the ground slops down 12-16 , one thing to think about is are you going to cut into the bank so the framing on uphill side will have top of ground flush so the downhill wont be about 2 feet off ground with blocks and 2x10's? even with 2x6's directly on blocks its going to be pretty high on the downhill side without cutting in bank. just some of the few things to think about. you might want to build couple steps the whole width of deck so no one will fall and get hurt and can step off anywhere on downhill side. despite of naysayers - a 8x12 deck is good for couple Adirondacks chairs and end table for viewing off comfortably or a small 3' round table with couple chairs will be just fine. building a small square deck isnt rocket science esp its less then 2 feet off ground. I'd build everything with screws if u could.

 

[Egon]

Any drop off of the deck should have a railing.

 

[PILOON]

My problem with most of the composites is that they sit on top of deck boards (deck toppers) or emulate deck boards in size and profile. Those types are often available in stock at big box stores. Problem there is that water drains between them just like deck boards, which can cause problems underneath. They make a tongue in groove version that stops that from happening. Whatever is below stays dry due to surface channeling that directs water to the edge of the deck. You can seal/caulk along the groove if you need to. .

My solution to that is strips of roofing membrane under the decking, like about 2 1/2" wide.
They act like little umbrellas and shed water away from the joists.

 

[KennyG]

Any drop off of the deck should have a railing.

U.S. Codes usually require railings for any surface that has a 30" dropoff. It might be prudent to provide railings for smaller drops, but I wouldn't go all the way to "step height" (7 or 8 inches).

 

[ovrszd]

On this deck railings would be a huge negative.

 

[dalola]

The best advice i can give you if you wanted a floating,freestanding deck is use the blocks on 4 corners only, use 2x10's doubled up on the headers and frame spans off from that and you wont need any middle supports for the size you wanted (8x12 or even 10x12)) and have virtually zero bounce. since you said the ground slops down 12-16 , one thing to think about is are you going to cut into the bank so the framing on uphill side will have top of ground flush so the downhill wont be about 2 feet off ground with blocks and 2x10's? even with 2x6's directly on blocks its going to be pretty high on the downhill side without cutting in bank. just some of the few things to think about. you might want to build couple steps the whole width of deck so no one will fall and get hurt and can step off anywhere on downhill side. despite of naysayers - a 8x12 deck is good for couple Adirondacks chairs and end table for viewing off comfortably or a small 3' round table with couple chairs will be just fine. building a small square deck isnt rocket science esp its less then 2 feet off ground. I'd build everything with screws if u could.

Thanks radioman. I'm leaning towards the skid style support like s219's, but i will evaluate the 4-corner deck block method as you suggest as well, and see which will be easier to level out. I'll also get the deck built, then determine if any additional steps or railings will be needed. My initial thought is no, but we'll see. Again, this is a remote camp deck, no codes or inspectors to worry about. The high grade end will match up with the deck on the front of the cabin, which will be the main enter/exit point.

Here's a pic that shows where the deck will go, matching up to this end of the cabin. The zebra grass has already been moved.

 

[Dutch445]

the picture is great, i'd think it'd be easy to copy what was done with the cabin,
some concrete blocks for piers, and a couple 6x6s every 4 ' or so then use the 2x6 joists as the cabin uses,
as you say, very remote, and no inspectors, it should serve the purpose well.

 

[dalola]

the picture is great, i'd think it'd be easy to copy what was done with the cabin,
some concrete blocks for piers, and a couple 6x6s every 4 ' or so then use the 2x6 joists as the cabin uses,
as you say, very remote, and no inspectors, it should serve the purpose well.

That's kind of my thinking as well. But it might be easier to level out 4 deck blocks vs. 12' runners......I'll have to look at that closely.

 

[spitter]

IPE :thumbsup: Number wood deck material Sapieale Mahogany number two . Did a roof top deck and bar twenty years ago they power wash it and oil it every year and it comes out like leather. When a customer asks me how tuff is it ill take a full swing with a hammer at the IPE and say you tell me. Only downside is you go through bits and blades like water. Plastic is great if you like stains and growing mold.:drink:

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Quick search shows pricing at between $5 and $10 per board foot. Perhaps you missed that this is for a remote camp cabin and not a million dollar luxury yacht?