txdon
Super Star Member
....be placed directly on a bed of level compacted decomposed granite on sand with a half cinder block boarder to make a board walk?
Question: can composite wood...
- Thread starter txdon
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Scrounger
Platinum Member
Not unless it has been treated. I have seen composite panels rated for outdoor use, but I would think in a walk they would start to come apart pretty quick. The paragraph below is from the local lumber mill site.
Engineered wood products are often stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping than equivalent solid woods, although most particle and fiber-based boards readily soak up water unless they are treated with sealant or at least paint.
Engineered wood products are often stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping than equivalent solid woods, although most particle and fiber-based boards readily soak up water unless they are treated with sealant or at least paint.
OP
txdon
Super Star Member
I should have given more details. The composite wood would be a wood/plastic decking like WeatherBest or Trex.
I have a trex deck.
IIRC, they said NOT to have it in contact with the ground.
My deck is on the north side, shaded a lot of the time. At 3 yrs old, it's starting to show Mold/Mildew. If you google Trex mold, you'll find they had a class action suit over it a coupla yrs back.
I was able to find a product from CA (a strong oxidizer) to clean up my deck.
I wouldn't recommend putting any decking on the ground, or close enough to it that you couldn't keep it dry and / or treat it.
ron
IIRC, they said NOT to have it in contact with the ground.
My deck is on the north side, shaded a lot of the time. At 3 yrs old, it's starting to show Mold/Mildew. If you google Trex mold, you'll find they had a class action suit over it a coupla yrs back.
I was able to find a product from CA (a strong oxidizer) to clean up my deck.
I wouldn't recommend putting any decking on the ground, or close enough to it that you couldn't keep it dry and / or treat it.
ron
Erik_in_Hoyt
Platinum Member
instead of your composite, why not look into some of the Brazilian or Austrailian woods like Ipe or Cumaru? Real wood. Frightening amounts of strong, bugs and mildew don't touch it, and no more expensive than the synthetic composites. Both of these are dense enough they don't float.
If you're going to use them, use self drilling trim head deck screws - or predrill the holes. air nailers don't work well.
I've used some of this for deck building up here in Kansas and it's pretty, too!
When Hurricane Andrew demolished the Atlantic city boardwalk back when, they replaced all the destroyed green treated 2X decking with Ipe 5/4 X 6 and kept the 24" joist spacing, and ended up with a stiffer surface than what they had before. On the other hand, I haven't been to Atlantic city to see how it's holding up over the almost 20 years it's been there.
The other advantage to this stuff is you don't have to reseal it every year.
If you're going to use them, use self drilling trim head deck screws - or predrill the holes. air nailers don't work well.
I've used some of this for deck building up here in Kansas and it's pretty, too!
When Hurricane Andrew demolished the Atlantic city boardwalk back when, they replaced all the destroyed green treated 2X decking with Ipe 5/4 X 6 and kept the 24" joist spacing, and ended up with a stiffer surface than what they had before. On the other hand, I haven't been to Atlantic city to see how it's holding up over the almost 20 years it's been there.
The other advantage to this stuff is you don't have to reseal it every year.
OP
txdon
Super Star Member
Thanks for the replies. I e-mailed the manufacture of LG WeatherBest and the installation should be no less than a foot from any surface.
