What wood did you use for your porch?

[/pine]

Another question...are we talking about "porch decking" or something else???

For decking (floors etc.) cedar or redwood is way too soft to make a durable floor...in a very short time it will be full of indentations etc...

 

[reb]

I used redwood on my small uncovered porch. After 18 years parts of it are rotting. Didn't care for the redwood stain look, but paint won't stick. Should have used something else.

 

[polo1665]

Ours is Ipe. Nice rich dark brown when new, but turns silver over time with exposure to sun and elements. Must be pressure washed and treated about every three years (if you want to keep the rich brown color)

 

[mark02tj]

I'm getting ready to re-do my back deck - but it will be with PT.

BUT... I found something kind of interesting while researching and talking to folks at the local lumber yards. There is now something called "Thermally Modified Wood" that you can use for decking. I found a place in Indiana that manufactures it and also sells direct. IIRC, it ran about $3 / linear foot.

Basically the processes "bakes" the wood at around 400 degrees, but sucks the O2 out of the baking chamber so the wood won't ignite. This gets the moisture content way way down and also bakes out all of the "sugars" and other goodies that insects like to feast on. You still need to put some stain on it to protect it, but it gives you the longevity and rot resistance of PT without all of the chemicals.

 

[Hiptfarms]

I used 1" thick eastern red cedar boards varying from 3 to 5 inches wide. Its a 10'x50' covered front porch on an old farmhouse. I even used cedar for the joists. I used a product called Australian Timber Oil. It looks beautiful as the wood has retained its deep red color. It has held up for over 15 years so far. I simply pressure wash the porch every few years and recoat the porch with the oil using a wool roller. Also, there are no indentations as someone was concerned about and the wood looks like it did the day I put it down.

 

[HCJtractor]

I would strongly consider Ipe. It is indestructible. Like another said, without any finish, it will turn grey, but with an oil finish, it’s a pretty walnut color brown. It has several drawbacks. It is extremely heavy, the heaviest wood I’ve ever used. It cannot be nailed or screwed without predrilling. If I went to the expense of using this premium wood, I’d use a hidden fastener system, so no screw heads (in thus case pre-drilled countersink holes) would show. It’s also not a pleasant wood to work with, as it’s so oily, it smells when drilled or cut. But it’s a great exterior, or slightly exposed wood, to use. I’ve built lots of outdoor furniture with it.

Not sure how close you are to Asheville, NC, but there’s a company there (Scroungers Paradise), that has a great supply of various sizes and profiles. And their prices are reasonable. Where I live, it’s hard to find or if it’s available, it’s usually 1x6 decking, at $1.80 a linear foot last time I checked.

Redwood is impossible to find around here. Eastern (aromatic) cedar may work but the resin worries me for flooring and it’s soft and consistent good boards are hard to find.

Another choice may be white oak. It weathers well from what I’ve read, but I’ve never used it in that manner.

Here’s a photo of Ipe furniture with no finish.

 

[rgr33]

I used PT on the undercarriage, and cedar on the decking and railing.

That was in 1988, seal it about every 4 or 5 years, and it is still in excellent condition. I don’t really know why, I expected it to last about 15 to 20 years when I built it.

I did make the mistake of painting the deck about 15 years ago, big mistake, spent many hours grinding it back off.

 

[widefat]

Thanks for the input!

 

[Hiptfarms]

I see that a few folks are concerned with eastern cedar being too soft. The porch I used it on has held up very well. Of course we dont have pointy high heels walking across it though. I have also used cedar for my kitchen floor as well as a utility room floor. Both have held up very well and we have only used oils (Watco natural) on both. We were able to get boards between 6" and 12" wide and 1" thick. We have a local farm based Sawyer cut them for us. Best of all, they are very affordable at about 60 cents per board foot.

 

[HCJtractor]

I see that a few folks are concerned with eastern cedar being too soft. The porch I used it on has held up very well. Of course we dont have pointy high heels walking across it though. I have also used cedar for my kitchen floor as well as a utility room floor. Both have held up very well and we have only used oils (Watco natural) on both. We were able to get boards between 6" and 12" wide and 1" thick. We have a local farm based Sawyer cut them for us. Best of all, they are very affordable at about 60 cents per board foot.

I know cedar has a very pronounced difference between heartwood and sap wood. How does the color hold up over time when you keep finishing with the Watco oil finish? Does it turn brown or keep the red look? Do you apply oil periodically and sand it first or just wipe it down?

We cut some cedar on our farm and milled it. My buddy used it for interior doors and countertops. Although not my style, I’ll admit it looks nice. He finished his with a poly.