All About Decking Materials Pt.4

Pressure Treated Decking

Because of it's strength, resistance to decay and  cost , pressure treated lumber is  widely used material in deck construction. 

Thompsonized,  Keystone, Permawood, Culpeper, Prowood and other woods make up the market for pressure treated lumber. Usually in a yellow pine.

 If your decking is  cedar  or some other deck material, most if not all of the framing and other load bearing structures will usually  be framed  with pressure treated lumber.

Wood Preservative Decking

Treated with  (usually southern yellow pine) is then treated with C.C.A. (chromate copper arsenate) to help prevent insect and rot decay. 

This chemical preservative is pressurized deep into the wood fibers. The pressure that's applied into a piece of lumber the amount  will be indicated by tags on each board.  The most common pressure treatment would be 40 pounds per square inch (p.s.i.) which is usually  found in deck construction.

Health Concerns

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency calls it an environmentally safe product.  Although the thought of "pesticides on my deck" causes concern among some homeowners, especially if children will be playing on the deck and concern over food .

Some Manufacturers recommend not to use  pressure treated lumber where food comes into contact with it .

When installing pressure treated wood, wear protective clothing, dust mask, and protect the eyes.  Wash clothes that come into contact with it  separate from other clothes.  Immediately remove any splinters from it since it can cause an infection.  Lastly, do not burn this wood, since it contains chemicals.

Lumber Grades 

Comes in two grades, premium and grade 2, which contains knots and other abnormalities.

All wood decks should be periodically cleaned and sealed to protect the wood from degrading.

Installation Reminders

Install boards using a 16 penny nail for the gapping so high heal shoes will no get caught in the gap or small objects.  Same gap for butting the boards.

When installing the  boards it's best to  pre-drill, then screw down.  Drilling the boards will help avoid splitting lumber and using screws rather than nails will alleviate the problems such as nail heads popping up above the wood.

Summary

Cost of this wood is less than most other decking and readily available.  Can last many years when treated regularly with a sealer/water repellent.

Plastic Decking- My Favorite- see eon decking page 1

Factors to consider in selecting the appropriate material
The main  factors to consider in selecting the appropriate material for your Deck are:

·         Initial cost

·         Maintenance effort & cost

·         Length of service life

·         Cosmetics-appearance of the floor (real wood, artificial wood, other texture, etc.)

·         Color

·         Special features such as being waterproof to protect area below .

To select the material appropriate for you, just start with the feature that you simply cannot live with or without. In other words start to eliminate what you want and what you are comfortable in not having. This will initially creat  a conflict or an impasse pretty quickly because you cannot have it all (all at once.)  Bottom Line : You will have to decide where to compromise and what's important for you and your family.

Continued Part 5 Series Timber tech Decking