When was the last time you saw a 10-year old wooden deck that didn’t look like it was made of barn board? Have you ever? The reason traditional decks rarely age gracefully is that they’re not built to be as owner-friendly as the rest of modern life. It simply doesn’t pay contractors to include enduring features when homeowners don’t understand their value and willingly pay for them. And since a durably built deck looks no different than a pain-in-the-neck-deck when new, few homeowners realize they have to ask and pay for low-maintenance features if they want them. But there’s enough at stake here to make the homework and higher up-front costs worthwhile.
A deck is the largest expanse of wood in most people’s lives and, left to the mercy of the elements, wood rots. Although there are synthetic alternatives to wooden deck surfaces, there’s nothing that’s strong enough and rigid enough to replace floor joists and support beams that started out as trees. Short-circuiting the composting of your deck framework is what structural durability is all about, and it takes more than just pressure-treated lumber to do that.
The main thing to remember is that wood-to-wood contact areas must be kept to a minimum. This means that instead of the common practice of spiking two or three 2x10s together to make a single beam, layers of lumber should be separated by 2-inch wide vertical strips of 1/2”-thick pressure-treated plywood. This ventilates large wood contact zones that would otherwise hold moisture for days after a rain, allowing them to dry out quickly and live longer. In the same way, the ends of floor planks should be located over double joists spaced 3/4-inch apart, allowing a clear 1/8-inch ventilation space between the ends of each floorboard. This promotes drainage of the vulnerable end-grain areas that suck up moisture and rot the quickest.
All of this is just the start, and the best way I know to educate yourself on the whole range of excellent deck design features is with the greatest deck book I’ve read on the subject. Building and Designing Decks by Scott Schuttner is full of rot-not design strategies that boost deck life.
Basic, all-wood decks cost less than non-wood deck-top alternatives and that’s one reason people still choose wood. The other is appearance. Real wood looks great when finished correctly. But most folks get caught using approaches to finishing that are destined to fail. You’ve also got to accept the need to spend time each year or two renewing wooden deck surfaces so they stay attractive.
The main thing to remember with new decks is that fresh lumber isn’t suitable for any kind of finish without preparation. It must first have it’s surface absorbency boosted by pressure-washing or, better-yet, sanding with an 80-grit abrasive in a random orbit sander.
Okay, say you want your deck to be as maintenance-free as an aluminum screen door, and you don’t care about the mystique of wood or its relatively low cost. You’ve got two options for your deck surfaces: wood-and-plastic composite lumber or continuous vinyl deck membranes. Wood-and-plastic composites look the least synthetic and endure surprisingly well.
Decks, both new and old, can also be covered with continuous vinyl membranes that are heat-sealed at the seams by professional installers. This material looks something like commercial-grade vinyl flooring, except that it’s rated for outdoor use. Many of these installations also use maintenance-free aluminum or PVC deck rails. Besides freedom from every form of maintenance but cleaning, vinyl deck membranes seal out water completely, forming a kind of roof over your deck framework. If the deck is high enough, it acts as dry shelter for your outdoor stuff underneath.
A deck is the largest expanse of wood in most people’s lives and, left to the mercy of the elements, wood rots. Although there are synthetic alternatives to wooden deck surfaces, there’s nothing that’s strong enough and rigid enough to replace floor joists and support beams that started out as trees. Short-circuiting the composting of your deck framework is what structural durability is all about, and it takes more than just pressure-treated lumber to do that.
The main thing to remember is that wood-to-wood contact areas must be kept to a minimum. This means that instead of the common practice of spiking two or three 2x10s together to make a single beam, layers of lumber should be separated by 2-inch wide vertical strips of 1/2”-thick pressure-treated plywood. This ventilates large wood contact zones that would otherwise hold moisture for days after a rain, allowing them to dry out quickly and live longer. In the same way, the ends of floor planks should be located over double joists spaced 3/4-inch apart, allowing a clear 1/8-inch ventilation space between the ends of each floorboard. This promotes drainage of the vulnerable end-grain areas that suck up moisture and rot the quickest.
All of this is just the start, and the best way I know to educate yourself on the whole range of excellent deck design features is with the greatest deck book I’ve read on the subject. Building and Designing Decks by Scott Schuttner is full of rot-not design strategies that boost deck life.
Basic, all-wood decks cost less than non-wood deck-top alternatives and that’s one reason people still choose wood. The other is appearance. Real wood looks great when finished correctly. But most folks get caught using approaches to finishing that are destined to fail. You’ve also got to accept the need to spend time each year or two renewing wooden deck surfaces so they stay attractive.
The main thing to remember with new decks is that fresh lumber isn’t suitable for any kind of finish without preparation. It must first have it’s surface absorbency boosted by pressure-washing or, better-yet, sanding with an 80-grit abrasive in a random orbit sander.
Okay, say you want your deck to be as maintenance-free as an aluminum screen door, and you don’t care about the mystique of wood or its relatively low cost. You’ve got two options for your deck surfaces: wood-and-plastic composite lumber or continuous vinyl deck membranes. Wood-and-plastic composites look the least synthetic and endure surprisingly well.
Decks, both new and old, can also be covered with continuous vinyl membranes that are heat-sealed at the seams by professional installers. This material looks something like commercial-grade vinyl flooring, except that it’s rated for outdoor use. Many of these installations also use maintenance-free aluminum or PVC deck rails. Besides freedom from every form of maintenance but cleaning, vinyl deck membranes seal out water completely, forming a kind of roof over your deck framework. If the deck is high enough, it acts as dry shelter for your outdoor stuff underneath.
