Cedar vs Treated
We don't know which way to go. Cedar is expensive compared to treated but aren't afraid to sink some extra dollars into the deck if in the long run we'll be better off. What are the pros and cons. We're rebulidng a small 12x16 deck. I personally prefer pressure-treated, although many people think that cedar looks better. It IS more expensive, too. If you get name-brand (Weyerhaeuser, etc.) p-t wood, it will have a 50-year limited warranty, and cedar won't. Your call. Good Luck! Mike ciccotelli, You may also want to check into the composites too. I don't know if they are available in your area. Just left Home Depot a few minutes ago and checked their Fiberon prices. 5/4 decking in a 12 foot length was 8 bucks more than the PT. And all they have is the deck boards themselves, so the sub-structure would probably be pt anyway. The composites only need an occasional light cleaning as compared to every 3 or 4 year maintenance on the PT. I have found that cedar is somewhat softer than pt lumber. All this from a part-time pressure washer!! fred Composites (like Trex, Rhinowood, etc.) are only for the decking and railings. They are NOT for the substructure of the deck itself. And they require that the supporting joists be closer than what is needed for lumber. The joist layout has to be designed with this in mind. For the money, pressure treated will out last the cedar by a bunch. One company sells a pressure treated called TIMBERLINE that has a redwood stain already incorporated........it looks great and so far is looking good after 8 years on our first job. If you are interested I can contact the supplier and get a brand name. When putting down a P-T deck, space the boards 1/8 inch less than what you want the final spacing to be because it will shrink as it cures out. Good luck. tedn332, I have done very extensive research on decks, stains, composite decking material, and the likes. If anyone is pre-staining pressue treated pine decking it must be very localized. I have not seen or read about it. What area of the country are you located in. I would like to find out more information about it. thanks, fred Fred: This product comes in 2/4 and 2/6 yellow pine with a redwood stain incorporated. The local wholesale out let is TIMBER PRODUCTS in Wichita, Ks. The name of the product is TIMBERTONE not TIMBERLINE like I said. If you need more info let me know..........it makes a nice looking deck. tedn332, I checked out Timbertone, manufactured by Anchor Paint. It looks like a small/midsize lumber company(Timber Products) is pre-staining the pt lumber prior to sale. That's the first I've heard of that process. thanx, fred Give me redwood or give me Trex!! Of course, the cost of getting redwood to B.C. pretty much rules out THAT option. Guess I'm just lucky to live in a place where these are about the only 2 choices that are used in decks. I just got off the phone with our local area Home Depot and apparently they stopped carrying the composite brand manufactured by Weyerhaeuser sighting poor sales. ciccotelli, Check with the larger lumber yards in your area. fred Weyerhaeser pressure-treats Southern pine lumber and plywood right here in the town I'm near at their big mill complex, and we have to import redwood from the West Coast (hey out there, lefty). Way expensive. Guess that it's just a matter of best buy, and local preference. Someone must be staining some KDAT p-t lumber. (Weyerhaeuser kiln-drys some of their's here, after treatment, too.) Sounds like they may have hit on a good idea. Mike I'm not sure how it's going to go in the US but here in Canada 'their' actually saying that PT wood products are a 'hazardous material'. This is just starting to happen so I'm not too sure about how this will change either the process in PT manufacturing or buying the product. Its the arsenic that makes it hazzardous. Thats a hell of alot of playgrounds out there that are 'hazardous'. I'm sure it won't take long for the industry to come up with an improved process. For OLDGUY:The timbertone pt stained lumber I mentioned is not KD when you purchase it. It shrinks at least 3/16 in time after being installed. ciccotelli, The CCA PT lumber has been an issue here in the States too. The Forest Prods. Industry and Govt (EPA) are searching for a process which will eliminate the arsenic. Playgrounds are one concern. And the arsenic leeches into the soil and can get into the water supply. Either we'll have a substute for the arsenic or we'll all be forced to purchase the high-price composites. I mentioned this here once before, Redwood would great to have here in the East, but then we'd have all the tree-huggers on our case. With more and more composite manufacturers coming on board, maybe we'll see a drop in price. fred You wont find #1 PT in many places....its mostly #2 grade...but in fairfax VA. you can get #1...pretty and green, and wet.., and no knots... i dont space or gap at all because the wood..any wood will shrink almost 3/8-1/2 after 1-2 years i wouldnt use that composite crap unless i lived in a trailer house so it would break down at the same time. UV and sunlight breaks down plastic, and fibers far faster than wood, dont let the EPA bull$hit you. Originally posted by fewalt ciccotelli, The CCA PT lumber has been an issue here in the States too. The Forest Prods. Industry and Govt (EPA) are searching for a process which will eliminate the arsenic. Playgrounds are one concern. And the arsenic leeches into the soil and can get into the water supply. Either we'll have a substute for the arsenic or we'll all be forced to purchase the high-price composites. I mentioned this here once before, Redwood would great to have here in the East, but then we'd have all the tree-huggers on our case. With more and more composite manufacturers coming on board, maybe we'll see a drop in price. fred Fewalt...thats all EPA bull****.... i breath sawn arsenic saw dust daily.....i get 2 splinters in my hands( those hurt). I could probably eat a 12' PT 2x6 with no harm done. Its just another farce that goes with these idiots that need a hobby, and a life. In texas you go to the pen for chopping down a tree in your own backyard.... But thats because of the stupid greenpeace morons all over. Im on a ROLL.... im going out right now and get me a big LOUD chainsaw.....LOL Originally posted by fewalt ciccotelli, The CCA PT lumber has been an issue here in the States too. The Forest Prods. Industry and Govt (EPA) are searching for a process which will eliminate the arsenic. Playgrounds are one concern. And the arsenic leeches into the soil and can get into the water supply. Either we'll have a substute for the arsenic or we'll all be forced to purchase the high-price composites. I mentioned this here once before, Redwood would great to have here in the East, but then we'd have all the tree-huggers on our case. With more and more composite manufacturers coming on board, maybe we'll see a drop in price. fred Fewalt...thats all EPA bull****.... i breath sawn arsenic saw dust daily.....i get 2 splinters in my hands( those hurt). I could probably eat a 12' PT 2x6 with no harm done. Its just another farce that goes with these idiots that need a hobby, and a life. In texas you go to the pen for chopping down a tree in your own backyard.... But thats because of the stupid greenpeace morons all over. Im on a ROLL.... im going out right now and get me a big LOUD chainsaw.....LOL Texfram, It may all be a bunch of bull, but the fact is the date has been set to remove CCA lumber from the market. I'm sure there will be a replacement by the lumber industry. fred PS - check your PM - it works fine. If your deck is not covered and is exposed to sun and rain, then I recommend Cedar. The reason I say this is because I went with Sunwood treated decking (fir or hemlock) and after about 5 years it started to split and curl. Now it's on it's 11th year and is very splintered and cracked --- I can't wait to afford to rip it out and start over. I've treated/sanded/washed etc. over the years, but it just keeps getting uglier. Fir or hemlock is just that way. Well, I bit the bullet and went with 5/4 cedar. Yikes...$13.90(can)for a 12 foot board. Which is considerablyy cheaper than teh composites ($30-$45). I'm also using Deckster brackets so I won't have any holes visible from the top. I'm going to sand the deck and want to apply a finsh that will enhance the cedar look. Any suggestion on a finshing product? I understand I need a UV protection as well as a water sealer. Like I said I want to enhance the look of the cedar but want to stay clear of any stain coloring. Help? I also am looking at Deckorators balusters. They really look great on thier web site and I'm having samples shipped to me. Has anyone ever used this product? Cicco, That's not to bad a price in Can funds, 1x6s here are about 10 bucks. If your boards are planed smooth on one or both sides you won't have too much sanding to do at all. If they are rough cut, use about 150 grit. Do you have a random orbital sander - the job would go faster. Now the search starts for a finish. What you should try to find is an oil base sealer with water repellency. Your problem will then be finding one with some UV protedtion. Most products' uv protection lies within the colored stains(oxide reflective particles). The less color, the less uv protection. Possibly consider a lighter stain shade to acquire more uv protection. The Deckorators balusters I'm not familiar with. good luck, fred Select a quality stain/sealer like SuperDeck, Wolman, etc. Expect to pay about $25 (US) for it. Get a $25 (US) sprayer when you get the stain. Clean the sprayer thoroughly after you use it -- you'll need it next year (and pretty much every year from then on!) when you reseal the deck. Since you are using 5/4 cedar, you will have to place your joists at no more than 12 O.C. (You'll need at least 17 of them to cover the 16' width of the deck.) If using cedar... Go with Stainless spiral shank nails or sqaure drive stainless screws... they are very expensive yes... but galv will discolor the cedar.. not the kind of thing you want to happen after you spend the extra $ for the nice look of cedar! ..SS all the way... Hope this helps---Josh If you seal a PT deck with an oil based sealer such as Wolman, Ready Seal, or another contractor grade product you can reduce the CCA that will leach by as much as 70% to 80%, according to the EPA. Beth I too have a similar concern on which type of lumber to use (cedar vs. treated) for a playground set. I am pretty confident my kids won't be eating the wood so the chemicals in treating the wood are not to much of a concern. What I am concerned about is the longevity of the set. After reviewing all the threads, I am still uncertain which type of wood is the best for holding up, minimum maintenance, etc.
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