Awesome Board Review Notes For Deck
That singular American creation, the backyard deck, conjures up images of idyllic afternoons napping in a hammock or festive get-togethers around the grill and a tub of ice-cold beer. But maintaining that elevated expanse of lumber is a downright chore, what with all the scrubbing, bleaching, and staining that wood requires—not to mention the occasional replacement of a splintered, warped, or rotten board.When the less demanding plastic-composite decking appeared on the scene in the 1990s, homeowners happily adopted it, despite the higher price and limited color selection (gray). A decade later, as companies began to offer new products that looked like fresh-cut cedar and Brazilian walnut but never turned gray, sales of composites took off. Last year's tally came to $1 billion. That kind of popularity represents a big boost for the environment, too, because most composites are made from waste: sawdust, used plastic milk jugs, and shopping bags.
Every 20 feet of decking contains about 30 pounds of material that would have ended up in a landfill. Trex, the first and largest of the composite manufacturers, recycles 6 million pounds of plastic each year.The fact that composites don't feel or look like real wood is beside the point.
Once in place, they just do their job and don't need much more than an annual washdown, leaving you plenty of time to work on your nap.Already got old wood boards in place? Here's to get it looking new again. What's it cost?Run-of-the-mill boards start at $4 per square foot, while the premium products that closely resemble tropical wood run up to $7.20 per square foot.What's the warranty?Most manufacturers offer either a 25-year or limited-lifetime warranty on structural integrity; some warranties are transferable from one homeowner to another. Fading, scratches, and stains usually aren't covered.How much care?Less than wood. A simple scrubbing with soapy water and a soft bristle brush is usually all that's needed.Not just decking.Everything you need to finish a deck—fascia boards, railings, balusters, treads, and posts—is made in matching colors using the same composite material.Does it burn?Yes, but at a much higher temperature than wood. Most composites meet California's strict Wildland-Urban Interface Building Code. Before you make a commitment, weigh the pros and cons of compositesProsReduced maintenance: Forget about having to bleach and stain wood every other year.
With the money you save by not using these coatings and cleaning materials, you can recoup the higher cost of composites in about five years.Long life: Composites don't rot or attract termites, they can't warp or check, and you can go barefoot without fear of splinters.Minimal fading: All composites turn a slightly lighter shade after the first two or three months in the sun, then the fading stops. (Left to its own devices, wood inexorably turns gray.)Longer boards: Up to 20 feet, which means fewer end joints.High recycled content: Every 10 square feet contains nearly 3,000 recycled plastic shopping bags and 1,100 one-gallon milk jugs.ConsHigh initial cost: Low-end composites are priced about 30 percent higher than pressure-treated pine. High-end composites run about the same as ipe ( ee-PAY), a hardwood decking harvested from tropical rain forests.Easily scuffed: Moving furniture, frisky dogs, and gritty shoes will abrade new composites. Light scratches can't be sanded out but do blend in over time.Prone to staining: The wood fibers are easily stained by food and grease. And the hardwood in many mixes can create uneven brownish tannin stains early on when wet, but they typically disappear over time.Hot underfoot: Like dark hardwoods, dark composites heat up as they bake in the sun. Lighter-colored and deeper-grooved boards are more barefoot-friendly.Doesn't really look like wood: Some boards do a better job at mimicking wood than others, but a close look or touch gives them away. They look like composites, but these boards are actually 99 percent virgin PVC plastic, very different stuff from the polyethylene-wood mix found in most composites.PVC is harder than polyethylene, so it doesn't scratch as easily.
And because it doesn't contain wood fiber, it won't absorb water or food stains. (Suntan lotion and insect repellent will stain it, however.)But all-plastic decking has a very limited color palette—three or four colors at most—and it's pricey, about the same as a top-of-the line composite. Plus, PVC is not particularly friendly to the environment: There's no recycled content, and when it burns it releases toxic hydrogen chloride gas. Composites are made in a range of profiles to make boards lighter, easier to install, or both. The profile you pick determines how your deck will be fastened down, which affects its look (do you want to see screw heads or not?); the installation speed; and how much you'll pay for the fasteners (see slides 19-22).1.
Grooves along both sides accept the hidden fasteners specified by the manufacturer. 2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.60 per square foot;2.
Can be face-fastened or edge-fastened and has two usable sides. 2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.60 per square foot;3. Saves weight without loss of stiffness.
Uses only hidden fasteners. 2.2 pounds per foot. Floorizon, $5.90 per square foot;4. As heavy as a solid board but with only one usable side.
Fastens like a solid board. 2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.70 per square foot;5. Stiffer and almost 25 percent lighter than a solid board. End caps stop bugs from nesting inside. Fastens like a solid board. 1.9 pounds per foot.
$6.90 per square foot. Don't assume this decking goes down just like wood. Here are a few important differences to keep in mind.Joist spacing. Composites will sag if joists are spaced wider than 16 inches on center. Screw placement.
Composites may crumble if face-fastened too close to an edge. TOH general contractor Tom Silva recommends keeping screws about ¾ inch from ends and edges. At butt ends, he angles the screws slightly toward the joist.Butt-end spacing. Boards grow longer in hot weather and shorter in cold, so keep an eye on the thermometer during installation, and follow the manufacturer's spacing specs to a T.Edge spacing.
Narrow gaps can easily become clogged, increasing the chance of stains and mildew, and of boards becoming waterlogged and falling apart prematurely. When Tom fastens through the boards' faces, he uses 16d nails to set the between-board spacing.
(With hidden fasteners, the spacing is set for you.). Composites have few maintenance needs, so you'll have plenty of time to take care of the ones that do crop up.Clogs. Sweep or blow away any debris between the boards so that water can run off freely.Food stains. Fast action is the best defense. Use a degreaser such as Dawn dish soap on oily spots, and bleach and hot water on fruit and wine stains. Placing mats around the barbeque is a good preventative measure.Tannin stains.
Scrub with cleaners that contain oxalic acid.Gouges. Superficial scuff marks blend in over time, but any board that has deep scratches or melt marks will have to be replaced.Mildew stains. Add some dish soap to a 50-50 mix of oxygen bleach and hot water.
That singular American creation, the backyard deck, conjures up images of idyllic afternoons napping in a hammock or festive get-togethers around the grill and a tub of ice-cold beer. But maintaining that elevated expanse of lumber is a downright chore, what with all the scrubbing, bleaching, and staining that wood requires—not to mention the occasional replacement of a splintered, warped, or rotten board.When the less demanding plastic-composite decking appeared on the scene in the 1990s, homeowners happily adopted it, despite the higher price and limited color selection (gray).
A decade later, as companies began to offer new products that looked like fresh-cut cedar and Brazilian walnut but never turned gray, sales of composites took off. Last year's tally came to $1 billion.
That kind of popularity represents a big boost for the environment, too, because most composites are made from waste: sawdust, used plastic milk jugs, and shopping bags. Every 20 feet of decking contains about 30 pounds of material that would have ended up in a landfill. Trex, the first and largest of the composite manufacturers, recycles 6 million pounds of plastic each year.The fact that composites don't feel or look like real wood is beside the point. Once in place, they just do their job and don't need much more than an annual washdown, leaving you plenty of time to work on your nap.Already got old wood boards in place? Here's to get it looking new again. What's it cost?Run-of-the-mill boards start at $4 per square foot, while the premium products that closely resemble tropical wood run up to $7.20 per square foot.What's the warranty?Most manufacturers offer either a 25-year or limited-lifetime warranty on structural integrity; some warranties are transferable from one homeowner to another.
Fading, scratches, and stains usually aren't covered.How much care?Less than wood. A simple scrubbing with soapy water and a soft bristle brush is usually all that's needed.Not just decking.Everything you need to finish a deck—fascia boards, railings, balusters, treads, and posts—is made in matching colors using the same composite material.Does it burn?Yes, but at a much higher temperature than wood. Most composites meet California's strict Wildland-Urban Interface Building Code. Before you make a commitment, weigh the pros and cons of compositesProsReduced maintenance: Forget about having to bleach and stain wood every other year. With the money you save by not using these coatings and cleaning materials, you can recoup the higher cost of composites in about five years.Long life: Composites don't rot or attract termites, they can't warp or check, and you can go barefoot without fear of splinters.Minimal fading: All composites turn a slightly lighter shade after the first two or three months in the sun, then the fading stops. (Left to its own devices, wood inexorably turns gray.)Longer boards: Up to 20 feet, which means fewer end joints.High recycled content: Every 10 square feet contains nearly 3,000 recycled plastic shopping bags and 1,100 one-gallon milk jugs.ConsHigh initial cost: Low-end composites are priced about 30 percent higher than pressure-treated pine.
High-end composites run about the same as ipe ( ee-PAY), a hardwood decking harvested from tropical rain forests.Easily scuffed: Moving furniture, frisky dogs, and gritty shoes will abrade new composites. Gearbox gold download cracked fraps. Light scratches can't be sanded out but do blend in over time.Prone to staining: The wood fibers are easily stained by food and grease. And the hardwood in many mixes can create uneven brownish tannin stains early on when wet, but they typically disappear over time.Hot underfoot: Like dark hardwoods, dark composites heat up as they bake in the sun. Lighter-colored and deeper-grooved boards are more barefoot-friendly.Doesn't really look like wood: Some boards do a better job at mimicking wood than others, but a close look or touch gives them away.
Awesome Board Review Pdf
They look like composites, but these boards are actually 99 percent virgin PVC plastic, very different stuff from the polyethylene-wood mix found in most composites.PVC is harder than polyethylene, so it doesn't scratch as easily. And because it doesn't contain wood fiber, it won't absorb water or food stains.
(Suntan lotion and insect repellent will stain it, however.)But all-plastic decking has a very limited color palette—three or four colors at most—and it's pricey, about the same as a top-of-the line composite. Plus, PVC is not particularly friendly to the environment: There's no recycled content, and when it burns it releases toxic hydrogen chloride gas.
Composites are made in a range of profiles to make boards lighter, easier to install, or both. The profile you pick determines how your deck will be fastened down, which affects its look (do you want to see screw heads or not?); the installation speed; and how much you'll pay for the fasteners (see slides 19-22).1. Grooves along both sides accept the hidden fasteners specified by the manufacturer.
2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.60 per square foot;2. Can be face-fastened or edge-fastened and has two usable sides. 2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.60 per square foot;3. Saves weight without loss of stiffness. Uses only hidden fasteners.
2.2 pounds per foot. Floorizon, $5.90 per square foot;4. As heavy as a solid board but with only one usable side. Fastens like a solid board. 2.5 pounds per foot. Starting at $4.70 per square foot;5.
Stiffer and almost 25 percent lighter than a solid board. End caps stop bugs from nesting inside.
Fastens like a solid board. 1.9 pounds per foot. $6.90 per square foot. Don't assume this decking goes down just like wood.
Here are a few important differences to keep in mind.Joist spacing. Composites will sag if joists are spaced wider than 16 inches on center. Screw placement. Composites may crumble if face-fastened too close to an edge. TOH general contractor Tom Silva recommends keeping screws about ¾ inch from ends and edges. At butt ends, he angles the screws slightly toward the joist.Butt-end spacing.
Boards grow longer in hot weather and shorter in cold, so keep an eye on the thermometer during installation, and follow the manufacturer's spacing specs to a T.Edge spacing. Narrow gaps can easily become clogged, increasing the chance of stains and mildew, and of boards becoming waterlogged and falling apart prematurely. When Tom fastens through the boards' faces, he uses 16d nails to set the between-board spacing. (With hidden fasteners, the spacing is set for you.). Composites have few maintenance needs, so you'll have plenty of time to take care of the ones that do crop up.Clogs. Sweep or blow away any debris between the boards so that water can run off freely.Food stains.
Fast action is the best defense. Use a degreaser such as Dawn dish soap on oily spots, and bleach and hot water on fruit and wine stains. Placing mats around the barbeque is a good preventative measure.Tannin stains.
Awesome Board Review Notes For Deck Ideas
Scrub with cleaners that contain oxalic acid.Gouges. Superficial scuff marks blend in over time, but any board that has deep scratches or melt marks will have to be replaced.Mildew stains. Add some dish soap to a 50-50 mix of oxygen bleach and hot water.