Hardwood decking next steps?

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CokemonZ

1051 posts

Uber Geek

#2338227 16-Oct-2019 16:10

duckDecoy:

CokemonZ:

I've read mixed reviews on the aquadeck as it leaves an acrylic film on top rather than soaking in, and can end up peeling and patchy which is a remove and recoat situation rather than just add more.

Let me add to your reviews. Aquadeck has been a dreadful product at our place, it peels all the time especially in high traffic areas. We are stuck with it because we did all our decks and the balustrades and fences in it and it would be too difficult to remove.

We repaint the peeled areas but they never match the colour of the surrounding area and it looks patchy.

Never ever again.

Sorry to hear that.

On pine or a hardwood? Did it soak in much?

mdf

3513 posts

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Trusted

#2338245 16-Oct-2019 16:55

CokemonZ:

<snip>

It's been about 6 months, and am getting prepped for summer, but cheers for the heads up.

I've read mixed reviews on the aquadeck as it leaves an acrylic film on top rather than soaking in, and can end up peeling and patchy which is a remove and recoat situation rather than just add more.

I'm considering old school solvent borne oil like OP used or this resene woodsman waterbourne stain.

https://shop.resene.co.nz/resene-waterborne-woodsman-3241

This one is penetrating, so shouldn't leave a film on top.

That link is to Resene's solventborne Woodsman stain (and I appreciate that there is the word "waterborne" in the link so it is a Resene mistake). For Resene ones, you can always tell by the lid which has an enormous green tick thing if it is acrylic or waterborne.

Resene doesn't recommend using the normal waterborne stain for decking; I don't believe it is durable enough. Resene has a relatively new waterborne decking stain, but I've never used that. If you use the main Resene site (not the shop bit) it is a bit more obvious - you will need to scroll down a fair bit:

https://www.resene.co.nz/products/stains-clears.htm

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2338251 16-Oct-2019 17:07

mattwnz:

I am looking at decking myself, but I think one of the things is making sure that most are under some form of eaves. That will mean that it should last a lot longer.

What are the pros and cons with Vitex over Kwila?Kwila seems ot be a lot more popular. Is Vitex as durable? Are they more durable than H3 pine decking?

They look very different. As a matter of personal preference, I prefer Vitex over Kwila. I've built reasonably large decks with both, and vitex was nicer to work with; kwila makes some nasty splinters. Kwila also bleeds a lot of red sap and shouldn't be used around wet areas like pools or over concrete which will stain. Vitex has a clear sticky sap that you need to let leach out before coating, but won't stain. If your deck is large, kwila is available in longer lengths. I found vitex to get some visible surface cracks but that didn't affect its integrity. The kwila one splintered a bit in places. An architect friend who knows about such things suggests that vitex is probably more sustainable; there is sustainable kwila plantations but once cut you've got limited ways of knowing what kwila is stained with orangutan blood is which is not.

A builder mate has just finished a new deck with a hardwood from Mitre 10 which he said was a new item for Mitre 10 and cheaper than either vitex or kwila and looked *awesome*. Of course, he cannot remember what it is called when I asked him which is of zero assistance.

rhy7s

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2338385 16-Oct-2019 19:14

I'd recommend turning it into a verandah rather than a deck at some point. Low maintenance and isn't either too wet or too hot.

CokemonZ

1051 posts

Uber Geek

#2339863 17-Oct-2019 16:09

mdf:

CokemonZ:

<snip>

It's been about 6 months, and am getting prepped for summer, but cheers for the heads up.

I've read mixed reviews on the aquadeck as it leaves an acrylic film on top rather than soaking in, and can end up peeling and patchy which is a remove and recoat situation rather than just add more.

I'm considering old school solvent borne oil like OP used or this resene woodsman waterbourne stain.

https://shop.resene.co.nz/resene-waterborne-woodsman-3241

This one is penetrating, so shouldn't leave a film on top.

That link is to Resene's solventborne Woodsman stain (and I appreciate that there is the word "waterborne" in the link so it is a Resene mistake). For Resene ones, you can always tell by the lid which has an enormous green tick thing if it is acrylic or waterborne.

Resene doesn't recommend using the normal waterborne stain for decking; I don't believe it is durable enough. Resene has a relatively new waterborne decking stain, but I've never used that. If you use the main Resene site (not the shop bit) it is a bit more obvious - you will need to scroll down a fair bit:

https://www.resene.co.nz/products/stains-clears.htm

That decking product looks new - it's not even on their shopping site, though mitre 10 has it. I might have to get a test pot to make sure it doesn't leave a film.

It looks like a harder wearing version of their other water borne woodsman which is the one I was looking at.

TBH as long as it's fully penetrating it shouldn't matter where it goes right? Are they just not recommending decks as they are horizontal so get more water/sun?

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2339876 17-Oct-2019 16:38

mdf:

A builder mate has just finished a new deck with a hardwood from Mitre 10 which he said was a new item for Mitre 10 and cheaper than either vitex or kwila and looked *awesome*. Of course, he cannot remember what it is called when I asked him which is of zero assistance.

Garapa?

Seems okay, kind of bland and featureless honey yellow-ish if you wanted to oil it but goes grey. I've used a bit where I wanted some hardwood for non-deck uses, seems to work well (doesn't split, not too hard etc).

Another is purple heart, but it's a bit on the pricey side. Startling purple colour when new, but greys off well. If it's oiled, the purple colour fades and it's quite dark brown with interesting grain, tiger stripes etc. But it's horrible to work with - very hard on cutting tools, splinters really hurt - as if it's got some strong irritant or toxin in it, and comes in random lengths often with some flaws. Supposedly both garapa and purple heart are sustainably harvested in South America, but I guess that's what you'd expect them to claim. I used purple heart on our decks as kwila would have been a big problem with bleeding on a wall below an elevated deck, and my wife objected strongly to the yellow look of vitex, my counter argument that once it's weathered it'll be about the same grey colour as anything else didn't cut the mustard.

duckDecoy

898 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2339877 17-Oct-2019 16:38

CokemonZ:

duckDecoy:

CokemonZ:

I've read mixed reviews on the aquadeck as it leaves an acrylic film on top rather than soaking in, and can end up peeling and patchy which is a remove and recoat situation rather than just add more.

Let me add to your reviews. Aquadeck has been a dreadful product at our place, it peels all the time especially in high traffic areas. We are stuck with it because we did all our decks and the balustrades and fences in it and it would be too difficult to remove.

We repaint the peeled areas but they never match the colour of the surrounding area and it looks patchy.

Never ever again.

Sorry to hear that.

On pine or a hardwood? Did it soak in much?

Pine, and no it doesn't soak in much really. Where bits have flaked off are a very light grey orange, we painted it well after the pine had gone grey.

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mattwnz

20163 posts

Uber Geek

#2339887 17-Oct-2019 17:06

Fred99:

my wife objected strongly to the yellow look of vitex, my counter argument that once it's weathered it'll be about the same grey colour as anything else didn't cut the mustard.

The yellow colour of Vitex does turn me off it a bit. Whether it greys, and uniformly, also depends on whether it is under large eaves or not. Personally I like the look of Kwila the best, and I don't think bleeding is going to be much of an issue as it is all just above teh ground. If it bleeds, then that is only cosmetic anyway, and hopefully fades over time.

What to people think of these composite (almost plastic) type decking products. They seem to be hollow in the middle. I guess one advantage is they don't need staining, and can be clipped together and probably aren't prone to warping as much, but I do worry about durability and resistance to weathering.

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2339889 17-Oct-2019 17:33

That decking product looks new - it's not even on their shopping site, though mitre 10 has it. I might have to get a test pot to make sure it doesn't leave a film.

It looks like a harder wearing version of their other water borne woodsman which is the one I was looking at.

TBH as long as it's fully penetrating it shouldn't matter where it goes right? Are they just not recommending decks as they are horizontal so get more water/sun?

No first-hand knowledge unfortunately, but I would imagine that it is more to do with the contact surfaces than sun. A north facing stained wall could be bathed in sun all day, but it still wouldn't be battered as much as walking on it constantly and dragging furniture across it.

rhy7s

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2339891 17-Oct-2019 17:39

My parents have that composite decking on the place they've built in the last few years. Holding up OK in their situation, getting a bit of furring in scuff areas. I've seen shattered holes in public use high traffic areas elsewhere. Not really a fan of the concept myself, I like building materials that can easily be repurposed. Our verandahs are still going strong after 40 years with no treatments.

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2339897 17-Oct-2019 17:47

I was turned off the composites too. Seem good in theory (they are all *STRAIGHT!*), but no idea about longevity in NZ UV conditions. And I'm not really sold on the look. For the solid ones, apparently they get quite hot in direct sun, hot enough you wouldn't want to step on them in bare feet. That is second hand though.

mdf

3513 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2339902 17-Oct-2019 18:06

Fred99:

mdf:

A builder mate has just finished a new deck with a hardwood from Mitre 10 which he said was a new item for Mitre 10 and cheaper than either vitex or kwila and looked *awesome*. Of course, he cannot remember what it is called when I asked him which is of zero assistance.

Garapa?

Seems okay, kind of bland and featureless honey yellow-ish if you wanted to oil it but goes grey. I've used a bit where I wanted some hardwood for non-deck uses, seems to work well (doesn't split, not too hard etc).

Another is purple heart, but it's a bit on the pricey side. Startling purple colour when new, but greys off well. If it's oiled, the purple colour fades and it's quite dark brown with interesting grain, tiger stripes etc. But it's horrible to work with - very hard on cutting tools, splinters really hurt - as if it's got some strong irritant or toxin in it, and comes in random lengths often with some flaws. Supposedly both garapa and purple heart are sustainably harvested in South America, but I guess that's what you'd expect them to claim. I used purple heart on our decks as kwila would have been a big problem with bleeding on a wall below an elevated deck, and my wife objected strongly to the yellow look of vitex, my counter argument that once it's weathered it'll be about the same grey colour as anything else didn't cut the mustard.

The memory returns! It is jatoba, or brazilian cherry. Looks *amazing*.

Purple heart is one of my favourites, but agree on its spendiness. If money was no object, I also like the idea and look of accoya (although less perhaps the shipping from NZ to the Netherlands and back again).

Is garapa the smelly one?

neb

11294 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#2339943 17-Oct-2019 21:54

You could try Schaeffer's NZ Style Deck Sealant, I hear that's quite good for this sort of thing.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2339990 18-Oct-2019 08:34

mdf:

Is garapa the smelly one?

I didn't notice when I was working with a bit of it. I used it for some out of sight stuff inside our boat, SWMBO has a sensitive nose, so she'd have let me know.

You just made me walk outside in the rain to go to where I keep offcuts to sniff garapa. And it's not there - I must have chucked it in the firewood bin or trash.

Paul1977

5044 posts

Uber Geek

#2340257 18-Oct-2019 15:06

mdf:

I was turned off the composites too. Seem good in theory (they are all *STRAIGHT!*), but no idea about longevity in NZ UV conditions. And I'm not really sold on the look. For the solid ones, apparently they get quite hot in direct sun, hot enough you wouldn't want to step on them in bare feet. That is second hand though.

We are seriously think about a decent quality solid composite for our new build. We put in Kwila at our current place with solvent born oil, and the yearly maintenance is just torturous. Oiling is easy, but the prep is awful.

In summer our oiled Kwila deck gets so hot you can't stand on it in bare feet (you can do a fast walk across it, but you wouldn't want to leave your foot down on it).

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