Is a deck hard to build?

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NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

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#1276089 2-Apr-2015 13:40

eracode:
NonprayingMantis:
lissie:
Jeeves: If you're going to use decking timber, lay it so the 'ridged' side is facing down. Contrary to popular belief, the ridges aren't for grip, they're for drainage.

According to the code - if the deck is main ingress (and it is one of them) then you should lay them ridged up for better traction. We have smooth timber deck on the other side of the house - and it's pretty slippy if its wet. Not sure whether to use timber or composit (regardless of whether we DIY or not) - anyone used composite in Wgtn's extreme coastal weather?

I haven't used composite in wellington, but I recenty did a small deck using it. It's great to work with, cuts like wood

downside: more expensive than regular decking
upside: easier to lay, looks beautiful when laid (no screw holes etc). Lasts waaay longer with much less maintenance.

depending on how you want to treat the decking, you might even find composite works out cheaper over the life of it because you can buy it already the colour you want. With normal wood you would need colour stains, and to regularly reapply it. with composite it stays looking like that for years and years.

I used this stuff:
http://www.outdure.com/eco-decking

I resurfaced a small deck with this stuff a couple of years ago. It looks great but another downside is that it gets scratched if you drag outdoor furniture across it. Timber will scratch too but the scratches will disappear. With composite, it's permanent and shows. I believe that the composite is 50% wood fibre and 50% plastic.

Yet to see that (it's still pretty new) but I understand that this can be sanded just like normal wood, so should be able to sand out scratches.

(in my case this particular deck won't have furniture dragged across it, so shouldn't be a problem, but time will tell)

mdf

3516 posts

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#1276094 2-Apr-2015 13:51

NonprayingMantis:
eracode:
NonprayingMantis:
lissie:
Jeeves: If you're going to use decking timber, lay it so the 'ridged' side is facing down. Contrary to popular belief, the ridges aren't for grip, they're for drainage.

According to the code - if the deck is main ingress (and it is one of them) then you should lay them ridged up for better traction. We have smooth timber deck on the other side of the house - and it's pretty slippy if its wet. Not sure whether to use timber or composit (regardless of whether we DIY or not) - anyone used composite in Wgtn's extreme coastal weather?

I haven't used composite in wellington, but I recenty did a small deck using it. It's great to work with, cuts like wood

downside: more expensive than regular decking
upside: easier to lay, looks beautiful when laid (no screw holes etc). Lasts waaay longer with much less maintenance.

depending on how you want to treat the decking, you might even find composite works out cheaper over the life of it because you can buy it already the colour you want. With normal wood you would need colour stains, and to regularly reapply it. with composite it stays looking like that for years and years.

I used this stuff:
http://www.outdure.com/eco-decking

I resurfaced a small deck with this stuff a couple of years ago. It looks great but another downside is that it gets scratched if you drag outdoor furniture across it. Timber will scratch too but the scratches will disappear. With composite, it's permanent and shows. I believe that the composite is 50% wood fibre and 50% plastic.

Yet to see that (it's still pretty new) but I understand that this can be sanded just like normal wood, so should be able to sand out scratches.

(in my case this particular deck won't have furniture dragged across it, so shouldn't be a problem, but time will tell)

Different types have different rules. Ekologix (available at Bunnings) says you can just sand it to remove scuffs. The ecodecking stuff (Placemakers) says you can resurface it with a special brush.

bfginger

1269 posts

Uber Geek

#1276371 2-Apr-2015 20:12

mdf:

- I hate CCA decking timber, and really only use CCA timber for framing because there's no choice. Nasty chemicals don't mix well with bare feet (and hands etc. if there are kids involved too), much less wet bare feet. It's been banned in most first world countries, but fine for good ol' kiwis. ACQ pine (and some of the other pine variants that have replaced CCA overseas) is actually made here, but it's almost impossible to buy. There are a few fishhooks in using it too. Kwila looks lovely, but does bleed (not great around pools until it's weathered in) and can splinter. I also have some moral qualms about it's sustainability and the amount of orangutan blood spilled to get it here. Vitex is a great sustainable option (supporting the Solomon Islands) and works well in Wellington's rough climate, but it only comes in shorter (random) lengths and again needs to weather in a bit..

The A in CCA stands for arsenic. Don't use it.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/9329188/Arsenic-used-in-home-building-materials

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/element-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503340&objectid=10885896

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10881547

mattwnz

20164 posts

Uber Geek

#1276404 2-Apr-2015 21:03

bfginger:
mdf:

- I hate CCA decking timber, and really only use CCA timber for framing because there's no choice. Nasty chemicals don't mix well with bare feet (and hands etc. if there are kids involved too), much less wet bare feet. It's been banned in most first world countries, but fine for good ol' kiwis. ACQ pine (and some of the other pine variants that have replaced CCA overseas) is actually made here, but it's almost impossible to buy. There are a few fishhooks in using it too. Kwila looks lovely, but does bleed (not great around pools until it's weathered in) and can splinter. I also have some moral qualms about it's sustainability and the amount of orangutan blood spilled to get it here. Vitex is a great sustainable option (supporting the Solomon Islands) and works well in Wellington's rough climate, but it only comes in shorter (random) lengths and again needs to weather in a bit..

The A in CCA stands for arsenic. Don't use it.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/the-rebuild/9329188/Arsenic-used-in-home-building-materials
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/element-magazine/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503340&objectid=10885896
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10881547

The problem is that most building materials have some health dangers. Fibre cement sheeting, glass fibre insulation etc, they potentially can cause problems in the future if you breach them in. Tabloid newspaper articles aren't really the best source of information.

The potential health issues with CCA treated timber regularly come up, but CCA timber is used extensively everywhere, infact farms wouldn't survive without it as mostl fences around the country use it.

mattwnz

20164 posts

Uber Geek

#1276405 2-Apr-2015 21:06

NonprayingMantis:
eracode:
NonprayingMantis:
lissie:
Jeeves: If you're going to use decking timber, lay it so the 'ridged' side is facing down. Contrary to popular belief, the ridges aren't for grip, they're for drainage.

According to the code - if the deck is main ingress (and it is one of them) then you should lay them ridged up for better traction. We have smooth timber deck on the other side of the house - and it's pretty slippy if its wet. Not sure whether to use timber or composit (regardless of whether we DIY or not) - anyone used composite in Wgtn's extreme coastal weather?

I haven't used composite in wellington, but I recenty did a small deck using it. It's great to work with, cuts like wood

downside: more expensive than regular decking
upside: easier to lay, looks beautiful when laid (no screw holes etc). Lasts waaay longer with much less maintenance.

depending on how you want to treat the decking, you might even find composite works out cheaper over the life of it because you can buy it already the colour you want. With normal wood you would need colour stains, and to regularly reapply it. with composite it stays looking like that for years and years.

I used this stuff:
http://www.outdure.com/eco-decking

I resurfaced a small deck with this stuff a couple of years ago. It looks great but another downside is that it gets scratched if you drag outdoor furniture across it. Timber will scratch too but the scratches will disappear. With composite, it's permanent and shows. I believe that the composite is 50% wood fibre and 50% plastic.

Yet to see that (it's still pretty new) but I understand that this can be sanded just like normal wood, so should be able to sand out scratches.

(in my case this particular deck won't have furniture dragged across it, so shouldn't be a problem, but time will tell)

The problem is you don't know the durability of these product, with water and sun. These composites are hollow too. You really don't know until a few years down the track and they are not cheap. I stick to the old proven methods.

pctek

807 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1281222 11-Apr-2015 20:47

lissie: need to be bolted to the house - I think. ..will need to use stainless steel for screws ...
will need extra joists/piles in that area.

Well points for getting all that right for starters.

We watched neighbours cowboy put up a roof on their deck.

He used no posts - just the same bits of wood for the lot, no concrete (frame is nailed to deck at bottom and to each other at top and nailed to side of house.
He used no bolts.

He did not slope the roof down from the house at all, and it attaches to a L shapd bit of house....when he went to put the plastic roofing stuff on, he couldn't reach across so skimped on those nails a bit - and the bit on the other part of house - couldn't get at at all, so it now has a couple of pavers on top holding it down instead.

He did put spouting on it, but why, it needs to be able to run into the spouting to be effective, anyway, if if it could, the downpipe goes nowhere, just hangs out through hole in deck.

Cool....not.

AidanS

458 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1281225 11-Apr-2015 20:49

Just make sure when you build it you maintain it well...

Sharesies

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mdf

3516 posts

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#1281428 12-Apr-2015 13:40

I came across this modular decking system in Bunnings the other day: http://www.goodtimesco.com.au/.

Parts of it look pretty cheap/basic, but I think the benefit is in the adjustable legs to act as piles. This would make levelling a whole lot easier (like the screw in feet for desks/tables/chairs). Not sure of the price though.

Recall

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#1289838 22-Apr-2015 23:05

Hi, we used Hybrideck composite decking on a 70sqm deck, looked great for the first two years then it started shrinking and now looks awful, oh but it had a 15 year warranty, this was no good as the company had gone into liquidation, although the person involved is now advising the current supplier, daschund decking. The shrinking was a huge issue with many installations, my advice stick to timber, stay away from composite, the warranty means nothing

lissie

495 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1289899 23-Apr-2015 07:22

Recall: Hi, we used Hybrideck composite decking on a 70sqm deck, looked great for the first two years then it started shrinking and now looks awful, oh but it had a 15 year warranty, this was no good as the company had gone into liquidation, although the person involved is now advising the current supplier, daschund decking. The shrinking was a huge issue with many installations, my advice stick to timber, stay away from composite, the warranty means nothing

Wow thank you - so Daschund Decking at a home show recently - will scratch them!

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

jnimmo

1097 posts

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#1597614 24-Jul-2016 09:39

How did you get on Lissie?

I'm just considering building a deck on a new build, and was thinking about the composite options but interested to hear about the heat retention etc which would be an issue in Christchurch, so sounds like I may be better to stick to timber.

Those Sharkstooth fasteners look excellent but like you say very expensive; Camo looks good but probably similarly expensive, main benefit being easier to replace boards in the middle of a deck perhaps

Need to design the deck first and figure out how big the thing needs to be..

larknz

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#1597632 24-Jul-2016 10:27

Go for Kwila or a similar hardwood. It may cost more but it is worth it in the long run.

lissie

495 posts

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#1597647 24-Jul-2016 11:01

LOL - just signed a contract with a builder to build the deck - figured it was too hard for us. We'll do the furniture (maybe)

I help authors publish their books - DIYPublishing.co.nz

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
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#1597671 24-Jul-2016 12:18

jnimmo:

How did you get on Lissie?

I'm just considering building a deck on a new build, and was thinking about the composite options but interested to hear about the heat retention etc which would be an issue in Christchurch, so sounds like I may be better to stick to timber.

Those Sharkstooth fasteners look excellent but like you say very expensive; Camo looks good but probably similarly expensive, main benefit being easier to replace boards in the middle of a deck perhaps

Need to design the deck first and figure out how big the thing needs to be..

A deck can never be too big - within reason.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

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