Cedar Decking Rotting?
Scott Goings
are now rotting. When the deck was built we specified that the deck
surface was to be built with cedar. From what I know of cedar it should
not have rotted in ten years. I now suspect that the deck surface was
not cedar but some other wood. How can I tell with the ten years of
aging of the lumber? Is it in fact possible for cedar to rot? I am in
Southern Michigan.
Thanks,
Scott
danh...@infonet.isl.net
Yep, cedar can rot, and some varieties rot faster than others.
One way to tell cedar is by the odor. You can also tell just by looking
if you know what you're looking at. But for either test you'd have to
have a fairly large solid chunk you could cut in half.
Dan Hicks
Hey!! My advice is free -- take it for what it's worth!
http://www.millcomm.com/~danhicks
TinMan1332
>I have a deck which is ten years old. Most if not all of the deck boards
>are now rotting. When the deck was built we specified that the deck
>surface was to be built with cedar. From what I know of cedar it should
>not have rotted in ten years. I now suspect that the deck surface was
>not cedar but some other wood. How can I tell with the ten years of
>aging of the lumber? Is it in fact possible for cedar to rot? I am in
>Southern Michigan.
Here in Florida, 10 years from a cedar deck would be an astounding life time...
most of them rot out much sooner. Even a PT deck that is not cared for can be
to far gone to fix in 10 years. Cedar is a soft wood and rots with great
speed round here.
J.P.
Bill Watson
cedar that are over a hundred years old and are still standing. The
white sap wood will rot away but the red part will last a life time in
the weather.
--
Bill Watson
danh...@infonet.isl.net
>I've seen several comments here over time about CCA pressure treated
>wood rotting. I'm confused by this as my experience is very
>different.
Keep in mind several things. First, conditions differ considerably from
one part of the country to another. Even though the Texas Gulf coast can
be wet and humid at times, it's not nearly as wet as parts of Florida
(nor, obviously, is it as dry as Arizona). It's when wood is CONTINUOUSLY
wet that it really rots away fast.
Second, there's a lot of difference between different woods. Treated wood
comes in various grades based on how deeply and intensely it is treated.
Plus there is a variation based on the tree variety of the wood. Cedar
similarly varies considerably, depending on the variety and size of the
tree, and where in the tree the wood came from.
Also, application has a lot to do with how long wood will last. Wood will
last a lot longer as siding than as fencing, eg, since it's only exposed
on one side and it is sheltered by the eaves (among other things).
Careful attention to how wood is applied can make a siginificant
difference in the wood lifetime.
TinMan1332
>I've seen several comments here over time about CCA pressure treated
>wood rotting. I'm confused by this as my experience is very
>different.
>These are my experiences with CCA PT pine lumber on the Texas Gulf
>Coast. I wonder why it's different other places?
Not all PT is treated at the same rate or solutition concentration. Posts for
example are double the treatment of furring strips, common 1x and 2x #2 & #3
grade lumber. Real deck lumber is treated as much as posts (for ground contact)
or higher. Many vertical surfaces last longer because there is no standing
water to soak in deep. Those standard 2x6 pt lumber boards out of the lumber
yard are not rated for continued exposure or ground contact, yet many many
folks will build a deck with this lumber.
J.P.
Larry Caldwell
> These are my experiences with CCA PT pine lumber on the Texas Gulf
> Coast. I wonder why it's different other places?
I doubt your posts were CCA. More likely they were PPT. Penta is no
longer on the market, since it contained dioxins. It was a very
effective anti-rot and anti-insect treatment though, far more effective
than the modern copper treatments.
-- Larry
jimd...@gmail.com
> I have a deck which is ten years old. Most if not all of the deck boards
> not have rotted in ten years. I now suspect that the deck surface was
> not cedar but some other wood. How can I tell with the ten years of
> aging of the lumber? Is it in fact possible for cedar to rot? I am in
> Southern Michigan.
>
>
> Scott
I have a deck made of cedar and I am noticing that the core of the posts are mush. I tried to drive a screw into one for a lose railing board and it won't grab anything. I was told that cedar is rot resistant, but it appears to be rotting faster than I would ever expected. We keep it stained, but maybe rain gets at the tops of the posts. Very sad to see this.