redwood vs. pressure-treated lumber for decks
Dean Rossi
of a deck this coming summer.
The guy at the local mega-lumberyard recommended redwood over pressure-treated
wood for the construction of a deck which will be on the north (back) side of
my house. The original porch is starting to disintegrate, so I thought this
would be a good time to replace and enlarge it. It will be approximately
10X15' and will sit about 9' off the ground. His estimate for materials
(mostly redwood) was about $1500.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of redwood vs. pressure-treated wood? Do
they both require the same amounts of maintenance? Will one last longer than
the other? Is the increased cost of redwood justified? I would be interested
in hearing people's experiences.
Thanks in advance for your response.
Dean Rossi
Tom Strickland
is a wood/plastic composite. Call them at 800-BUY-TREX.
jiml...@io.com
>I'm seeking a little advice about what type of lumber to use for the building
>of a deck this coming summer.
>
>The guy at the local mega-lumberyard recommended redwood over pressure-treated
>wood for the construction of a deck which will be on the north (back) side of
>my house. The original porch is starting to disintegrate, so I thought this
>would be a good time to replace and enlarge it. It will be approximately
>10X15' and will sit about 9' off the ground. His estimate for materials
>(mostly redwood) was about $1500.
>
>What are the advantages/disadvantages of redwood vs. pressure-treated wood? Do
>they both require the same amounts of maintenance? Will one last longer than
>the other? Is the increased cost of redwood justified? I would be interested
>in hearing people's experiences.
>
>Thanks in advance for your response.
>
>Dean Rossi
My understanding is redwood looks nicer and lasts MUCH longer than either pressure
treated wood or cedar. We had a cedar deck built about 4 years ago, it looks okay.
We are now looking to have a redwood deck built at the new home, and the price
is not all that much higher. Some neighbors have redwood decks, really nice. Are you
planning to do the work yourself?
Jim
Mark Kepke
ros...@ums.colorado.edu (Dean Rossi) wrote:
> I'm seeking a little advice about what type of lumber to use for the building
> of a deck this coming summer.
>
> The guy at the local mega-lumberyard recommended redwood over
pressure-treated
> wood for the construction of a deck which will be on the north (back) side of
> my house. The original porch is starting to disintegrate, so I thought this
> would be a good time to replace and enlarge it. It will be approximately
> 10X15' and will sit about 9' off the ground. His estimate for materials
> (mostly redwood) was about $1500.
>
> What are the advantages/disadvantages of redwood vs. pressure-treated
wood? Do
> they both require the same amounts of maintenance? Will one last longer than
> the other? Is the increased cost of redwood justified? I would be interested
> in hearing people's experiences.
As always, it depends. Redwood is better looking, but more maintenance
intensive (unless you let it go silver). I suspect PT lasts longer.
Generic advice would be to use PT for the framing/posts and use redwood
for the visible areas of the deck.
If you intend to paint it all, use PT and save the money.
--
-Mark
My opinions, etc.
Kent S. Kokko
> > The guy at the local mega-lumberyard recommended redwood over
> pressure-treated
> > wood for the construction of a deck which will be on the north (back) side of
> > my house. The original porch is starting to disintegrate, so I thought this
If you are going to stain it, you would be better off with pressure treated.
I was told it was stronger and should be used for any structural members.
It also last longer if it is in contact with the ground. Redwood and Cedar
look better initially, but both fade with time
ksk
Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of 3M.
Eric Gunnerson
>
>In <rossi_d.11...@ums.colorado.edu>, ros...@ums.colorado.edu (Dean Rossi) writes:
>>I'm seeking a little advice about what type of lumber to use for the building
>>of a deck this coming summer.
>>
>>wood for the construction of a deck which will be on the north (back) side of
>>my house. The original porch is starting to disintegrate, so I thought this
>>10X15' and will sit about 9' off the ground. His estimate for materials
>>(mostly redwood) was about $1500.
>>
>>What are the advantages/disadvantages of redwood vs. pressure-treated wood? Do
>>they both require the same amounts of maintenance? Will one last longer than
>>the other? Is the increased cost of redwood justified? I would be interested
>>in hearing people's experiences.
>>
>>
>>Dean Rossi
>
> My understanding is redwood looks nicer and lasts MUCH longer than either pressure
>treated wood or cedar. We had a cedar deck built about 4 years ago, it looks okay.
>We are now looking to have a redwood deck built at the new home, and the price
>is not all that much higher. Some neighbors have redwood decks, really nice. Are you
>planning to do the work yourself?
>
There are two main enemies that you want to prevent, to keep a deck looking nice:
1) Rot
2) Water and Sun Damage
Pressure treat is designed not to rot, or be attacked by insects - that's the whole purpose of
the treatment. Cedar and Redwood have some natural defense against these, but it's not as good
as pressure treated wood, and really isn't suitable for contact with the ground.
Protection against water and sun requires some sort of coating. I think Redwood is the best at
not deteriorating, but a coating is a good insurance. If you don't use a coating (I've been
really happy with Floods CWF/UV), your wood will be damaged by the sun and rain, and turn that
grey driftwood color (at least the cedar will). With a coating, it will repel the water, and
stay wood colored.
My suggestion is to use pressure treat for the framing, posts, etc., unless they're really
visible, since you get good strength, and the stuff will last for a long time. For the deck,
spend the money, and get the good wood, but remember that you'll have to do some maintenance no
matter what decking you put down - I've seen a bunch of pressure treat decks where there wood
is in fine structural shape, but is gray and has splits.
I think 5/4" material (actually a full inch thick) is the most economical for decking.
You could, of course, paint the deck, and therefore not have to coat it as often, but if you do
that with redwood, you should be publicly shunned.
--
The opinions expressed in this message are my own personal views
and do not reflect the official views of Microsoft Corporation.
Wendy Gordon
maintenance free. We also have north-facing decks. After two years
we got down on our hands and knees (after having the decks
power-washed) and sanded them and sealed them with Penofin. They look
brand new and now I am confident they will last a long time with
maintenance coats of Penofin.
Redwood will deteriorate over time if left uncared for. They gray,
which is pleasing to some people and not to others. We had a problem
with roof water pitting the boards since the wood is fairly soft. (The
solution was to put up gutters.)
If you do go for the redwood, I would highly recommend using Penofin
on the deck. I believe people recommend letting the wood dry out a
little (though not necessarily waiting two years). Penofin is an
oil-based stain which comes in transparent colors. It's expensive
(about $25 per gallon) but it seems well worth it. We expect to put
another coat on the exposed deck this summer and we will probably wait
another year to recoat the covered porch.
All said and done, redwood is probably still more hardly than
pressure-treated lumber.
Ronald Kramer
I completed a 800 sf deck last year from redwood. Absolutely love
the looks of redwood! Trimed deck in copper and used copper tube for
ballisters --- absolutely smashing!! I would recommend the following:
-Redwood is kiln dried and will not show usual dimensional
changes as PT. If you butt the planks together there will
no shrinkage. Don't get the "clear heart" redwood as this
is twice as expensive as the construction grade and you
won't notice the difference.
-Use stainless steel deck screws 2&1/2 inches for 2x decking.
Redwood will eat away any other metal fastener. Screws can
be removed without destroying the wood.
-Use PT lumber construction. Stronger than redwood and will
not rot in your lifetime.
-Get proper sealer. The first year use the Sikkens product
which is made for new wood. Subsequently, use the Dekswood
sealer with UV protection. Dekswood is not recommended for
new wood. Redwood must be sealed against deterioration.
Do not place objects which can trap water on the surface
of redwood for any long period, such as potted plant containers.
Just some advise from the owner of two redwood decks.
Randy Marks
In article <rossi_d.11...@ums.colorado.edu>, ros...@ums.colorado.edu (Dean Rossi) writes...
>I'm seeking a little advice about what type of lumber to use for the building
>of a deck this coming summer.
>
>they both require the same amounts of maintenance? Will one last longer than
>the other? Is the increased cost of redwood justified? I would be interested
>in hearing people's experiences.
Redwood vs. pressure treated vs. cedar seems to vary with geographic location.
In Colorado, most decks are redwood. Yet in WI and NY, I have noticed that
most decks are not redwood. Not sure what the motivation is.
Climate related? Proximity to the lumber mill??
Randy Marks
(INTERNET) ma...@cxo.mts.dec.com
..........................................................................
"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe
while the legislature is in session."
..........................................................................
Ronald Kramer
> -Use stainless steel deck screws 2&1/2 inches for 2x decking.
***correction**** use 3&1/2 inch screws