Anyone worked much with these azek products? I wrapped some beams and a box sill on a deck with the azek 1x12s for a guy last summer, scarf joints at seams and I think I fastened it every 8" as recommended with trim screws. The stuff has shrank and pulled apart 1/4 inch at least at the scarf joints. I installed the azek porch floor as the manufacturer recommended with similar trim screws thru the tongue. At the time of installation I was impressed with the durability of the stuff, my help dropped his sharp chisel on it and it just bounced off it, not even making a mark. The home owner called me a few hours ago telling me he and his wife were laying in bed last nite hearing the porch popping and cracking loudly. He thought we didn't set the post deep enuf and the porch was heaving. We put them 4' in the ground, they put water lines in at 42" around here so I know we are safe there. He called back and said when he got home he walked up on the porch and the floor was popping and cracking loudly as he walked, he compared it to a .22 riffle shot cracking off. Anyone experience this before, it is cold here, 4 this morning and 11 degrees now.
Azek porch flooring and 1x12
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
That came out weird but yeah scarfs are a no no.:thumbsup: I was trying to say I don't recomend a scarf joint but that is not what I typed.:whistling Sorry about that.
You need a floating lap joint to make it look decent in all weather conditions.
Cole
Here is some of our azek work.
Joined
·
4,732 Posts
Hey Cole, don't some of those joints open up in the cold of winter?
Just wondering:001_unsure:
Just wondering:001_unsure:
Yes they do but if you do lap joints, they joint will have a white backer instead of gap a scarf joint creates.
We don't try and stop it from moving we just try and control what it looks like when it has contracted.
We are also so cold no body looks at it in the winter.:laughing:
Cole
I wish I'd of known about lapping it, this is a pretty big azek project and the owner is not happy about the joints being 1/4" open, I've worked with the trim on a smaller scale in the past and have had good luck with it. I did my research on the installation of this stuff, I asked the guy who sold it to him what he knew about it and he said they sold large volumes of it and his guys have had a lot of good luck with it. I asked him for literature on it to make sure I was installing it to the manufacturer's specs. In a way I am glad the customer bought the material and hired me to install it, I wouldn't want him pointing his finger at my recommendation. Anyway I look at it I can't wrap my head around the customer being able to hear the popping and cracking sounds of the porch floor while upstairs laying in bed, I don't think that should be.
So even if you can sell the floating lap to the customer and convince them that they will have some form of gap they must live with it seems to me that void when contracted would be a place for moisture to make its way in and under the azek. I'm still not sure about it for this application, and I kinda understand the customer being pissed.
Joined
·
17,271 Posts
pvc can break your heart..
Joined
·
7,365 Posts
Moisture makes its way into a lot of places.
PVC is great stuff, but like every other material out there it has pluses and minuses.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Join the discussion
