[Charles_cz]

Hi guys,

Just quick question from your experience.. I just need to replace few boards on existing deck for good customer of mine. I don't deal with decks often so my experience with decking materials is limited.

That said existing decking is 5/4x6 I was going to pick up some at HD but I have read some terrible reviews about cracking next day, very poor quality over all.

Is it really that bad? Is my local lumber yard much better choice? What is your experience with quality?

Not long ago I've replaced 2x6" boards on small deck and I had really hard time to hand select "usable" boards (HD).

I don't buy whole lot of lumber so most of the time I don't need to visit lumber yard.

Any input?
Thanks Charles

 

[John Hyatt]

It makes very little difference what kind of pt lumber you buy when using it as decking.

Don't buy anything important at the box stores.

JonMon www.deckmastersllc.com

 

[Warren]

My lumber yard carries 2 varieties of the 5/4 decking. One is the same poor quality that you see everywhere, while the other is much nicer, but is almost twice the cost.

 

[Rich D.]

Sometimes you will find a decent bunk of boards at hd.. you really need to pick through them..

I like the pt at my local yard much better than my local hd.. it may be a little more money but your likley to get a decent quality and its delivered to the job... Also they carry MCA treated wood which is what i like to use.

 

[Charles_cz]

I don't mind spending a little bit more for better quality. I was just surprised that some people complained about splitting.. So Ithought it might be due to quality..

Someone suggested "This is not KDAT (wood that is dried after pressure treatment) lumber as some seem to think it is. KDAT lumber can been installed immediately after you buy it and then sealed/ stained or painted. This wood is KD19 before pressure treatment. That means you will get a huge variance in moisture content from board to board (up to 30% MC or even much more) when you pull it off the rack or have it delivered as there may be boards from many different lots . You will notice a difference in weight as you load them. The only way to prevent a huge issue with gaps and splitting after the wood is installed is to dry the boards first."

Is that something I should be aware of?

I can't imagine people buying decking in advance and drying before installation. Then again, I don't deal with PT decking much.
I can imagine 5/4 PT will be much more prone to splitting when drying than 2x6 for example.

Darn, learning all the time..

 

[Rich D.]

The stuff at home depot is deffinitly not dried after treatment! make sure to gap them alittle closer.. if there soaked i butt them up to each other.

 

[TimelessQuality]

HD here has two lines... Regular and select...select is nearly knot free

Still wet as heck, but better grade for sure

 

[Charles_cz]

Rich, I understand that.. I'll be replacing few boards. Not entire deck so I will just keep gaps even on each side.

My concern is that so many people have problem with splitting. So question is. Is it because of poor installation or because it really needs to dry some before install.

I was just going to pick what I need tomorrow and install it immediately. Am I asking for problems? I don't want to have call from customer in 2 months that new boards are splitting already.

Just trying to avoid unnecessary mistake...

 

[dvatt]

My guess is the board won't fit in width bc it will be so wet

 

[Charles_cz]

My guess is the board won't fit in width bc it will be so wet

In that case I'll let it sit there for couple of month.. I might end up doing kitchen install in the same place.. :thumbup:

 

[Rich D.]

Well if your talking about end spliting and surface checking thats pretty normal with pt wood...

 

[CarpenterSFO]

Rich, I understand that.. I'll be replacing few boards. Not entire deck so I will just keep gaps even on each side.

My concern is that so many people have problem with splitting. So question is. Is it because of poor installation or because it really needs to dry some before install.

I was just going to pick what I need tomorrow and install it immediately. Am I asking for problems? I don't want to have call from customer in 2 months that new boards are splitting already.

Just trying to avoid unnecessary mistake...

Nail or screw one side only. Go back, or send a guy back, a month later to fasten the other side, after most of the shrinking is done. Stop by once or twice on your way somewhere else to make sure it isn't warping and unsafe. Works well with fences, too.

 

[Deckhead]

In short, pt is **** and will crack. Its not decking material, its framing material.

 

[Calidecks]

In short, pt is **** and will crack. Its not decking material, its framing material.

You bet it is, I use PT for framing only and make damn sure non of it is visible when I'm done.

 

[John Hyatt]

All we have over here is pt yellow pine mcq.

A person could sticker it up in a controlled environment , run some fans thru it for a couple of months, use small fasteners to reduce stress and the end result would be yellow pine laying flat to the sun.

Yellow pine laying flat to the sun outdoors will split, crack, warp and generally through a fit like a two year old no matter how its fastened, aged, or finished.

J.

 

[Charles_cz]

Thank you guys for your input.. Appreciated!