[dayexco]

i'm a ditch digger, not a wood jockey....i have a house built in 1976 on a lake. the house has weathered vertical cedar siding which is still in very good condition. there is a deck that wraps around 3 sides of the house, "approx. 1800 sq ft"...made of redwood. now the question. the redwood decking needs to be replaced. knots are falling out, ends of boards becoming rotted. can't afford to replace with redwood. questions are...

1. should i redo this with cedar?

2. shall i go with some of the new plastic stuff? if so, what brands?

it's my wife's concern that we keep the "look" of what is there now.

 

[macatawacab]

My preference is Timbertech. It holds color better than most. You can screw thru the face or use the clip system. Clip system is more money but great look and no "mushrooms" at the screw heads.

I have had MAJOR problems with fading on Trex. So I do not use it ever again.

Cedar is too much money for the maintenance required. Same w/ redwood

Have the wife go to a showroom and check out pattern and color options.

One more thing, I use Boat Wash from a marine store (West Marine, etc) on the Timbertech decks for cleaning. It cleans great, leaves it a tad bit shinier, and does not hurt the grass or shrubs since it is designed for discharge into waterways.

 

[Chris G]

1800sq ft of composite.....let me put it this way....do you want a new excavator instead? $$$$

Honestly, I would just go with pt. You won't be able to tell it from cedar once it goes grey. Unless the look you have now has been maintained with yearly washes and treatments, it's probably grey too, yes?

Save your $ and do an interesting design that just looks like a Million$. You can run boards diagonally, put boarders on, build benches and otherwise go to town for all you'll save.

But if you really want composite, by all means do it.

 

[dayexco]

Honestly, I would just go with pt. .

remember, i'm a ditch digger....what is pt?

 

[SLSTech]

Correct Deck CX for me with the Fastenators is my composite of choice

Most people around here go PT (Pressure Treated), I can't say I have had the pleasure of working with Cedar or Redwood

It all comes down to money up front versus money & time spent on maintenance / replacement

 

[Meetre]

PT = pressure treated lumber. Stay away from Trex, too many problems. There are lot's of composites and pvc, but they will cost a lot on a deck that size. I think the first thing you need to decide is the budget. What do you want to spend, then look at the options that fall in that range.

 

[dayexco]

this pic may give you a better idea of the look we have....and what she wants to maintain.

 

[PA woodbutcher]

If you can't afford redwood, your gonna squeal when you get some prices on composite:laughing: Sorry, not really funny, but your the ones that is going to have to maintain it. If you use pressure treated it will have to be maintained. Even with maintenance it will be looking rough in 15 years, due to shrinkage, cracking etc.

Big beautiful decks I like:thumbsup: Only you can put the price tag on what your time in maintenance and keeping the wife happy.

I have also use the correct deck with excellent results, what it will look like in 15 years I don't know.

 

[Chris G]

Nice house!

Really, I can't see composite fitting in with the look.

Here are my prices for Cedar, pressure treated, and composite. Yours will be lower, I live in Canada.

These are for 5/4 x 6 deck boards, (which measure 1" thick). You may have 2 x 6's on there now, don't know.

Anyhow, when you call around for prices, most yards, with the exception of HD, etc, will quote you a price per linear foot.

PT: 5/4 x 6 is 73 cents a foot

Cedar 5/4 x 6 is $1.29 per foot.

Composite......$4-6 per foot. (Got $20,000 + kicking around?)

This time of year, you may be able to negotiate if yards are wanting to clear stock for winter.

I change my vote to cedar for your place.

 

[Tom R]

Great look, I'd stick with cedar, rather than plasticize and cheapen the overall appearance.

If the hit is too big at once, break it into (annual) sections . . .


edit . . . oop, meant to say redwood . . .

 

[Tom Struble]

how long has the redwood decking been there?

 

[macatawacab]

One thing we all forgot to ask. What is the joist spacing?

If you are at 16"oc you can do what you want. If you are at 24" oc you have to get the right deck material for that spacing.

In MI I am paying < 5.85 persqft for Timbertech and 1.50persqft for 5/4 x 6" PT. Have to be go look at the pt before it is delivered. different sources have different qualities.

Would recommend that you screw down the deck regardless of material. I always have screwed it down, even pt, but some guys around here are shooting ring shank galvanized. Not a great install

 

[dayexco]

how long has the redwood decking been there?

1976, when the home was built

 

[PA woodbutcher]

Would recommend that you screw down the deck regardless of material. I always have screwed it down, even pt, but some guys around here are shooting ring shank galvanized. Not a great install

Can't wait for the responses to this one. Screws break as the boards shrink, nails pull loose eventually. JMO, but this will also be determined by the lumber that is used. I really don't remember the PT shrinking as much 10-15 years ago. Decks that I put down then, don't seem to have as many broken screws.

 

[Tom Struble]

1976, when the home was built

cant ask for more than that from a wood decking

 

[neolitic]

Day, If you multiply Chris' $ by 2 that
will be his square foot price (roughly.)
You have a Nenards there, right?
Check them against your local yards
for cedar.
I got some really pretty stuff from them
last winter, and it was better grade and price
than any of my local yards.
Cedar should be good for 20 years up there
if you stain it every 2-3 years.


ADD:
You didn't really think we'd let
anyone beat you up? :laughing:

 

[crovello]

1800sq ft of composite.....let me put it this way....do you want a new excavator instead? $$$$

Honestly, I would just go with pt. You won't be able to tell it from cedar once it goes grey. Unless the look you have now has been maintained with yearly washes and treatments, it's probably grey too, yes?

Save your $ and do an interesting design that just looks like a Million$. You can run boards diagonally, put boarders on, build benches and otherwise go to town for all you'll save.

But if you really want composite, by all means do it.

If he charges like my site work guy money should be no problem :whistling

Put down some Ipe with the ebty system. You can put oil on it or leave it natural. Either way it looks great and will last a very long time.

 

[macatawacab]

PA are you saying to nail a redwood or cedar deck down? Cause every redwood or cedar deck I have ever done was fastened with counter sunk stainless steel screws. Customers don't want to see nail marks. In my experience, nails pop up as deck boards move with weather.

Quality screws have to be shopped for these days so you don't get some cheap crap screws, and there is plenty of crap screws out there. Never seen a screw shear on any of the decks I built.

 

[tgeb]

I'm guessing you could not talk her into Apitong?

You know it holds up well. :laughing:

http://www.trailerdecking.com/

 

[Tinstaafl]

it's my wife's concern that we keep the "look" of what is there now.

Absolutely nothing new is going to match the look of what you have now. But you know that.

Personally, just as I much prefer the warmth of wood floors to tile, I have no use for composite/PVC decking. It gets too hot to walk on barefoot in summer, and it's a slippery deathtrap in winter. And like tile, it just isn't "warm" to the look. But if you're buying, I'll install whatever you want. :thumbup:

Good old pressure treated is going to be your most economical choice, but without regular maintenance it won't last nearly as long as what you have now. MOF, I don't think I've ever seen a PT deck looking good after 30 years, regardless of how anal the owner is.

Folks in this area don't generally go for the more exotic woods, so i don't have experience with them. But if you have the budget, I'd definitely look into that rather than any of the synthetic products.