Timber Decking at home

[Bird]

So I one for the gurus out there.

Need to replace some floor boards on the deck, currently treated pine and stained. Stain has worn off the traffic area badly and some have split at the ends of boards where water sat/ran down the uprights and dripped on to them...

also need to replace the boards on the uprights too (38 at 840 long)
EG:the white boards here, and how to stop the water pooling on the ends of the floorboards and causing it to deteriorate/spilt...



So went to Bunnings and much to my shock, took 15 minutes for the fukin idiots to work out how to get into the caroark, then find a spot, take 20 forwards/backwards to get the **** into a parking spot with nobody around them. I then walked in walked around the timber section and walked out without a ****in soul saying a word to me like "Can I help you" or "do you need a hand or advice"... The 3 dudes were happier to lean on a broom and talk about the blowy he got at the club carpark last night.

Went to Mitre10 - and there was a young bloke in the timber section, had a basic idea, but was always happy to go find out the info I needed - hey we all started somewhere...

But my question is Merbu or Treated pine or other??..
Do you need to do anything to Merbu or just screw it down and walk on it??? the treated Pine would need staining - we used rags to stain it last time and **** it soaked up the stain!!!!!1

Any other timber I should consider??? Hardwood? Spotted Gum??

Anyone know good places in SE Melb to buy the stuff?

[Bill]

I used Modwood for the decks in our old place.
Timber made of/with plastic.
That’s was 12 or more years ago and it looks as good now as it did then.
No maintenance required.
Swmbo made me use Kwila on these decks. Still looks good 11 years later but needs stain/sealer once a year...
Bill

[Bird]

and why the **** don't they just advertise this Shit in $10 a length instead of ****in lineal mtrs... FFS.

[two up]

If you are talking about timber it's because it comes in different lengths. Merbu needs to be stained like other timbers, you can get one specifically for Merbu but use the clear coat.

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[Rumpig]

Pine decking is rubbish, it's what you put on a cheap deck if you are looking to flog the place off...the amount it swells and contracts with wet and dry weather is why you need to put about 5mm gaps atleast between the boards. If you want to go the whole hog, lay it upside down with ripple side up as a non slip thing like all the home handy man shows used to do, because you know, the ripples weren't put on it to allow air flow between the joist and decking to stop them rotting out after all...lol.
Merbau / Kwila is the same timber but called different names in the countries it comes from, when you lay it you are supposed to wait a certain period of time for the tannin to bleed out before staining it, downside is the mess it can make to stuff underneath when it bleeds out. Out in the elements you really need to restain the deck every 6 months, 12 months at the very worst or it'll start to show it's wear.
Composite decking like Modwood is gaining popularity due to lack of maintenance needed on them, though earlier products did fade over time in the sun...supposably the newer stuff is better, but time will tell i guess.
Your uprights / balustrades will just be pre primed pine, make sure you prime the ends of them when cut to length....you can use a hardwood, but it makes them painful to nail to the top and bottom rails.
I layed a mixed species of hardwood decking at my place (about 1300 LM all up), if you've got pine already and aren't replacing the lot, just use Merbau / Kwila to replace the odd piece instead if you don't want to stain the pine again.

[Moggy]

When I was doing renos with kwila decking I reckoned the best way was to coat it all round before installing & then all the cuts as installing. I used to advise clients to get the best result you should double the days between coats til you get to yearly, so basically this coating schedule
1 day
2 days
4 days
7 days
2 weeks
1 month
2 months
4 months
6 months
Yearly thereafter.
As you can see 10 coats in the first year, but can guarantee it will look stunning & last forever.
I'd recommend spotted gum over kwila purely for looks or jarrah if you want a red colour & use natural decking oil is my suggestion


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[plusnq]

I just redid our back deck replacing rails and balusters with kwila. It waa a pain to nail the balusters but apart from painting it should be good for a long time.

[Watty2975]

We used Ecko decking from Bunnings. It a composite and supposedly maintenance free.
It is very dense compared to the natural decking wood.

It is on our landing, fully exposed to the sun and elements. Been down a year, seems to be going well. Used it as a trial before committing to the other 180 square metres!

[gordo350]

When I was doing renos with kwila decking I reckoned the best way was to coat it all round before installing & then all the cuts as installing. I used to advise clients to get the best result you should double the days between coats til you get to yearly, so basically this coating schedule
1 day
2 days
4 days
7 days
2 weeks
1 month
2 months
4 months
6 months
Yearly thereafter.
As you can see 10 coats in the first year, but can guarantee it will look stunning & last forever.
I'd recommend spotted gum over kwila purely for looks or jarrah if you want a red colour & use natural decking oil is my suggestion


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There's no way I could recommend spotted gum as a decking.  Way too reactive. Merbau should be banned as it is ALL rainforest timber no matter what the sticker says. I've been using Black Butt for a few years now. Stable, hard and termite resistant.

[achjimmy]

Just about to redo our decking. Going to use anything but timber , Iam over the Maintance . The spotted gum has been good but too much work.

[GBC]

Pine decking is rubbish, it's what you put on a cheap deck if you are looking to flog the place off...the amount it swells and contracts with wet and dry weather is why you need to put about 5mm gaps atleast between the boards. If you want to go the whole hog, lay it upside down with ripple side up as a non slip thing like all the home handy man shows used to do, because you know, the ripples weren't put on it to allow air flow between the joist and decking to stop them rotting out after all...lol.
Merbau / Kwila is the same timber but called different names in the countries it comes from, when you lay it you are supposed to wait a certain period of time for the tannin to bleed out before staining it, downside is the mess it can make to stuff underneath when it bleeds out. Out in the elements you really need to restain the deck every 6 months, 12 months at the very worst or it'll start to show it's wear.
Composite decking like Modwood is gaining popularity due to lack of maintenance needed on them, though earlier products did fade over time in the sun...supposably the newer stuff is better, but time will tell i guess.
Your uprights / balustrades will just be pre primed pine, make sure you prime the ends of them when cut to length....you can use a hardwood, but it makes them painful to nail to the top and bottom rails.
I layed a mixed species of hardwood decking at my place (about 1300 LM all up), if you've got pine already and aren't replacing the lot, just use Merbau / Kwila to replace the odd piece instead if you don't want to stain the pine again.

We have installed a lot of the larger section modwood commercially. It is going well. Probably too expensive for domestic decks in a lot of situations.
The tolerances required for expansion and contraction don't really reward tradesmanlike installation either. Every morning the gaps are huge and by smoko they have closed up again in the sun.

[loanrangie]

Bruce, is there no gap between the decking ? I need to re do our deck but want to go for a solid floor so i can enclose the area underneath (10x4m) and make a rumpus/pool room.
 While picking up something off gumtree i met a block that used A bond plywood in 19mm for his deck flooring and said once it was sealed properly it was good, my deck is fully covered so this appeals to me.

[GBC]

Bruce, is there no gap between the decking ? I need to re do our deck but want to go for a solid floor so i can enclose the area underneath (10x4m) and make a rumpus/pool room.
 While picking up something off gumtree i met a block that used A bond plywood in 19mm for his deck flooring and said once it was sealed properly it was good, my deck is fully covered so this appeals to me.

Compressed FC with a membrane is the orthodox method of doing what you propose. Joist size and spacing will probably require attention though.

[Bird]

Bruce, is there no gap between the decking ? I need to re do our deck but want to go for a solid floor so i can enclose the area underneath (10x4m) and make a rumpus/pool room.
 While picking up something off gumtree i met a block that used A bond plywood in 19mm for his deck flooring and said once it was sealed properly it was good, my deck is fully covered so this appeals to me.

yea theres a small gap between boards, just enough for your keys to fall down through and plenty of cukinfa cash when your wallet hits the deck, or the pizza delivery arsehat drops the money

[loanrangie]

Compressed FC with a membrane is the orthodox method of doing what you propose. Joist size and spacing will probably require attention though.

Yeah, weight is an issue though with FC  which is what i would like to avoid otherwise i would need to replace the timber with steel posts and beams.

[b1]

UBIQ make a CFC decking board, I’ve soon it looks very good. Supposed to be lightweight but compared to what ?
http://www.ubiq.com.au/ubiq-inexdecking/

[Beachman]

When putting decks on both my current house and our last house we requested spotted gum to be laid on the decks and I’ve been extremely happy with how they have held up. But after reading the above it appears I’m in the minority.

The only downside that I can think of is they are a really hard timber, so decking oil doesn’t really seep in but rather becomes a top coat which can scratch easily. 

[Bird]

The only downside that I can think of is they are a really hard timber, so decking oil doesn’t really seep in but rather becomes a top coat which can scratch easily

That's something I hadn't thought of with harder timbers.



with all this decking I kept thinking of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW5rhvmAu0c

[chester ver2.0]

When I was doing renos with kwila decking I reckoned the best way was to coat it all round before installing & then all the cuts as installing. I used to advise clients to get the best result you should double the days between coats til you get to yearly, so basically this coating schedule
1 day
2 days
4 days
7 days
2 weeks
1 month
2 months
4 months
6 months
Yearly thereafter.
As you can see 10 coats in the first year, but can guarantee it will look stunning & last forever.
I'd recommend spotted gum over kwila purely for looks or jarrah if you want a red colour & use natural decking oil is my suggestion


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Jesus its no wonder i like tiles

[rags]

I kinda like the effort gone into fixing our Verandah decking. No fixings visible, all screwed into the steel floor joists, countersunk and then plugged to conceal any evidence with a sanded finish before a oil finish. Like the rest of the house a craftsmanship effort.

A great spot to sit this arvo celebrating my birthday watching the sunset over the river.

[GBC]

I kinda like the effort gone into fixing our Verandah decking. No fixings visible, all screwed into the steel floor joists, countersunk and then plugged to conceal any evidence with a sanded finish before a oil finish. Like the rest of the house a craftsmanship effort.

A great spot to sit this arvo celebrating my birthday watching the sunset over the river.

Most chippies wouldn't know what a plug cutter was anymore. Someone obviously had a whole lot of time on their hands.

[rags]

Most chippies wouldn't know what a plug cutter was anymore. Someone obviously had a whole lot of time on their hands.

Weather boards fixed to steel frame done in a similar fashion, along with all the internal timber joinery.
Even I as a Plumber with a bit of a knack for timber work can appreciate the craftsmanship of the carpenter responsible. Don't know who the carpenter was as we bought the place at pre-auction as a deceased estate, but the owner certainly didn't crimp on his build budget.

[GBC]

I’d guess he was a joiner. I did my time under one. I didn’t get his skills though. There’s just not enough time to learn the old ways these days. I’ve cut a few plugs though. Before post forming all our tassie oak faced benches were done that way. As was the deck of the kookaburra queen.  Enjoy your palace, good to see it went to someone with an eye for detail.


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[Rumpig]

Most chippies wouldn't know what a plug cutter was anymore. Someone obviously had a whole lot of time on their hands.

probably because most customers aren't prepared to pay what it costs to do a job like that....I've done one deck in 25 years of being a chippie that was a plug job, it also had the 140mm x 35mm boards rebated along the edges and filled with black Sika....flash looking deck but very expensive to do

[GBC]

Spot on, aggressive consumerism has killed our game. I see a few decent builders working on the hill top homes around my area (camp hill/Coorparoo), but there aren't many people who can afford to pay for a proper job anymore much less know what one looks like.
I did part of my time for a shopfitter at Moorooka who had a joinery shop. They won the jobs that nobody else could build (a round mansion with hand machined radius doors and windows at double bay in Sydney etc). I learned a lot, but what the older generation could do with their hands just blew me away. My generation wasn't taught those skills.