Hey Everyone - Rob Jones here.
Just to let you know, we’ve moved the posts of this blog to blog.builddirect.com. And this is also where future posts will be published. Really, it’s like we’ve moved next door - not too far away.
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Thanks a lot, and I hope to hear from you in our comments section!
Cheers,
Rob.
Here is a great and timely article on the fire rating of Ipe.
http://www.deckmagazine.com/article/164.html#IPE
While not defininitive, it certainly suggests a great resistance as compared to other organic and most composites on the market.
Here is a page from a customer of ours who used Quadra Vinyl Decking. It shows a great installation and final product, and also some of the things to be aware of when installing a product like this:
http://decksummer08.shutterfly.com/
If tou have feedback or projects of your own, let me know.
It’s good to get a sense that even great products (Quadra is our highest rated deck product) can still have challenges during installation. The finished results speak for themselves.
Key Characteristics for decking projects vary from person to person and from project to project. One of the criterias we have been hearing more about is flame spread ratings and fire class.
This link provides a great overview of the topic and how it applies to commonly used decking projects:
http://dps.state.la.us/sfm/doc_flamespread.html
Of note, you can see most wood products are class III or C which means they are the most flammable. The exception to this for deck use is Western Red Cedar.
Additionally, most composites are Class B rated, but the only one that I have seen that is Class A is Premium Composites. This seems to be a unique feature to this product which makes it a consideration in fire prone areas or potentially on roof top applications.
I’m interested to see what other products are used out there in fire sensitive settings. Let me know.
Campbell
Earlier this week I wrote about a couple of shots I saw that outlined the framing and preparation for a cedar deck. The shots continued to show the cedar being delivered and then installed.
There is a great video of the wood being hoisted 40′ to the roof top for the deck here: Hoist Cedar 40\’ to roof
He was also fortunate to find a fork lift handy to remove his decking from the truck and get it to his hoist. Most of the time it is unloaded by hand:
And the results:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danebrian/2532123705/in/set-72157605113591323/
I saw a great little photo spread on a cedar deck which lays out the various steps on his cedar deck as it is being built:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danebrian/2500012839/in/set-72157605113591323/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danebrian/2500016459/in/set-72157605113591323/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danebrian/2500850462/in/set-72157605113591323/
When looking at the composite decks that are available, the choice of product out there is pretty large. Considerations include colour availability, materials, warranty, dimension, coverage, span and, of course, looks.
One question I hear often is regarding hollow (engineered) deck boards vs solid deck boards: what’s going on?
The simple answer is: not a lot. Deck boards are rated for strength over spans through standardized test procedures. So whether a board is hollow or not, from a strength perspective you need to see how it is rated to make plans for spacing your joists. Hollow boards are typically engineered to more efficiently use less material to create a strong or stronger board than a solid board.
There is a visual component that concerns some regarding the look of the deck board ends. Obviously, wood decks are not hollow and the aesthetic of deck boards being solid is difficult to shake. To overcome this, there is usually a number of options for addressing this including finishing strips or fascia boards.
Some decks also require a solid board as the plans call for some to be routed. This is one application where a solid board is the only choice.
Given the similarities in application and the cost saving associated with a hollow board (less material), you may ask why solid boards are so prevalent in the North American market. The reason seems to be perception. As mentioned before, wood decks are solid and the first composite deck boards on the market were all solid. This seems to have created an image in the minds of many consumers that that is what composite decking is. Whereas, in Europe and Asia, engineered hollow boards have broad acceptance.
The focus of decks tends to be deck boards, the railings that are needed on virtually every deck are often relegated to an afterthought. The reality is that railings are the most customizable and visible part of your deck. Railings also play a huge role in the safety of your deck.
So what is involved when looking at railings? There are a variety of choices available in materials alone:
- Aluminum
- Composite
- Wood (Cedar, hardwood, pressure-treated)
- Vinyl
Just to name a few. Like decking, there are pros and cons to each. Vinyl, composite and aluminum represent low to no maintenance and long term lifespans. Natural wood looks and feels great, but needs periodic maintenance. Each material also varies with cost, strength and aesthetic value.
Often customers are looking to coordinate their railing materials with their deck materials. However, this is not always the case. We have some outstanding looking decks with materials mixed and matched: Aluminum on cedar, vinyl on composite and steel on hardwood (ipe).
Next post I’ll talk about some of the labour saving you can get with different rail packages.
On my last blog I wrote about the various costs of the products that we sell, and one species ( in my humble opinion) deserves a lot of consideration. Western Red Cedar. This is a renewable softwood resource and relatively plentiful compared to some of the exotics and specialty woods. The decking grades BuildDirect sells are “knotty” grades that the mills select for the sound tight knots for a solid surface. We have two grades, the sound tight knot, “select”, and the “#2 and better no hole” grade, a slightly less grade and still good for one side for decking. See
As a wood, Western Red Cedar is classified as durable species, and decks can last twenty plus years with some maintenance. It has been used for roofing shingles and shakes, sidewall shingles for the cottage craftsman look, interior panelling, exterior siding in bevel, channel and board and batten, and of course Decking. The color is similar to Redwood, but not quite as red, more of a brown color and very pleasing to the eye. Interior paneling of the tongue and groove product in clear or knotty grades definitely adds character to rooms. On a historical note, Cedar has been used for centuries in the Pacific North West. See www.wrcla.org for what I think is the definitive source on this species, the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association is an extremely valuable resource for knowledge and handling of Cedar.
With Decking, the most used sizes are the 5/4 x 6 (net size is 1″ x 5 1/2″) and 2×6 (net size is 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″) as the width is good for walking on and the wider width gives the board added strength. The 5/4 x 6 can be used to span 16″ on center, and 2×6 for a 24″ span on center. The 5/4 x 4 and the 2×4 should be limited to 12″ span.
Pricing is attractive in Cedar, it has the image of a specialty species and expensive, however I don’t think so as there are many more expensive exotics in the market. Pressure treated wood is less money, however the Pines and Hemlocks have their own characteristics and in a direct comparison, I prefer Cedar. When some of the exotic clear grades are $2.50 - 3.50 a lineal foot, the Cedar 5/4 x 6 at 1.07 and the 2×6 at 1.44 are very good value. The #2and better grade is even more of a bargain, 0.54 a lineal foot. I cannot comment on what other companies do on price, the prices on our website are our FOB mill prices and the only variable is the freight cost for home or commercial delivery.
Cedar is value.
Regards Glen
Just another note on relative costs of products, we have many products and nowhere is there a quick summary of various products’ pricing, so here goes. This is only a guide, as of April ‘08 but gives you a comparison to work with. One item to check is the Cedar 5/4 x 6 #2and better grade, this is an outstanding value for a natural wood, no preservatives and the grade still gives a very good deck. Expect a little more trimming so adjust the wastage factor.
At the top end of the scale for performance the composites, PVC, and hardwoods are excellent as well, I cannot recommend one over the other, the customers’ preferences rule.
Price Ladder- fob warehouse or mill- all prices $us/lineal foot-
|
Ipe |
5/4 x 6 |
$3.35 |
solid |
|
Ipe |
1 x 6 |
$2.58 |
solid |
|
Ipe |
1 x 6 |
$3.02 |
pre-grooved |
|
Ipe |
1 x 4 |
$1.98 |
solid |
|
Cumaru |
1 x 6 |
$2.29 |
pre-grooved |
|
Cumaru |
1 x 6 |
$2.09 |
solid |
|
Tigerwood |
1 x 6 |
$2.10 |
solid |
|
PVC Quadra |
|
$1.69 |
solid |
|
Composite Yakima |
|
$1.43 |
|
|
Composite Rever |
|
$1.42 |
|
|
Western Red Cedar |
2 x 6 |
$1.44 |
Select grade |
|
Western Red Cedar |
5/4 x 6 |
$1.07 |
Select grade |
|
Western Red Cedar |
5/4 x 4 |
$0.46 |
Select grade |
|
Western Red Cedar |
5/4 x 6 |
$0.54 |
#2 and better grade. |
Regards, Glen
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