Time to replace front deck and stairs.

[ultrarunner]

I’m going with aluminum stanchions and cable for railings… one less thing to worry about in the future plus outstanding view.

My lower deck will have several steps to grade and I’m going with precast concrete… also cry once and be done with it.

The wet side of the PNW is harsh on wood products…

I had a larger 12x20 deck that suffered tree damage and will replace with a small stacked retaining wall so as to eliminate future work…

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I replaced our small front porch & steps with Trex a couple years ago. Original concrete porch was low in center so after a rain there was a water puddle. So what I did was build a form with 2×8 PTs and all braced so everything was straight & level...except I wanted the house side 1 inch higher than outer edge. You can't really notice that slight amount but when it rains it runs off.
After form was finished I put down roll roofing then the Trex. So it's watertight. Now I don't have to paint the porch.
Trex screws are kind of weird because the top 3/4" or so is left hand thread I'm sure so it couldn't be installed too tight to crack or warp it.

 

[BigBlue1]

Beautiful looking deck and view from it!

Thank you! It was a big project that I'm happy to have behind me. Not that it was difficult, but working only a few hours an evening being slowed by weather and summer camping trips it dragged on for quite a while.

 

[BigBlue1]

Oh, another thing people have concerns with Trex about is slipperiness. And yes, when wet I can see it being a bit more slick than wood. But not dramatic. I guess it would depend on the type of shoe you were wearing.

 

[Duds13]

Thank you! It was a big project that I'm happy to have behind me. Not that it was difficult, but working only a few hours an evening being slowed by weather and summer camping trips it dragged on for quite a while.

This is mine after the remodel. New cedar ceiling and lights and posts as well.

 

[BigBlue1]

This is mine after the remodel. New cedar ceiling and lights and posts as well.

View attachment 5223907

Looks awesome! It all blends well.

 

[Duds13]

Looks awesome! It all blends well.

Thank you!

 

[BackRoad]

How do you keep the deer out of those beautiful Hostas Mr. Duds?

 

[Duds13]

How do you keep the deer out of those beautiful Hostas Mr. Duds?

It's funny, the deer don't touch the hostas on my property. Maybe because there is other vegetation they prefer? I have a big hosta "garden" area close to the porch that would be a feast for them if they chose, but they seem to ignore it thankfully!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

We've been here 46 years and the dam deer eat everything. What they don't eat the bucks tear up rubbing their antlers on fruit trees.
Nothing worked so I called our game warden who said someone is feeding them, then found out it was the neighbor next door.
So I bought this and no more problems.
.
.
.
That's NOT venison.

 

[Hughman]

I have trex on my current home. Very easy to maintain.

Make sure you watch this instructional video...

 

[2manyrocks]

I started to suggest it might be less expensive to install a roof over the stairs/decking to extend the life of the new pressure treated, but then you guys posted a lot of covered porches where you installed trex.

I used to see covered wooden porches in Middle Tennessee where the wood always seemed to be painted with a thick coat of gray porch enamel paint. Think someone said cypress wood was sometimes used in this application, but I don't know what wood was actually used.

Painted wood tends to be slick when it gets wet, too.

 

[Duds13]

I started to suggest it might be less expensive to install a roof over the stairs/decking to extend the life of the new pressure treated, but then you guys posted a lot of covered porches where you installed trex.

I used to see covered wooden porches in Middle Tennessee where the wood always seemed to be painted with a thick coat of gray porch enamel paint. Think someone said cypress wood was sometimes used in this application, but I don't know what wood was actually used.

Painted wood tends to be slick when it gets wet, too.

My porch floor was painted pressure treated and was not done correctly from the start, so it was flaking badly and the one end would always get very wet do to wind circulation when it was raining. It was a no win situation which is why I went with the Azec.

 

[1Mech]

For your structural members, you can use foundation grade treated lumber, still available with CCA treatment. It is a special order lumber treated to a .6 pcf retention vs .4 or .2 for regular lumber yard treated lumber. Code does not allow it to be used as decking or railing where it comes into human contact, but it is allowed for structural members and it lasts a long time. I have built two foundations using it, one of them over 30 years old now, still strong! As with any treated lumber, you should treat any cut surfaces with additional preservative to prevent rot or termite damage.
If using CCA treated lumber you should also use either stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized fasteners.

 

[N80]

15 years seems like a very short lifespan for a treated deck. Do you have any pictures to show why it failed so quickly?

In my experience, most deck builders are guys that have some experience framing homes, but zero understanding of how a deck is supposed to be built. Most seem to think fasteners can be used to support beams, or they ignore beams and rely on joists to carry the load. Rarely do they use ledger boards and it's very rare to see joist hangers.

I have a deck job in a couple months that used 5/4 treated wood for the decking. It's the worse stuff possible ever since the treatment process changed.

My experience with composite decking has been to give a client a bid with it and another bid using treated 2x6's for the decking. The difference in cost is so significant that I always build the deck with 2x6 decking. Everyone want's composite, nobody wants to pay for it.

I have repaired a few decks with composite decking because it's weak and cannot span very far. Most common repair is to replace the decking with new and add joists between the existing joist for a shorter span.

Eddie, the guy who built it the first time is a very accomplished carpenter. He notched the 6x6 support posts for the rim joists to rest on. No weight bearing on fasteners. I think the issue is the quality of the lumber to be honest. And honestly, the sun on those stairs is just brutal. I used 2x6s for the stair treads and they all warped and twisted and snapped good quality deck screws that I predrilled when I replaced them.

The stringers on the back porch stairs on my house in town rotted in 7 years. It was YellaWood brand. I could poke my finger through the wood. The carpenter who did those was a bit shoddy. It wasn't an amazing job but typical of what you get these days. He did oversaw the stringers. In other words, he did not finish each rise and run with a hand saw. Just ran the circular saw further into the wood. I redid them myself and did it right. But even with semi-shoddy work that YellaWood was utter garbage and should not have turned to mush in 7 years.

Lots of other good replies since I checked back. Thanks everyone.

I cannot afford the solid PVC stuff. It is shockingly expensive. I could swing the price of Trex but I am concerned about the heat.

The aluminum stuff looks solid but this is a traditional log cabin and my wife won't go for that. She's even against the Trex.

So I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. The porch boards are treated and they are under a roof. Close to 25 years old. They are a nice gray and holding up great. So if I did go with Trex I could use a light gray to match the porch boards and they might not get quite as hot.

My wife is really concerned about the heat in the Trex. We have toddler grand kids. But I don't think the splinters and popped screws would be any worse than hot Trex.

 

[BigBlue1]

Some lumberyards will have a deck display outside. Some sample decks with various of the materials they sell. Maybe find one and go check them out during a hot & sunny summer day to get a feel for the heat yourself. Or go buy one board in the color you want and bring it home and leave it out in the sun to check. As with anything, heat absorption is going to depend a lot on color. Choose a lighter color to reduce the chances of them soaking up the sun.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My cousin installed this treated, light colored, 5/4 yellow pine decking several years ago. It's holding up well and is never too hot to walk on, even on a hot summer day.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/WeatherShield-5-4-in-x-6-in-x-8-ft-Ground-Contact-Pressure-Treated-Premium-Southern-Yellow-Pine-Decking-Board-253944/206967715?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl&pla=&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D21-021_020_PR_TRT_DECK-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-NA-BidTest_JControl24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D21-021_020_PR_TRT_DECK-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-NA-BidTest_JControl24-20392137037--&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20382567027&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UdhULtz24UhPjGnninMmA45K&gclid=CjwKCAjwg_nNBhAGEiwAiYPYA9LqeRhnSoLYEnSEqUD7wv4nc5mTy1osEvdQ-7WDWd0gJpJCNUmYtRoCZZoQAvD_BwE

 

[EddieWalker]

Hopefully I'm not repeating myself. Very few decks are built properly. But the main reason for failure from rot is from a lack of air flow. Decks that fail quickly from rot usually have enclosed areas below them. Air flow is your best friend.

The area under a deck is very humid. Condensation forms on the lumber. Over time mold starts to grow. Once that happens, it's just a matter of time until rot appears.

Almost all of the deck jobs that I do are because it wasn't built properly. It is very common to not use beams to support joists.

I rarely see posts rotten out. Usually, the issues are with the beams and joists moving too much and the entire deck is failing. The rotten areas are where the steps touch the ground, and joists that have something over the deck area that keeps it wet. Steps that hold leaves behind them are guaranteed to cause rot in that area!!! Rugs also cause rot because of moisture.

Never enclose the bottom of a deck.

Never use nails of any kind to build a deck.

Always set posts in concrete with the concrete above grade so water sheds away from the posts.

Know span tables and use the proper sized lumber for the span.

Diagonal bracing has to be installed if the deck is off the ground.

Always wait six months before staining new pressure treated wood.

Never use 5/4 decking. It's horrible in how much is shrinks, how quickly the ends rot and how much moisture it holds when it's new. Even worse, it costs the same and 2x lumber.

 

[grsthegreat]

I had cedar decks, and got sick and tired of sanding and restaining them every year. Took a chainsaw to it about 5-6 years ago and replaced them with aluminum decking. Now i simply power wash it once a year.

Absolutely trouble free.

Stays cooler than trex in sunlight. Snow melts off quickly (but i use heated mat cause i dont want to shovel snow). Easy to install. Cuts like wood and all hidden hardware. Product is called NEXTDECK.

 

[kenmac]

My issue is the sorry treaded wood deck framing rots out before the actual decking boards. Just finished replacing the deck framing with the same sorry treated wood