Rotting deck, porch, or piazza

[Oldpath05]

Another one of my easy fixes is turning into the domino effect, again. One of my 15 year old carrying beams under my porch is suffering from wood rot. Beam was two Hemlocks 2x8"sx10'-6" nailed together, 1x4"s top and bottom. Part of the blame is on my shoe string construction budget that never seams to just go away, the other part of the blame is on wood rots. But the biggest blame of wood rot is that I haven't heard of a wood preservatives that will go on with one coat, last ateast 10 years and be affordable $$.

I'm replacing with a 6x10"x10'-6", but in taking the old one down, I noticed the two vertical 8x8"x6' post are soft on bottom near ground and top, then seeing half dozen floor joist are rotting where they sit on the beam, if I keep looking, probably find more wood that needs to be replaced.......

The up side is I noticed the issue before having a gathering on my porch/deck......and now having a band sawmill, I can saw out exactly what's needed, just have to find something to stain the new lumber with, tried California Storm Stains, <not impressed. The Homedepot stain I used 15 years ago probably helped the wood rot, they might have better stain now....Know what I'm doing next Saturday

 

[GLyford]

I have heard that spraying a 50-50 mix of used motor oil and diesel every other year or so, not only protects the wood, it keeps yellowjackets from nesting on the structure.

If you don't feel comfortable with either the look, environmental impact, or application frequency of that, have you considered using white oak rather than hemlock? (while red oak is usually easier to get, avoid it because with the very open grain it only lasts about as long as unprotected pine)

The other think I find help is flashing everywhere you can, along the tops of beams, etc., and using spacer blocks at the bottoms of posts to keep them up off the masonry. Even a chunk of asphalt shingle might be better than setting right on the concrete footing/pier.

Also, all those little classic touches the old time craftsmen used to protect untreated lumber were there for a reason, the angled end cuts, the corner beading that acted like drip edges the keep water from running back under, etc. Even just a 1/8" saw kerf set back a 1/4" from the edge, and a couple licks with a hand plane or sander to round off the bead a smidge can help.

Once upon a time, I would have recommended creosote. None of the current crop of clear wood treatments are rater for much more than a year or two. A proper paint job might last you 10 years, maybe, but is probably pushing it.

 

[Cord]

You can spend the money once to do the job right, or spend it twice to redo the job. Going cheap has never saved me any money. Got a brother-in-law who thinks like you. Every time he goes to the dump the kids crawl over the pile and bring home more than they came with. Snowblowers, mowers, ATV's, motorcycles and snowmobiles are their projects right now. I mean, if you find a snowmobile at the dump, don't you think it's there for a reason??? Yet, he's got the kids trained so they think a 1979 Pantera can be fixed and sold for a profit!

 

[Oldpath05]

I have heard that spraying a 50-50 mix of used motor oil and diesel every other year or so, not only protects the wood, it keeps yellowjackets from nesting on the structure.

If you don't feel comfortable with either the look, environmental impact, or application frequency of that, have you considered using white oak rather than hemlock? (while red oak is usually easier to get, avoid it because with the very open grain it only lasts about as long as unprotected pine)

The other think I find help is flashing everywhere you can, along the tops of beams, etc., and using spacer blocks at the bottoms of posts to keep them up off the masonry. Even a chunk of asphalt shingle might be better than setting right on the concrete footing/pier.

Also, all those little classic touches the old time craftsmen used to protect untreated lumber were there for a reason, the angled end cuts, the corner beading that acted like drip edges the keep water from running back under, etc. Even just a 1/8" saw kerf set back a 1/4" from the edge, and a couple licks with a hand plane or sander to round off the bead a smidge can help.

Once upon a time, I would have recommended creosote. None of the current crop of clear wood treatments are rater for much more than a year or two. A proper paint job might last you 10 years, maybe, but is probably pushing it.

I built a 8x16ft pantry on the north of my house last year, I put used motor oil on that carrying beam, then let it soak in for two weeks, then installed it. If I have to constantly re-aply something every 2-3 years, might as well use oil. Dont have any White Oak on my land, mostly Hemlock, white Pine, wish I had White Cedar better yet Gofer Wood, I usually build with what I have.
A guy at work today mention tar paper on top of beams will help, maybe, it has tar in it, and my hats off to them old time craftsmen, they know their stuff, I'm just 3 grades above a chainsaw carpenter.
Once upon a time, I would have recommended creosote. <<<Why not anymore?

 

[Oldpath05]

You can spend the money once to do the job right, or spend it twice to redo the job. Going cheap has never saved me any money. Got a brother-in-law who thinks like you. Every time he goes to the dump the kids crawl over the pile and bring home more than they came with. Snowblowers, mowers, ATV's, motorcycles and snowmobiles are their projects right now. I mean, if you find a snowmobile at the dump, don't you think it's there for a reason??? Yet, he's got the kids trained so they think a 1979 Pantera can be fixed and sold for a profit!

$$$$$$$That's the number one problem why nothing gets done right at my house including the house, number two is the lack of know-how.
Your brother-in-law must think that, one's mans trash is another mans treasure, and it's great to take kids to the dump and bring everything with a motor, that way the kids get to tare it apart and see how thinks work, you know when kids have gotten smarter when they can put the stuff back together with no extra parts.

 

[GLyford]

Once upon a time, I would have recommended creosote. <<<Why not anymore?

Because someone figured out that the poisons that kill termites, ants, and mold spores in wood also kill people (carcinogen, so they say) so you can't buy it anymore. Leastaways, not around here. About the same time as they reformulated the arsenic and copper chromate out of the pressure treated wood (I have 30 year old PT on the property that has lasted longer than stuff bought 5 or 10 years ago). I think if you are selling telephone poles to utilities you can still get it. Probably have to account for every gram.

Actually, not being able to find it to protect wood is not my biggest complaint about them having banned it.

My biggest complaint is that it was one of the key ingredients in my favorite bug repellent "old time woodsman" which they no longer make for the above reason. There's nothing like being 3/4 of the way up Mt. Washington, soaked through with perspiration being followed the rest of the way by determined deer fly not able to get closer than 6". Had the side benefit of keeping social people away from us introverts, the stuff was...pungent.

 

[GLyford]

you know when kids have gotten smarter when they can put the stuff back together with no extra parts.

I could put stuff back together...but when my brother did it, it would actually run.

 

[CCWKen]

Hey! I got my Whitney-Jensen bench top punch from the salvage yard. Cleaned it up, painted it and put it back to work. I think I paid $10-12 for it (10-cents a pound). My golf cart also came from the same place. It needed a little body work (it's old enough to actually be made of metal) and some wiring but still plenty of miles left on it and it works great. I had planed to convert it to gas using a cast iron 10hp Tecumseh from the same place but never got to that. Not counting the new batteries, I think I had $50 in it. People will throw stuff away if it has a scratch or squeaks. The place is gold mine for those capable of a little mechanical/manual labor.

You can tell when Winter is over. The place fills up with lawn tractors. Most don't need anything more than a belt and an oil change. I got two $500 wheel motors with hubs and brakes for something like $10. Not to mention a 5-segment hydraulic pump and a box of various control valves for basically pocket change. I'm constantly amazed at what people throw out, disgusted really, simply because they can't change a light bulb. The throw-away society is alive and well.

 

[LD1]

I would think a pair of PT 2x10's or 2x12's would last longer than anything you can mill off your property if you dont have white oak. Regardless of what you come up with to slather all over the wood.

 

[polebarntips]

go with 2x12's should be your best option.