There are so many different woods to choose from so how do you know what the best wood for a deck is? Well first of all they need to be able to withstand the outdoor elements; this is a big one as it will be completely exposed through all of winter, spring, summer and fall, and yes I was totally about to break out into song!
First lets take a look at hardwood vs softwood, some softwoods like redwood, cedar and treated pine make good outdoor decks because they are moisture and insect resistant. They grow quickly and are easy to sand and work with because they are not as dense as hardwood is, but not all softwoods are ideal for outdoor decks. Hardwood trees are slow growers and far more dense, strong and durable than any softwood, woods like ipe, tigerwood, garapa and cumaru are all excellent choices giving your deck the chance to stand strong for 20-40 years easy. Also all of these woods are naturally insect and weather resistant making them great for all your outdoor projects.
To help you make your decision on which wood to use for your deck you need to decide what is most important to you, is it cost, strength, length of years you will have it, or beauty? Well, lets get right to it, if you are hoping for the cheapest wood but still choose one good for the outdoors you are looking at treated pine, though if you had your heart set on a hardwood garapa is the one for you. It is moderately priced and if compared to treated pine it will outlive it by at least 10 years. If you are hoping for the strongest wood then I would say ipe is the wood to go with since it can last 40+ years and can hold up to almost 70lbs per cubic foot, this is by far the toughest most durable option you have. So I guess that was the answer to the next option, length of years as well, though, woods like cumaru and tigerwood will stick around for over 25 years so those are also good for decking. Now beauty, ahhh, I personally would have to say tigerwood, with golden brown to deep red colors and blackish streaks running through it, it gives a feel of rich elegance.
Now that we have hopefully made your choice a little easier on which wood to pick lets talk about how to maintain it to help it last as long as possible. Well, prevention is always best right!?! At the beginning of every season or even every other season inspect your deck, kind of like when you do your spring and fall cleaning, that goes for indoor and outdoor. Check for nails and screws that are coming loose, boards with splinters or are coming loose, chips in the wood or even mold spots. If you are maintaining your deck regularly you will notice these problems before they get too big to handle. When you notice a buildup of leaves and branches remove them, keep an outdoor broom around to sweep off dirt form walking around, at least twice a year give it a good wash with wood cleaner and once dry if needed a sealer. Be sure to remove any standing water from your deck when you can and in the winter use only plastic shovels to removes snow, but defiantly remove the snow! And thats it, a bit of work but everything you really care about is worth the work dont you think?
First lets take a look at hardwood vs softwood, some softwoods like redwood, cedar and treated pine make good outdoor decks because they are moisture and insect resistant. They grow quickly and are easy to sand and work with because they are not as dense as hardwood is, but not all softwoods are ideal for outdoor decks. Hardwood trees are slow growers and far more dense, strong and durable than any softwood, woods like ipe, tigerwood, garapa and cumaru are all excellent choices giving your deck the chance to stand strong for 20-40 years easy. Also all of these woods are naturally insect and weather resistant making them great for all your outdoor projects.
To help you make your decision on which wood to use for your deck you need to decide what is most important to you, is it cost, strength, length of years you will have it, or beauty? Well, lets get right to it, if you are hoping for the cheapest wood but still choose one good for the outdoors you are looking at treated pine, though if you had your heart set on a hardwood garapa is the one for you. It is moderately priced and if compared to treated pine it will outlive it by at least 10 years. If you are hoping for the strongest wood then I would say ipe is the wood to go with since it can last 40+ years and can hold up to almost 70lbs per cubic foot, this is by far the toughest most durable option you have. So I guess that was the answer to the next option, length of years as well, though, woods like cumaru and tigerwood will stick around for over 25 years so those are also good for decking. Now beauty, ahhh, I personally would have to say tigerwood, with golden brown to deep red colors and blackish streaks running through it, it gives a feel of rich elegance.
Now that we have hopefully made your choice a little easier on which wood to pick lets talk about how to maintain it to help it last as long as possible. Well, prevention is always best right!?! At the beginning of every season or even every other season inspect your deck, kind of like when you do your spring and fall cleaning, that goes for indoor and outdoor. Check for nails and screws that are coming loose, boards with splinters or are coming loose, chips in the wood or even mold spots. If you are maintaining your deck regularly you will notice these problems before they get too big to handle. When you notice a buildup of leaves and branches remove them, keep an outdoor broom around to sweep off dirt form walking around, at least twice a year give it a good wash with wood cleaner and once dry if needed a sealer. Be sure to remove any standing water from your deck when you can and in the winter use only plastic shovels to removes snow, but defiantly remove the snow! And thats it, a bit of work but everything you really care about is worth the work dont you think?
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