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Conference rocks::diy

Title:The DIY box
Notice:The way to spend your weekend
Moderator:IOSG::PYE
Created:Fri Jun 09 1989
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:540
Total number of notes:6092

537.0. "Wood for a deck ? " by FLASK2::LOWE (UK NSIS, Mail & Messaging) Mon Apr 28 1997 13:54

    I'm  finishing off a small part (3 sq yds), of our patio with wood to
    give the effect of a deck. I was planing to use 2x1 softwood to build
    it with.
    
    Does anyone have a recommendation for what type of wood I should buy
    for this. The American DIY programmes on Cable TV  indicate  woods
    that I'm sure cannot be bought easily in the UK.
    
    I was thinking of buying tanalised 2x1 softwood. Can tanalised wood be
    bought planned on 3 sides ? Do I need to route a channel on the
    underside to stop it cupping over time ?
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537.1WOTVAX::DODDMon Apr 28 1997 17:395
    I would have thought that planed softwood would be lethally slippy when
    wet. Sawn, tanalised will be easier and cheaper to obtain and better
    than planed in the wet.
    
    Andrew
537.2IOSG::PYEGraham - ALL-IN-1 Sorcerer's ApprenticeTue Apr 29 1997 11:474
    My timber framed house is built out of (I'm pretty certain!) tanalised
    timber, and the wall studs appear to be planed finished. If not, I'd
    like to borrow the saw :-) So this stuff must be available, but perhaps
    not in the sizes you want.
537.3Try HarcrosROCKS::ROBINSONSeasonally adjustedTue Apr 29 1997 13:549
    You can get any timber pressure treated. Harcros did a lot of planed
    timber for me a couple of years ago. It came out at about twice the
    price of untreated.
    Grooving the underside will not stop it cupping.
    I agree with the others that sawn timber would be less slippery but I 
    think you'll find that planed softwood will quite quickly roughen up as 
    the wet raises the grain.
    
    Robbo 
537.4ANNECY::AEO452::KENNEALY_RTue Apr 29 1997 16:297
I don't know where you are based, but normally if you shop around the lumbar
yards or saw mills you can find Western Red Cedar for about the same price as
pressure treated timber.

Personally, I would rather go for the Western Red Cedar's more natural look as I
don't like the green look of pressure treated timber. As far as longevity, I
would also probably opt for the cedar.
537.5No problemROCKS::ROBINSONSeasonally adjustedFri May 02 1997 13:114
    Pressure treated timber doesn't *have* to be green. The stuff I had
    done was clear.
    
    Robbo
537.6IOSG::PYEGraham - ALL-IN-1 Sorcerer's ApprenticeTue May 06 1997 09:291
    The stuff my house is built from certainly isn't green!