Replies

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 21, 2003 04:21pm | #1

   I'll just throw my 2 cents in. It might depend on the climate where you live, but in the midwest, cedar isn't very durable. I wouldn't say it rots, but it just seems to disintegrate. Maybe erode is the word. Unless you really stayed on top of it with some great preservative/sealer, I'd stay away from it around here.

2. 
   MojoMan | Oct 21, 2003 05:31pm | #2

   PT is prone to cracking, splintering, warping, etc. , particularly if it is not stained frequently (almost annually). The new ACQ chemicals don't have a long track record, and there are already concerns about corrosion of fasteners. Otherwise it is strong and less expensive.

   Check out some of the new composite deckings. I've used Trex and Evergrain and so far I'm pleased with the results. These are expensive, however.

   I've never used cedar. It's not very common here in Massachusetts.

   Al Mollitor, Sharon MA

1. 
   NormKerr | Oct 21, 2003 07:29pm | #3

   My dad did his deck in redwood back in the late '70s (upstate NY) and it lasted right up to '98 when they sold the house, still looked great. I think he re-treated it a few times, but no big maintainence.

   Don't know if that was old growth though.

   You MIGHT be thinking of redwood, not cedar, if you have seen that sort of thing. The redwood deck was stained a nice reddish tone (like new cedar would have looked) and never really turned grey like cedar would have.

   Norm

3. 
   marv | Oct 21, 2003 11:47pm | #4

   I have an all cedar fence and gazebo but I chose Brown PT for the deck.  I thought cedar would be too soft for decking.  It will check and split unless retreated every other year.

   There are some great plastic floors.  If I had it to do again, I would use Trex or something like it for the floor.

   You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

   Marv

4. 
   Megunticook | Oct 21, 2003 11:49pm | #5

   Another consideration besides longevity, expense, and aesthetics, is safety. I know some people will roll their eyes at this, but putting pressure treated wood any place that people come into direct contact with it (like decking or a railing) is potentially exposing them to the toxic preservatives.

   Although ACQ doesn't have arsenic, it's still not something you want to have a lot of direct contact with. Especially kids running around barefoot on your deck, but even adults (ever get a splinter from PT wood? can be real nasty). In theory the preservative doesn't leach out, but there are some studies that have shown otherwise. The owner of a local sawmill and retail lumber supplier, who knows wood like few people do, says if you put a piece of ACQ in a bucket of water the water will eventually turn green.

   Admittedly mine is a minority opinion--most builders I know work with the stuff all the time without gloves, without a mask, and pooh-pooh the hazards. Heck, some people even have built children's playsets out of PT wood. But that's downright foolish, if you ask me. . .

   Just something to keep in mind. More careful builders (Scott Schuttner, for example, who literally "wrote the book" on decks for Taunton) prefers to restrict PT to the framing only and user cedar or redwood for the decking and rails. It looks a lot better, will last if the wood is quality and well-maintained, and keeps the toxic preservatives away from people using the deck.

1. 
   archyII | Oct 22, 2003 03:52am | #6

   Thought they same thing about asbestos.  Be safe avoid treated wood. Penta was great except it was a carcinogen .