Replies

1. 
   CaseyF | Jul 04, 2006 06:50am | #1

   Bob,

   I built a tigerdeck last April in St. Louis, Mo. It's supposed to be every bit as good as Ipe, but the homeowner wanted 12" on center as opposed to sixteen, so that's what I built. I saw it not too long ago and it looked great. I'll try to post some pictures later.

   Peace,

   Casey

1. 
   BobC | Jul 04, 2006 06:56am | #2

   Casey:

   That's good to hear. What kind of finish did y'all use?

1. 
   CaseyF | Jul 04, 2006 07:25am | #4

   Bob,
   I left the finishing to the homeowners. I know they had to buy some kind of premium stuff specially made for tigerdeck. I'll try giving her a call this week to find out what it was called. Between all of the stainless clips and special sealer it drove the price up quite a bit. The homeowners didn't mind too much about the extra material cost, but never seemed to think the extra work I would put in was worth paying. But I can't complain, they were really nice folks, and I enjoyed the job so much. They were great people to work for, the wife was outside every day sanding down plugs and just watching me work. It ended up taking quite a bit longer than I expected, but I still made out on it well enough.Peace,CaseyEdited 7/4/2006 3:12 am ET by CaseyF

   Edited 7/4/2006 3:14 am ET by CaseyF

1. 
   BobC | Jul 05, 2006 01:59am | #10

   thanks Casey...also any details on faster requirements (or anything else i should know when building a deck like this) is appreciated!

1. 
   CaseyF | Jul 05, 2006 03:55am | #11

   Bob, The decking was groove and groove, and it attached with ss clips and screws that went down on the joists. You would have to put down one run of decking, place the clips down on the joists, and then slide the next row of decking up into the clip, tighten together with a pair of bow wrenches, and then screw down the clips with the stainless screws. The clips had two little wings that caught the grooves when you screwed it down. It was a long and time consuming process. It would have been a lot easier if the clips were a little longer, as they kept on slipping off the joists. I would have to partially tighten up the second row of decking, make sure all of the clips were still over the joists, usually using a screwdriver to adjust them between the decking, and then tighten the rest of the way with the bow wrenches before screwing it off. The lumber yard said that you could put down several rows of decking at one time, but I was never able to do more than one at a time. The butt ends would then be drilled for counter sunk ss screws, which were later plugged with the same wood stock.

   The homeowner bought the material and paid me for the labor, but as I recall it added a little over a dollar a square foot for the screw/clip system they sell as part of the decking system. Make sure when you get your quote that they are including the cost of the screws/clips. Because the stairs only had two strips of decking apiece on them I used ss screws on them as well. So when figuring cost make sure you add the clips, ss screws bought seperately for stairs, railings, butt ends, and the front and back of the deck. Also the special sealer (I left a message with the lady today, so hopefully she'll get back to me with the product name soon), and the bow wrenches were absolutely invaluable, and have come in handy on later decks. I personally think the tigerdeck looks better than the ipe, but I've never built an ipe deck either. I'm pretty sure that the tigerdeck even came with something like a twenty-five year warranty against bugs and rot, and that was without ever sealing it (I'll ask her about that too when she gets back to me). It was really heavy and hard wood. Make sure you get good blades for your saws, and you'll probably break a few drill bits when you predrill the butt ends. I hope some of that helps. Feel free to ask more questions if I didn't explain something very well. Thanks everyone for the compliments. In my short career as a carpenter this was one of my favorite and best jobs. I hope to be able to provide my little knowledge to this forum where I have gained so much. So thank you.Peace,Casey

2. 
   BobC | Jul 05, 2006 05:34am | #12

   Casey:

   Thanks so much. If you learn what sealer / finish she used let me know.

   Bob C

3. 
   CaseyF | Jul 06, 2006 05:11pm | #13

   Apparently it is called Pen Fion. I'm not sure if that's two words or one. But you want the stuff for "exotic woods." The homeowner said that tigerdeck.com was a good site to get more info.Peace,Casey

4. 
   Lansdown | Jul 06, 2006 05:19pm | #14

   It is one word spelled P-e-n-o-f-i-n, not Pen Fion.http://www.penofin.com

5. 
   CaseyF | Jul 06, 2006 11:28pm | #15

   Thanks and sorry. I was getting the info on a phone with a bad connection from someone with an accent. I know, I know, excuses are like butt holes; everyone's got one, and most of stink.Peace,Casey

6. 
   Lansdown | Jul 06, 2006 11:33pm | #16

   Just didn't want you putting motor oil or something down by accident ;-)

7. 
   Piffin | Jul 07, 2006 01:19am | #17

   Transmission fluid works better than thirty weight engine oil 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

8. 
   Lansdown | Jul 07, 2006 01:22am | #18

   Dextron would give it a nice reddish hue wouldn't it ;-)

9. 
   BobC | Jul 07, 2006 05:41am | #19

   Penofin --

   well that's twice this has come up in 1 week. i've got a post out there looking for teh best finish for the timberframe part of my house that sits outside and the recommendations were Penofin or Waterlox.

   Also, i'll check out that web site. Thanks much.

2. 
   CaseyF | Jul 04, 2006 07:19am | #3

   I've not posted pictures before, so we'll see if this works. My apologies if I'm doing this wrong.

   Peace,

   Casey

1. 
   rfarnham | Jul 04, 2006 05:21pm | #5

   For next time, regarding posting pictures. I think the preference around here is smaller pictures. I think a lot of folks are still on dial-up. I usually just "resample" the image to make a smaller one, so I don't mess with my original. If you need help with that, let me know.Deck looks great. Nice work.-Rich

1. 
   CaseyF | Jul 04, 2006 09:01pm | #6

   Hey thanks for the tip. I actually had someone help me post the pics, as I am not terribly proficient with computers. I asked her about downsizing, but I don't think she knew how to do it either. I would love an explanation on how to make them smaller. Thanks.Peace,Casey

1. 
   IMERC | Jul 04, 2006 09:41pm | #7

   type in Irfanview into the search box... bottom left hand corner of the page..

   in a short there will be an over whelming amount of information...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

   WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

2. 
   Gunner | Jul 04, 2006 11:02pm | #8

     Very nice work.

    

    

   All the girlies say that I'm really kind of fly for a white guy.

3. 
   BobC | Jul 05, 2006 01:56am | #9

   Casey -- very very nice. Also i like the way you wrapped the posts. Railing detail is very nice.