Saw my own logs - Build my own deck off the house

[ToplineMike]

As the title states, I want to saw logs in my woods, and build a deck from said wood.  
This deck will be attached to the back of my house.  
I've seen a few guys on youtube doing this, but not many.  
I've got red and white oak in my woods.  White oak will be the wood I'll be using.  Poplar is everywhere also.  
The deck will be approximately 20'X20', probably bigger with some stairs of some sort.   
Do you guys recommend a sealer for the lumber?  I've seen the used motor oil and diesel fuel treatment.  I don't like the black look, maybe use new motor oil with the diesel?  
My sawmill isn't bought yet, still reviewing my options.  
Any tips or thoughts on this project would be appreciated.

[barbender]

Use sealing tape on top of your joists, it will prevent water from getting in around screws and rotting the wood from the inside out.

 I'd sooner buy a sealer purpose made for deck surfaces.

White oak is much more durable than red.

[WV Adam]

I also would go with the white oak, they made boats out of it sometimes, way back. I would stay away from the poplar for outdoor use. There's some stuff you could use that's pretty good, but I would not use it on or attached to a residence. I would not use diesel /oil, its going to be crazy slippery if it rains, deadly slick on steps, and probably smell bad for a long time, burn your eyes and nose when your on the deck in hot sunny conditions, not to mention other long term issues. If you put any kind of a roof on and a good oil based paint or / deck stain / sealer, everything above ground would probably last a good long time.

[Magicman]

I would only use "heartwood"(pinkish).  Sapwood (white) rots much more easily.

[Crusarius]

whatever you do I would recommend side fastening it so you can run a sander over the top when it starts to splinter. It will splinter.

[KenMac]

I would not use any diesel fuel or motor oil on any walk surfaces. I think it would be very slick when wet. If any sealer is used I'd go with one made for that purpose. The fuel and oil may wear off or just go away over time, but I'd still stay away from it.

[Don P]

Nah, it'll clean up on the carpet. you'll be money ahead to buy quality treated decking vs buying a sawmill to build a 10 year deck. The "poplar" in WI is aspen, the poplar in WV is tulip poplar but yes neither is durable.

[ToplineMike]

Nah, it'll clean up on the carpet. you'll be money ahead to buy quality treated decking vs buying a sawmill to build a 10 year deck. The "poplar" in WI is aspen, the poplar in WV is tulip poplar but yes neither is durable.

The sawmill has other purposes, also.  I'm a surveyor, and I buy 4' hardwood lathe for my construction staking business.  I'm hoping to make my own with the new mill.  I will spend anywhere from $1500 to $3000 per year on sticks of wood!  

[ToplineMike]

whatever you do I would recommend side fastening it so you can run a sander over the top when it starts to splinter. It will splinter.

Sounds like it should slow down my mischievous kids pretty quick - I'm in!

[trapper]

Have you ever worked around a sawmill and know how much work is involved?  I have a manual lt 30 and am about 40 miles from you if you want to find out.

[Peter Drouin]

Put a roof over it. ;) 

[chet]

Mike if I were you I'd take Trapper up on his offer.  ;)

[Magicman]

And also Peter Drouin with the roof.

[metalspinner]

Over the years, I've built lots of outdoor projects with "durable" lumber... white oak, ERC, cypress, locust, and Osage Orange.
The most direct comparison of these species are the Adirondack chairs I've built for my patio and for others  . I've built probably 50 of them.

Surprisingly, the cypress was the most short lived followed by the white oak. ERC does well but is best with some sort of finish  "deck sealer" is holding up well.

And the sap is the always the first to go. No sapwood for outdoor projects!

By far the best is locust and Osage built with Stainless Steel fasteners. Without any finish at all these two are as perfect as the first day they were built and are going on 7 years in the open weather. No finish, bright sun and full rain.

The fail points are always at the fasteners. Moisture gets in and that's it. No coated fastener holds up. Eventually they all rust. And if there are areas where leaves or other debris will build up, that spot will rot quickly.

Another fail point is sunlight and surface checking its brutal. Coatings are important to protect against the sun.

I wouldn't build a deck with oak. The checking and splintering would be a disaster and the countless fastener points would lead to quick deterioration.

IMHO, Sell your oak logs and by IPE decking. Build the structure with PT structural lumber.

[ToplineMike]

IMHO, Sell your oak logs and by IPE decking. Build the structure with PT structural lumber.

This is exactly what I didn't want to hear!
I'll take your word for it though, and rethink my operation.

[ToplineMike]

Have you ever worked around a sawmill and know how much work is involved?  I have a manual lt 30 and am about 40 miles from you if you want to find out.

I sent you a message.  Call me when you can.
Mike

[Walnut Beast]

Go for it!! It's not rocket science. Everything probably won't be perfect and it's a little work. But the pride, learning and satisfaction is worth it!! 

[Walnut Beast]

Over the years, I've built lots of outdoor projects with "durable" lumber... white oak, ERC, cypress, locust, and Osage Orange.
The most direct comparison of these species are the Adirondack chairs I've built for my patio and for others  . I've built probably 50 of them.

Surprisingly, the cypress was the most short lived followed by the white oak. ERC does well but is best with some sort of finish  "deck sealer" is holding up well.

And the sap is the always the first to go. No sapwood for outdoor projects!

By far the best is locust and Osage built with Stainless Steel fasteners. Without any finish at all these two are as perfect as the first day they were built and are going on 7 years in the open weather. No finish, bright sun and full rain.

The fail points are always at the fasteners. Moisture gets in and that's it. No coated fastener holds up. Eventually they all rust. And if there are areas where leaves or other debris will build up, that spot will rot quickly.

Another fail point is sunlight and surface checking its brutal. Coatings are important to protect against the sun.

I wouldn't build a deck with oak. The checking and splintering would be a disaster and the countless fastener points would lead to quick deterioration.

IMHO, Sell your oak logs and by IPE decking. Build the structure with PT structural lumber.

I would say that's a manly man's Osage chair 💪💪

[Daburner87]

I think you should go ahead and buy the sawmill and build it with the white oak you have.   It will be a lot of work, but you will gain an amazing sense of satisfaction when its done.  The key would be to anchorseal the logs right away, and stack everything and let it dry properly.  Then staining and sealing every step of the way once you start building.  Ready Seal 525 is my go to choice for my deck.  It is "fool proof" or goof proof as it says on the label.  Its great stuff, and in an air sprayer its super easy to apply.  It's a 2 in 1 solution so no extra steps involved.

Ready Seal 520 Exterior Stain and Sealer for Wood, 5 Gallon, Redwood - Packaging may vary - Outdoor And Patio Products - Amazon.com

In my experience most people who own a deck rarely do any work to maintain it...  You seem like you have more than one use for a sawmill so I say go for it and enjoy.

[SwampDonkey]

Go for it, but it should be protected with a deck treatment. And it will need sanding before hand. And expect to have to remove the old, sand again, before reapplying new in 3 or 4 years. Weather is brutal on wood. If you're going to shovel it in winter, better get a plastic shovel, not a metal one that will tear up your finish. I've seen lots of decks fall off houses because they don't want to put the work into maintenance. The best thing for a deck is a roof over it, with over hangs. How many are sitting in the hot sun on a deck? Up here, no one unless it's March, and we don't have 110F heat.

[ToplineMike]

A pic of one of the white oaks that has died in my woods, which will hopefully transform into deck boards.  

 

[Daburner87]

What mills are you looking at Mike?   It seems like you know what you want to do, and I think you should do it.  

[hickernut]

I just built a pole barn using primarily red and white oak. The white oak was an absolute bear to get fasteners through. The red a little easier. 

My recommendation from my limited yet recent experience - mill a little lumber then get that sucker nailed in place before it even thinks about drying. 

Best of luck!

[ToplineMike]

What mills are you looking at Mike?   It seems like you know what you want to do, and I think you should do it.  

I'm pretty sure I'm not buying the Woodland Mills type of sawmill.  I would rather buy a Cooks, Timber King, or EZ Boardwalk.  Cooks youtube channel has some great videos about the history of their sawmills.  The problem is the wait time to get a sawmill.  I'll just keep looking for a used one on marketplace.  

[KenMac]

Occasionally Cook's gets used mills on trade. You might want to let them know you're looking just in case they get something similar. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be the first in line, though.

[Beavertooth]

According to the folks at Sherwin Williams Paints anytime you use a stain for an outdoor project the water base is better. They say the water based stays where it dries and protects the wood beneath it. Whereas the oil base never quits penetrating the wood and as it penetrates it leaves the wood behind it exposed to the elements.  They say that is what they have found in all there testing that they do. 

[Daburner87]

According to the folks at Sherwin Williams Paints anytime you use a stain for an outdoor project the water base is better. They say the water based stays where it dries and protects the wood beneath it. Whereas the oil base never quits penetrating the wood and as it penetrates it leaves the wood behind it exposed to the elements.  They say that is what they have found in all there testing that they do.

Oil and Water based stains each have their own pro's and cons, but once a water based stain starts to peel and flake it looks absolutely horrible, and the entire deck will need a lot of labor from sanding to power washing just to get it prepped for new stain/sealer....  An oil based stain won't do that to you at all.  If you get some fungi or mold build up you can simply power wash the affected area and apply bleach or another chemical to kill the bacteria, and stain over again once dry.  Much easier maintenance in my opinion, but to each his own!   Ready Seal is a top rated deck stain/sealer and has thousands of positive reviews.  Any stain/sealer will need to be reapplied over time and oil based looks more consistent over the years.   

[Magicman]

A water base stain soaks into the wood and there is no buildup nor peeling.  That is all that I have ever used beginning in 1995 on my original cabin build.  It is seen here in 2010 Cabin Addition when it was 15 years old and still looks the same now.  The stain on the addition matched the original without having to re-stain the original.  The original has never had a second coat or anything in 27 years.

[ToplineMike]

A water base stain soaks into the wood and there is no buildup nor peeling.  That is all that I have ever used beginning in 1995 on my original cabin build.  It is seen here in 2010 Cabin Addition when it was 15 years old and still looks the same now.  The stain on the addition matched the original without having to re-stain the original.  The original has never had a second coat or anything in 27 years.

What is the stain you are using, Magicman?  

[Don P]

Hmm, that sounds like a salesman. Whenever I've cut a stick that had any finish, it looks like the penetrating oil based might have gone in 2 cells deep. I thought stain was another name for coal tar creosote until I was about 15, that was part of my weekend and summer duty. It didn't go deep.

The "roofed deck" is how grandpa kept the floor from rotting. Grandpa didn't build decks, he built porches. We will be replacing the porches on the current job. They were and will be white oak under a roof.

[Magicman]

What is the stain you are using, Magicman?

Benjamin Moore, Solid Stain, the color code is #1608.

[kantuckid]

A guy in the FB WM Group posted his newly built deck this week. He sawed it out of Black Locust and it's a beauty. 
My cabin project will get a White Oak porch and WO porch posts. I've got my eye on a beauty that tipped over from spring rains.
If and how any finish decides to build up or not is about the pigment aspect not the solvent? Water has become a common carrier solvent due to EPA regs and other factors. Vehicle mfg.'s use water based paints now days, not limited to a porch or deck. 
We need Dr Gene W. to tell us what goes into wood the futher'est? ;D