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Oak Deck

Started by campy, January 17, 2010, 10:04:19 AM

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campy

We want to build a deck out of 2" oak planks.
The deck will be outside in the weather.

We have presure treated posts to be in contact with the ground and the deck will be about 5 feet above the ground.

I will cut these on my mill and dry them for a couple of months.

Is this a bad idea?
What steps should be taken to extend the life of the decking?
I can stain it but should I stain the bottoms and ends of the boards prior to installation?
What is an economical and effective stain?
Would lindseed oil be sufficient?



Thanks

ladylake

 
White or burr oak will outlast treated without doing anything to it. Red oak is not good outside. I think 2" is way to thick, 1- 1/4 would be plenty with stringers 2' apart.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

Magicman

I used 1" Cherry on 16" centers.  All of the railing is also Cherry.  No shaking or movement whatsoever.  I used metal posts in concrete, and treated 2X6's for joist.  I don't like using treated post, even in concrete.

In your question, I would only use 1" White Oak.  I use 2" for bridge decking, but IMO, that is way too thick for a deck.




Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

fishpharmer

Campy, I have some fifty year old fences made of 1 inch white oak boards that are still solid with no treatment  what so ever. 
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

stonebroke

Red oak corral boards seem to last forever. You might have to sand them very few decades though.

Stonebroke

Magicman

If using Red Oak, I would not allow any sapwood......only use heart wood, and yes, it would last.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

red oaks lumber

i think maybe i would put it down green , lay it tight and let it dry and shrink in place. this summer i would put  used motor oil on, oh wait its' not a trailer deck, use something like thompsons water sealer just to keep it from graying.
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

Chris Burchfield

Unless you are planning on pre-drilling holes later, you need to do all your nail driving inside of two weeks after sawing. Oak starts getting hard pretty fast. This has been my experience building two barns. I built my deck out of 5/4 cedar. I used 10 lbs. of deck screws. Just cut 8/4 redoak for flooring in for my son's stock trailer he's rebuilding. I don't imagine anyone in your family is approaching 2000 lbs. 4/4 should be excellent on 16" centers.
Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

fishpharmer

Red oaks, I like your idea.  Chris, you got that right about drilling.  I would much rather put up fresh cut oak than dry for fence anyway. 
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

kelLOGg

Oak will last as a deck but if iron ever comes in contact with it you will get a black stain from the tannic acid reaction. So don't leave a steel tool laying on it.
I built a deck a few years ago and had planned on using oak I cut but decided against it because of the iron stain issue. I ended up with PT pine >:(.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

campy

Gentlemen -
Thank you so much for the sound advice.
It is much appreciated and I learned a lot.

bandmiller2

Campy oak will give you good service and its stregnth is above reproach.wood tends to rot where its laid on eachouther I would lay strips of tarpaper or better flashing over the stringers stain it with a good stain evey several years and your good to go.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

jwoods

A simple treatment I use on bare wood is hydraulic oil (brown not red) mixed with mineral spirits.  Mixture ranges from 50/50 to 75/25.

My uncle ran his own paint store for 40+ years and used to sell this to customers.  Hydraulic oil is typically paraphinic based, and gives pretty good protection.  It dries down in a day or two.

Joe

robnrob2

Red Oak is an open grain wood. thru and thru the log, it will not last out doors, there is to much lumber involved in a deck to risk early fialure,, only wht oak or the like should be used,,
You can take a red oak board and slice off a 1/4" off the end, hold it up to the light and look right thru it,, you can take a piece of say 3/4" x 1" or so, and up to 2" long or more, and blow right thru it like a whistle, only it dont make noise.
Campy didnt mention what spiecies of Oak

Hilltop366

I'm with bandmiller on covering the joist, I've seen one deck that went through 3 sets of decking (over 30 years) before the joist needed to be replaced because the carpenter took the time to put tarpaper on the joist first.

The last one I made I used a heaver material that is sold as eave guard aka ice shield to be used on a roof under the shingles for the first row to prevent leaks due to ice build up, it is made to seal around the nails much better than tarpaper.

Another trick I have seen is to put two joist spaced about 2" apart where decking joints meet, you also leave a small gap in the decking where it butts together, this helps stop the decking from rotting on the ends, the joist from rotting where the decking meets and also makes it easier to nail the decking down without splitting at the ends.

campy

Do you think American Black Walnut would be a good choice.
We have an over supply of it now and nobody is buying?

beenthere

Bl walnut should be a great choice. Not as strong as oak, so take that into consideration.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Magicman

I built mine out of Cherry.  It's your lumber and you are the one that you are making happy.... ;D :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

LorenB

Quote from: campy on January 20, 2010, 06:07:53 PM
Do you think American Black Walnut would be a good choice.
We have an over supply of it now and nobody is buying?

campy,

I've cut Black Walnut logs that I have removed from my woods after they sat on the ground for years.  The heartwood stands up really well to decay.  The sapwood doesn't. 

If I had enough, I'd use Black Walnut before I would use oak. 

-- Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

ljmathias

Why not cut the black walnut, sell it, and use the money to buy PT pine?  You win two ways...  just a thought, but I hate doing things over, even if they last for years... >:( :)

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

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