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Posted by SQLit on June 13, 2005, 4:19 pm
> I'm trying to decide whether to go with inexpensive pressure-treated
> evergreen wood decking or low cost 1" thick (approx.), radius edge, cedar
> (which is must less expensive than standard patio grade cedar decking). I
> kind of prefer the cedar option, but I'm unsure about whether it's wise to
> go with cedar that is only half the thickness (hence, half the strength)
as
> standard patio grade cedar. My concern is not about safety per se so much
> as it is about structural rigidity, solidness, etc. I don't want it to
feel
> like I'm 'bouncing on planks' when walking on the deck. Any suggestions,
> advice, experiences? Thanks...
>
> Ken
You asked....
Cedar is a splintery wood. Try that on the SO and or small humans. I have
a friend that has to stain his redwood deck every year to keep it looking
nice. He says forget about the 4-10 year stain guarantees in Phoenix.
If I was to look into a exterior deck I would look at the reclaimed wood and
plastic lumber being sold now. Once installed you should have 10-20 years
of no maintenance. http://www.trex.com/products/whatistrex.asp?
I like not doing outside maintenance when at all possible.
I have never seen a raised deck with "1 inch" material. Since I weight more
than 250 lbs I am not into taking a step and getting that springy feeling.
I guess if you increased the stringers, ( structure below the "1 inch"
material it would be ok. Except for the yearly maintenance.
The reclaimed stuff is NOT cheaper.
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Posted by jo4hn on June 13, 2005, 5:09 pm
Ken Moiarty wrote:
> I'm trying to decide whether to go with inexpensive pressure-treated
> evergreen wood decking or low cost 1" thick (approx.), radius edge, cedar
> (which is must less expensive than standard patio grade cedar decking). I
> kind of prefer the cedar option, but I'm unsure about whether it's wise to
> go with cedar that is only half the thickness (hence, half the strength) as
> standard patio grade cedar. My concern is not about safety per se so much
> as it is about structural rigidity, solidness, etc. I don't want it to feel
> like I'm 'bouncing on planks' when walking on the deck. Any suggestions,
> advice, experiences? Thanks...
>
> Ken
>
What is your joist spacing (16", 12")? What exactly is the thickness of
the cedar (5/4, 4/4?)? Is there a snow load? Does your roof line slope
onto the deck? For example, my deck has doug fir tubaten joists on 12"
centers with sixbasix supports holding up tubasix redwood decking. Even
though the roof slopes to the side of the deck, we had from two to six
feet of snow on it for several months this year. Until this year, I had
thought that that deck was way overdesigned. A LOT of decks in my town
ended up on the ground.
mahalo,
jo4hn
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Posted by Ken Moiarty on June 14, 2005, 1:46 pm
jo4hn wrote on Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:09:25 GMT:
j> What is your joist spacing (16", 12")? What exactly is the thickness
of
j> the cedar (5/4, 4/4?)?
12" and 5/4, respectively.
j> Is there a snow load?
This being Vancouver (the rain capital of so called, "Great White North"),
snow fall during the winter is usually negligible.
But as far as the kind of loads that the deck might someday need to hold, I
have visions of the deck being packed by people visiting for a family
reunion, or some such other large family event. :)
Ken
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Posted by J on June 13, 2005, 5:48 pm
> I'm trying to decide whether to go with inexpensive pressure-treated
> evergreen wood decking or low cost 1" thick (approx.), radius edge, cedar
> (which is must less expensive than standard patio grade cedar decking). I
> kind of prefer the cedar option, but I'm unsure about whether it's wise to
> go with cedar that is only half the thickness (hence, half the strength)
Actually it has much less than half the bending strength. Resistance to
bending is proportional to the cube of the depth.
So, if the normal stuff is 1.5 inches (which is what a 2 by ... measures)
then 1 inch would be about 30% of that stiffness.
Take a few pieces in the yard and lay them out at the joist spacing you
want. Stand on them. See if you like it.
Personally I think 1" is too thin.
-j
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Posted by toller on June 14, 2005, 11:00 am
> Actually it has much less than half the bending strength. Resistance to
> bending is proportional to the cube of the depth.
Admittedly it was 30 years ago and things change, but when I took mechanical
engineering it was proportional to the square. You integrated the material
multiplied by it's distance from the center; that means squared, no?
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