[Shop-talk] Composite Decking

[Dave Cavanaugh]

I live in the Pacific Northwest.  At our first house my BIL and I built 
a conventional PT/cedar deck. I had to pressure wash it every year and 
stain it at least every couple of years, and it still needed major 
repairs after 15 years.

About 15 years ago we build our present house.  We had a contractor 
install a TimberTech deck and it has been flawless.  I pressure wash it 
every couple of years and that's it.  Points to consider:

Yes, you will need to put your joists 12" OC.  The stuff needs much more 
support than conventional lumber.
Our deck is screwed together with SS deck screws.  Pre drilling is 
mandatory.
The stuff is slick.  There is a learning curve with regards to 
crosscuting it with a chop saw.  It wants to move around.  There was a 
lot of cursing on the contractor's part during assembly of the fiddly bits.
Sorry; I don't have any ideas regarding over decking.


On 4/16/2015 11:27 AM, Matt wrote:
>   specifically I am looking for
> 1)  recommendations on material.
>
> 2)  thoughts on overdecking
>
> 3)  recommendations on fastener systems.