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Thread: Spotted Gum decking cupping
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17th September 2015, 02:31 PM #16New Member
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Got some good feedback cheers everyone - I like the idea of ripping them but the #loody screws are near the edges of the boards. A post suggested turning them over - that would work if the cupping was consistent across the boards but it ain't. I understand by pulling the whole lot up and then relaying them I might get close to putting the screws back in the same holes which presumably will just see them lift again because they ain't properly anchored. What I really would like to do is tell the builder to come and do it properly, which probably means ripping all the boards up, buying some new ones which are properly seasoned (kiln dried) and putting them down with a decent gap not a cigarette paper gap as someone rightly pointed out The problem for me is my "expertise" which I have garnered here will be overruled by the builder who isn't compelled to do anything. I will add some photos over the weekend - should have done that earlier - sorry folks. Again thanks for the advice so far.
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17th September 2015, 04:28 PM #17Frequent Learner
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FYI, There is a big difference in the quality of screws out there. I tried this when i was laying my small deck at the front of the house and made a mistake. Some of the screws i got from the big green B store were made of A grade Chinese cheese steel. They went in ok...mostly, but when you tried to take some of them out again (from pine joinsts, the merbau boards were pre-drilled) the heads snapped clean off. I think the heat generated by the friction of driving them in was enough to soften the steel and weaken it.
Be warned if you decide to start removing them....It may cause more trouble.
Good luck.
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17th September 2015, 04:29 PM #18The Livos lady
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Have the boards cupped from day 1 or is it just now that you are noticing it? Melbourne has had a pretty wet and miserable winter...Maybe before you go to heavy with sanding, wait till Spring/summer and see if the boards dry and settle down.
If you sand the boards early, then they dry and settle, you may end up with an uneven surface.
If you have to sand, then a belt sander with 24 or 40 grit would be the way to go. To get an even flat surface you would need cross cut first.
Too early yet to sand or coat decks in Melbourne...timber needs to be completely dry.Livos Australia
<O</O
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17th September 2015, 07:20 PM #19GOLD MEMBER
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If the screws are staggered along the joist turning the boards will mean the holes will be opposite to their original position. If the screws are in line then you have a problem.
Cupping is a common problem with wide decking. Particularly with backsawn material. The cupping will be opposite in direction to the annual rings. If this is the case then the timber is responding to its own tensions. If the cupping is following the direction of the annual rings, it would be fair to assume the problem is being caused by weather conditions and will probably settle back to flat as the timber seasons .
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17th September 2015, 07:53 PM #20
You have to love this forum and its members eh? Such a diverse bunch of answers which should give the OP a really broad picture.
However problem child, you need to answer the questions that Ray put up. Without those answers then he doesn't have the whole picture, and so it will follow on that you won't either....
And pics please! Pics pics pics.
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17th September 2015, 07:57 PM #21
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17th September 2015, 09:48 PM #22
Hi PC
Ok. so joists are softwood. Could you answer the rest of my questions please before I offer my assesmentThe person who never made a mistake never made anything
Cheers
Ray
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17th September 2015, 09:58 PM #23
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17th September 2015, 10:15 PM #24
I guess that's the case with hardwoods Ian, but some of the KD pine I've been using lately looks like it's just come out of the swimming pool. Mainly the rough sawn stuff - actually damp to touch, and has been undercover at the hardware store (and it's big turnover sizes). Hasn't rained appreciably here for two months either.
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17th September 2015, 10:48 PM #25
my first thought is that it's in the wrong stack
regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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17th September 2015, 11:55 PM #26GOLD MEMBER
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I thought most decking boards were kiln dried to be somewhere between 15%-18%.
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18th September 2015, 12:10 AM #27
They may be, but I got the impression that the OP -- Problem Child -- was thinking that if he replaced his existing boards with new KD ones, the cupping problem would go away
regards from Alberta, Canada
ian
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18th September 2015, 03:19 PM #28GOLD MEMBER
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18th September 2015, 03:57 PM #29
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18th September 2015, 06:36 PM #30GOLD MEMBER
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