Decking.. finishing etc..

[5teve]

Hi Guys.. bit of advice please.

I am in the process of completing a deck. i have the frame made almost and am about to drop the deck on top. Having read countless advice on decks regarding reed up or down and the arguments for and against i am asking for advice.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_F2YuCOt2FNU/STzbapEd2XI/AAAAAAAAD38/FDDhoLMNoEE/s800/KIF_5159.JPG

I have some commercial grade jarrah decking 105x35 heavy duty stuff! problem is i bought it cheap as it is seconds grade stuff. Primarily the reeded face is in good condition with the 'flat' face being in poor condition.

I have 2 options..A) i use good reeded side up for the interesting texture and put some work into the treated pine to stop rot or B) i run every board through the thicknesser to get a flat back and then finish the edges with a curved router bit.

All board are being fastened with 316 stainless screws.

If i was to go A) what chemicals / sealants / oils would you recommend for the pine? i need to treat the cut ends anyway.. so any advice would help me here please. also would using Silicon between each board / joist help?

the above info will also partially help me for route B) as i still want to go overkill on the treatment of the frame.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Steve

[silentC]

Reeded side down :)

I would run them through the thicknesser as you've got plenty of thickness and that way they will all be uniform (boards often vary a bit in thickness) and nicely dressed. Presumably you'll only need to take a skim off, so still should be +30mm, which is plenty I reckon.

If you're worried about rot, I would use joist tape on top of the joists. You can buy a black nylon one or you can use damp course or melthoid or any of a number of other products. If the pine is treated, it shouldn't need anything else done to it. It looks like it is all above ground.

[Wardy]

like silent said reeded side down. this allows air flow between joist and decking to prevent moisture being trapped. i've seen decks that have the reeded side up:no: and the amount of dirt that it traps, hard to clean and unsightly.head for the thicknesser.
cheers:)

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Definitely reeded side down. :yes:

I wouldn't bother with routing the edges after thicknessing, instead I'd lightly chamfer 'em with either a sandpaper block or a single pass of a handplane.

Much quicker and, done properly, looks just as professional.

[silentC]

I wouldn't bother with routing the edges after thicknessing, instead I'd lightly chamfer 'em with either a sandpaper block or a single pass of a handplane.
I would agree with that too. I always chamfer the ends of butt joints with a block plane too, looks a lot better in my opinion than a straight butt join, especially if there's a bit of variation in the adjoining boards.

[namtrak]

You might be better off posting your questions in the WWF sister website the Renovate forums - heres the link to the decking sub forum (http://www.renovateforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=77)

[5teve]

Thanks for the valuble advice there guys!

i was trying to avoid doing the thicknessing as some boards are fairly bad but i guess i can rip them through and see what comes out.. i have way more than i need for this stage anyway!

chamfering is a good idea too.. i like the sharp edged look, its something i can do with the router too i was just gonna use a bit with a bearing on (dont know the techy term)

so treated wood not treated with anything else? longer i can make this last the better :) any suggestions on cca compatible preservative for the frame would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Steve