Thread: Intergrain DWD on Merbau Deck

Originally Posted by Carpenter

With all this hassle over timber decking & the unavoidable ongoing maintainance, I'm starting to come around to this stuff; http://www.modwood.com.au/. Yeah, its not timber but geez its got a lot going for it; no rotting, minimal discolouration/fading, no splinters, NO maintainance, made from recycled materials.

Hi Carpenter

I agree ....priced down along side treated pine and i would be able to move it for the bottom of the line customers but not at the spot it currently fits into the market... I don't carry there samples anymore cause other than the coating part which a good portion of the general public ignore it doesn't translate to a cost saving and still looks plastic fantastic...
On a lighter note the nailbag is in transit should arrive wednesday


cheers Utemad

www.dialadeck.com.au

So what your saying is it looks like s$%t & is overpriced?

Hi Carpenter

In a Nut shell


cheers Utemad

Dear Carpenter,

As we know in all the issues of construction there are many alternatives with some more pleasing than others. It truly depends on just a value judgement based on what we feel happy with, what we can afford and the effort that is required to maintain what we have worked hard to lay in the beginning. I often think that we are probably expecting too much from wood sitting out daily cooking in the sun, getting wet , with a lot of shrinking and swelling. In SE Qld like many other parts of OZ we are trying to create a seamless connection between the indoor and the outdoor of our homes.

I can't comment about modwood as I have no experience with it at all, but I would certainly consider Utemads opinion as he is in the business of deck construction with many years of experience and is continually investigating the pros and cons of both the market and the products. If he told me to give it the flick that would be all I need to hear.

In this game it always seems to be two steps forward and one step back.

jimj www.restore-a-deck.com.au

Originally Posted by jimj

Dear Carpenter,

As we know in all the issues of construction there are many alternatives with some more pleasing than others. It truly depends on just a value judgement based on what we feel happy with, what we can afford and the effort that is required to maintain what we have worked hard to lay in the beginning. I often think that we are probably expecting too much from wood sitting out daily cooking in the sun, getting wet , with a lot of shrinking and swelling. In SE Qld like many other parts of OZ we are trying to create a seamless connection between the indoor and the outdoor of our homes.

I can't comment about modwood as I have no experience with it at all, but I would certainly consider Utemads opinion as he is in the business of deck construction with many years of experience and is continually investigating the pros and cons of both the market and the products. If he told me to give it the flick that would be all I need to hear.

In this game it always seems to be two steps forward and one step back.

jimj www.restore-a-deck.com.au

I agree about the overexpectation of external timber situations, thats why I'm up for new technology. I worked with the plastic stuff when it first came out in the US. It was called Trex Deck & it seemed OK. I should contact the person over there & see how the stuff is holding up. There's an interesting blurb on the Modwood website from a magazine article that talks about the pro's & con's & differences in the various products. People may be turning their noses up at it because its not timber, but there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water & as far as I'm concerned there are enough problems associated with timber decking for me to look at this product without any pre-conceived ideas or judgements. I suspect that no timber decking will be able to maintain the consistency of appearance that these new materials will be able to after 6-10yrs, but time will tell. There's also the dirty truth about our addiction to Merbau & how this is fueling the disappearance of tropical rainforests through corrupt third world forestry practices. Merbau also has an external durability rating of only 3 . Lots of questions & lots of unknowns, but it looks like new technology in the form of building materials or coating products will help us get extended life out of our decks.

I see your point on a few items re plastic decking... Modwood aside there are so many plastic decks that lob up on our shores from the US brought in by small companies by the container load boasting new improved fixing methods and finishes... The problem with a lot are that they are extruded so the ends need covering with plugs or as i have been told hardi plank (yuck) with these you can't do curves cause you can't fill the ends and if you cut anything other than 90 degress can't use plugs... The main prob though is the guy who imports the load thinking he'll make a motsa... He does the rounds of the yards gets no great response clears his load and disappears so when you come to a few years down the track you can't source more boards or get backup.... If the boards looked like timber and had a semi textured face as some now do were solid and available in lengths up to 7.2 etc were priced at or below pine we would start to see the product being used in quite large quantities but until then the average consumer when they get a quote is Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight and won't pay more than they have to ...Also with they way property prices are they tend to be uptrading to progress through the market and aren't concerned with past 4-5 yrs which seems to be how long they percieve they will be there for.....
I am not against some composite decks i just don't feel they are placed correctly in the market at the moment for the general public......

cheers utemad

Utemad,I see your point about market placing. I dont agree it should be placed at the bottom of the pricing point with treated pine, but it is also not proven here in Oz as a premium product & also should not be priced as such. I agree about the hollow stuff......suspect, I'd go for the solid product. As we have discussed before in relation to tools, Aussies are driven by low price & this clouds our ability to see the value of quality & its long term benefits. If this product will hang in maintainance free for the stated 10yr warranty offered by the Modwood brand, then it deserves to be priced at a premium.

Originally Posted by biffo

Hi all

We are in the process of building a deck with Merbau floorboards (and an insulated roof).

Regarding coating the Merbau, the builder has suggested we put DWD onto it straight away, and not to worry about the Intergrain Dimension 4 pretreatment. However after reading all the comments here, and how it is recommended to let the Merbau weather, I am not too sure about what the builder is saying now ..

Should I be following the builders recommendations ? I would have thought they wouldnt suggest something that could be detrimental to the finish of the deck, and they have done nothing for me not to trust what they are saying - just this is getting to me a little I wouldnt expect there could be much weathering to be done with a roof over the top.

Biffo
If you have a beautiful timber and want to appreciate it then treat it with a transparent penetrating oil. Acrylics and polyurethanes will give timber a pretty look but are best suited for painting concrete.
Beware of the so called oils which contain alkyd resins as this is the primary ingredient for gloss paint and again does nothing for a real piece of timber.
Penetrating oils will defer soluble tanins from seeping out but in any case oils can be touched up easily if any maintenance is needed so get it on sooner than later.
For cleaning, sodium percarbonate should be the first choice as it is more enviromentally friendly and does not damage the timber. In other countries it is sold as a concentrate however here it becomes a schedule 6 poison once over 35% so look for the no-name napisan.
Oxalic acid is a quick fix, it can eat away at the lignins which bind the fibres and I wouldn't want any splillage on my garden.
Cheers
mike

Originally Posted by what the DECK

Biffo
If you have a beautiful timber and want to appreciate it then treat it with a transparent penetrating oil. Acrylics and polyurethanes will give timber a pretty look but are best suited for painting concrete.

Hmmm, I humbly wish to disagree with you. You don't get any UV protection from a transparent oil, whereas you do from the newer acrylic products. Products such as Spa-n-deck and Intergrain Ultradeck are easily touched up and do not suffer from blistering problems.

Cheers
Michael

Thanks for all the info - I have contacted Tom as suggested by Jim and will get him out in a month or two. By the way - the deck is all up and going and currently putting the first coat of paint on the ballustrades and hand rails - what a job!

Hi guys been following this thread. I also building a pool deck with a hardwood frame and pine decking boards (245mm * 25mm).

The last deck I build I used DWD (hardwood decking) but it sounds like this Flood Spa and Pool is the go. How do I get more information on this product. Also would it be suitable to use on the softwood deck.

thanks

Brian

For more information go to www. Floodaustralia.net go to the heading woodcare and then to Spa&Deck . You can also call the toll free number and ask to be contacted by the Qld technical advisor Tom Mcknight.

Good luck

JimJ www.restore-a-deck.com.au

Just wanted to post an update.

I called Jim and had a good chat to him, then called Tom from Flood and he made an appointment for a SATURDAY to come out and see me. He brought some product with him and gave a demo on my deck of the different products. Even brought the different coloured boards so I could make a choice of colour on my own deck!

Ordered the product in, and following the advice I have been given. Spent all morning cleaning, then the prep, then put the Cedar Spa N Deck on, and I say it's come up a million bucks! Two coats on so far, will be putting another one on tomorrow sometime. Will post pics then.

Thanks Jim for all your help - I owe you a beer or two - and for putting me into contact with Tom.

Who knows what would have happened if i'd followed my builders advice!