Deck Tips News Letter      August  2009

There are many things we do to exterior projects to make them last that we have learned through experience. Most of these are general concepts that apply to whatever we build.

We build the structure and as much as we can of pressure treated wood and this structure may additionally be water sealed.

We treat all the cut ends with a sealer, usually Jasco Termin8 or whatever the other sides are treated with.

When we build a deck of redwood, we water seal all six sides of each piece of wood before it is installed, usually with Cabot Australian Timber Oil or Behr Premium deck sealers.

If we are building a painted structure, such as a railing, we seal the major connections with Jasco Termin8 and then prime all six sides of each piece of lumber before it is installed with an oil based primer, usually Kilz exterior oil based Primer, and then paint the whole structure. Some pieces will additionally be painted on all six sides before they are installed.

Footings are always raised above the ground and are sloped so that soil, and thus moisture does not meet the wood.

Caulking is done on the top of a connection, but not on the bottom, so water does not collect and can run out if it does get in.

On top of joists, between the decking boards, flashing can be applied to keep moisture away from this connection.  Major beams can be flashed with metal, rolled roofing strips or asphalt emulsion.

Many contractors don't do these things because it is time consuming, messy or they just don't know any better. The finished product may look the same, however in years to come the investment will pay off many times over.