I'm about to re-deck my back porch. It's going to take roughly thirty 12' deck boards. (I'll have to cut ~2" off of each one.)

I've been reading all of the warnings about wearing rubber gloves (no leather) when handling pressure treated wood.
Is this a real concern for a job as small as mine? Or is this a serious threat?

It's going to be nearly 90 degrees the rest of the week and weekend. I really don't want to wear gloves unless I have to.

Thanks for any help.

There is arsenic in pressure treated wood, but the only real concern is if you worked with it everyday. For a one time small job, I would not worry about it unless you have really sensitive skin. Someone that works at Lowe's for instance and handle's the wood daily might want to wear gloves.

Jim

Depends on how old the lumber is. They quit using arsenic in PT lumber a few years ago.

[This message has been edited by Fiero STS (edited 07-18-2008).]

Radar,

I have worked with and used pressure treated wood on numerous projects over the last 25 years and have never used rubber gloves. I do typically use leather ones to protect against splinters and similar objects. I would do your project and not worry about this at all.

Nelson

quote Originally posted by Fiero STS: Depends on how old the lumber is. They quit using arsenic in PT lumber a few years ago.

Wow, I didn't know that. My original advice still stands though. I would not worry about it.

Jim

.

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 12-04-2008).]

Thanks, all!
I appreciate all the responses -- the advice about the pets, especially. (Not that the dog cleans anything from his fur or paws. )

Arsenec and cromium have been baned since 2004.
"Yellow Wood" brand is best.
I assume you are using 5/4 Decking.
Use a duel pitch composite decking screw with a roberts head. (Square bit driver). two per joist.
Square the wall side end removing as little as possible or at least check for square cut.
Pull a line and trim to length when finished. leave a one inch over lap on the outer band.
Apply with as little gap as possible driving a large screwdiver into the joist and levering if needed.
It will shrink as it drys and leave an even gap.
Check for square about every 4 feet and adjust as needed. . This avoids cumulative error.

[This message has been edited by Wolfhound (edited 07-18-2008).]

How long do you have to wait to paint the new treated lumber? I have heard 1 year for the old, but the new stuff seems wetter. (Oddly enough, we were talking about this very subject at lunch today)

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1986 SE 350 V8

Frankly, I wouldn't build any deck with the wood treatment they're currently using. When I built our deck a few years ago I bought premium grade decking, hand picked every piece. And there isn't a straight board on there right now, every damn one of them has shrunk up something fierce (even after I let them "age" for about ten days before installing them) Half of it is splitting and looks like hell. I used to build decks for a living, and never have I seen such crappy lumber. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and just use composite decking. I know, I know. I'm a traditionalist too, I like the look of real wood. But for what you're going to pay for decent boards, and the result you'll have in a few years isn't worth it. Unless you can afford redwood and don't mind the upkeep.

quote Originally posted by Taijiguy: Frankly, I wouldn't build any deck with the wood treatment they're currently using. When I built our deck a few years ago I bought premium grade decking, hand picked every piece. And there isn't a straight board on there right now, every damn one of them has shrunk up something fierce (even after I let them "age" for about ten days before installing them) Half of it is splitting and looks like hell. I used to build decks for a living, and never have I seen such crappy lumber. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and just use composite decking. I know, I know. I'm a traditionalist too, I like the look of real wood. But for what you're going to pay for decent boards, and the result you'll have in a few years isn't worth it. Unless you can afford redwood and don't mind the upkeep.

I used cedar on my deck and it has held up well. If I were to do it again I woud use the composite stuff as I could do without all the maintenance.

I thought about using composite, but it's 2 1/2 times the price of the premium lumber I'm looking at (and 4 times the price of the standard stuff.)

My lumber is also supposedly treated with Thompsons (not that THAT is such a big deal) but I had planned to refinish it after it aged a bit, anyway.
I'm guessing that the Thompsons is in addition to the regular treatment.

Regardless, I'm not using composite or the standard stuff.

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I'm about to re-deck my back porch. It's going to take roughly thirty 12' deck boards. (I'll have to cut ~2" off of each one.) Thanks for any help.

Why not just buy 11' 10" boards? It would save you from having to cut each one. Just a thought.

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I thought about using composite, but it's 2 1/2 times the price of the premium lumber I'm looking at (and 4 times the price of the standard stuff.) My lumber is also supposedly treated with Thompsons (not that THAT is such a big deal) but I had planned to refinish it after it aged a bit, anyway. I'm guessing that the Thompsons is in addition to the regular treatment. Regardless, I'm not using composite or the standard stuff.

I had to tear out a brick stoop on moms old house, I could not find a Mason who would even consider this job.They could not stand behind a horizontal Brickwork & morter in this climate, no warrenties?
I redid the stoop using 1st generation composite about 10 years ago. It still looks as good as the day I put it together. Iowa climate is much worse than where you live, Freeze, Thaw, Freeze killed the Brick Work, any water is going to cause cracks to extend. Wood is going to go the same way.

It won't be the same where you live, but you can get my drift? It'l just take a lil' longer. Preasure treatment will keep things from rotting, won't do as much for weathering. Wet / Dry cycle'ing is still going to mechanicaly lead to cracks and warping, with wood. Faux wood is not going to have much, if any, water infiltration. Another plus, it's less likely to get slippery when wet. You put something like Thompson's on wood ( parafin based sealent if I'm not mistaken), Damb Son, when wet you could almost play Hocky on that?

The only case I can think of for using anything else?
Use wood if you're flipping the house, or can't live without 'True Wood Grain' ( although the new stuff is pretty good looking). Or you need to feel usefull, once every couple of years?
If you are going to stick, with your house 10 / 30 / or more years, go with composite. You might be around to thank me at the 50th Fiero reunion?

You really need to figure in the costs and time involved with refurbishing wood a few years from now. And every few years later.
I'm 50 + and I'd rather not think about trying to refurb a deck every 5 years or so, or replace things 30 years from now.

Chances are you are well underway with this project & have the wood already on site, but if'n you haven't cut anything, I'd reconsider. That Faux Wood is that damb good, it might not need refurbishing in your lifetime?

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Ol' Paint, 88 Base coupe auto.
Turning white on top, like owner.
Leaks a little, like owner.
Doesn't smoke....... OK, we're trying to quit.

[This message has been edited by DtheC (edited 07-19-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I thought about using composite, but it's 2 1/2 times the price of the premium lumber I'm looking at (and 4 times the price of the standard stuff.) My lumber is also supposedly treated with Thompsons (not that THAT is such a big deal) but I had planned to refinish it after it aged a bit, anyway. I'm guessing that the Thompsons is in addition to the regular treatment. Regardless, I'm not using composite or the standard stuff.

Composite is spendier, but consider what you're going to be thinking in two years when that PT is starting to come apart like ours is. I built the deck three years ago. The wood started to deform and do all kinds of funky stuff last year.I didn't even bother to finish it because I knew we were going to be replacing the decking. I'll get pictures and show what this stuff does. The new pressure treatment they're doing now (I think) does something to the structural integrity of the wood. It just doesn't hold up. I wouldn't be surprised if we started to see PT become a thing of the past.
If you can in any way afford it, I would suggest you reconsider the composite. And no, the "Thompson's" doesn't mean squat. I don't know of any professionals in this area anyway that would touch Thompson's. If you're absolutely determined to use regular decking, then I would suggest to forgo the Thompson's crap and buy the best, hand picked PT you can find. And it probably won't come from Home Depot or Lowes. Then, lay it out on the deck unfastened for a couple of weeks to dry out and "cure" a little. Flip it once or twice to expose both sides. Then as was described before, install it with the boards tight together. It'll shrink up, A LOT, and leave from a 1/4-3/8" gap when it completely shrinks up. After it's been on about a month, there's a Flood product, I forget the name, but it's designed specifically for new PT wood. I would apply that, maybe twice. Then every year apply a deck treatment. I would only use Flood products. Again, Thompson's is a joke, you might as well go out and piss on your deck, it would probably provide the same amount of protection.
(Psssst: composite)

I just built a 16' x 24' deck in my yard. We too looked at going with Trex and about had a heart attack when we compared the difference in price. We have 16" deck boards, and if memory serves me we used something like 18 - 20 of them. The difference in cost of PT was $2500.00. I used to sell lumber, so I know the benefits of composite, and I really wanted to go that route, but $2500.00 is a lot of sealer of the next 10 - 20 years.

On a side note, some of you are probably thinking, what the heck are you doing building a deck while working on and planning the 25th? Yeah, I know, yes I am an idiot when it comes to time management. It had made things difficult, but I have been able to do this, the show and my real job. I just have not been sleeping much. I'll try and get some pictures of my work. Of course I still need to add steps and landscape. That happens after the show.

You can get the composite cheaper, you just have to look around. You definitely won't get it cheaper through any of the more popular retail places, but we have discount places here, one called Grossman's, and another place, I forget the name. we also have a place that buys up surplus materials from contractors and sells it really cheap. I bought a couple hundred feet of trim for .40 a foot, it was four times that much (and more) at the retail stores. If you look around, you can find it reasonable enough.
believe me, I've come long way to be advocating composite. When I was building decks I would always sell my customers away from composite. That was before they changed the PT chemicals. After my last couple of experiences with the wood they're selling now, i wouldn't build a deck out of regular wood. The last one I built professionally was cedar, that's the only way I would go other than composite.

quote Originally posted by Taijiguy: -Snip If you can in any way afford it, I would suggest you reconsider the composite. And no, the "Thompson's" doesn't mean squat. I don't know of any professionals in this area anyway that would touch Thompson's. If you're absolutely determined to use regular decking, then I would suggest to forgo the Thompson's crap and buy the best, hand picked PT you can find. -Snip- After it's been on about a month, there's a Flood product, I forget the name, but it's designed specifically for new PT wood. I would apply that, maybe twice. Then every year apply a deck treatment. I would only use Flood products. Again, Thompson's is a joke, you might as well go out and piss on your deck, it would probably provide the same amount of protection. (Psssst: composite)

Thompsons has an advertizing budget & maybe a better markup at the retail level too, follow da' money?
Maybe have some kids Crayola your deck? In my experience, it doesn't last a year, it gets pushed up off of masonry (and most likely off wood too) by water expansion from under-neith. Really screws up any re-aplication that might actually get absorbed by the wood. In my experience, you are stuck with re-applying Thompson's, almost yearly, till you re-deck? Good market strategy for them, price lower than the competition, then fix it you have to stick with the same stuff. You will say your using Thompson's to your friends, unless you want to tell then I feel like an idiot that has to recoat every year? Kind of like saying 'My Yugo isn't that bad a car'?
In the long run, you might save yourself money, and still be proud of your deck, at all times?

Composite should last longer than your sub frame, and / or piers. You might end up with Fiero Syndrome, the body looks good, sub-frame isn't ?

quote Originally posted by Taijiguy: You can get the composite cheaper, you just have to look around. You definitely won't get it cheaper through any of the more popular retail places, ....

You are 100% correct. I had 2 big box stores quote my treated, then Ii took it to a traditional lumber yard. They beat the price by $500, and were $50.00 less on the delivery. My composite price differential was at the traditional yard, not HD or The L store.

EDIT: One other quick thought. I was short a couple of boards, and out of convenience I went to HD to get them. IMO the boards from the lumber yard were waaaayyyy better quality than what the box sold. I spent a lot of time digging through their boards to get straight ones. The ones I had delivered were very nice. Only had a couple that were twisted.

[This message has been edited by WingNut - MD (edited 07-19-2008).]