urgent help Merbu vs treated pine

[Tiger_woods]

Guys i am doing decking the area is around 5MX6M....i am bit short on cash so i was thinking instead of doing merbu (which i would love to do) i shd go for treated pone decking :-( 140x20

One of my friend was telling me that the treated pine gets de-shape with passage of time..........is it true???? second what other cheap option i have i def have to do 140x20 size..........secondly what sort of nails shd i use as i will be hiring nail gun (don have time for screws) which size nails and type..........

Thanks heaps guys

[amiaow]

Merbau looks much nicer- just save for a bit longer and do your decking when you're not short of cash.

[stevoh741]

what you save skimping in $$$ now, you will spend multiples of fixing it later. Maybe go a smaller deck if you haven't the cash (5x6m is pretty bloody big). Also a deck unroofed will cop a flogging from the weather (I assume no roof with that size?)

[ausdesign]

I have not come across any differences in regards to cupping with merbau or pine after they have been fixed down. Pine will cup more (quicker) than merbau because of its properties if it is left in place without fixing. i.e cutting in a big area & leaving it sit there for a period of time with hot direct sun.
In regards to the nail gun . . . don't.
In fact . . . definitely don't.
If you're budget won't allow for stainless screws then predrilling gal twist shank nails would be the minimum option.

[cherub65]

Well I'll go against the flow and answer, if you want a cheap and easy deck use treated pine 90 x 21mm. Get your self a coil nailer use stainless steel dome head nails with ring shank. (ask for ones suited to softwood joists, if that's what your using)
Trial and error on off cuts to set your depth, leave a little proud and finish with a hammer, Make sure when you hire gun that its supplied with a nose protector otherwise you will get three marks every time you fire a nail.
Don't try and shoot the ends pre drill and hammer

[Bloss]

Nothing wrong with TP if properly fixed, but I am one that says do not use a nail gun, for must use gal or coated fixings designed for TP. SS screws in bulk from a few online places are not much different in price so shop around and compare.

[Fuzzie]

I've been perusing threads about treated pine decking and found this one which seems a suitable place to add some new questions.

I need to redo the deck around our pool. The existing deck was villaboard sheet over HW framing. The original job was probably reasonably well done, but it's at least 25 years old and although all joints were caulked and most sheets screwed down with brass screws, the Astroturf covering has assisted in letting the joints leak and all the joists under joins now have varying degrees of top rot.

I've pulled off the villaboard decking sheets (non asbestos) and looking at the underlying structure I suspect the recovery rate of usable joists will be low and from other threads I gather fixing new deck to old HW will be hard work, so it is looking like a complete rebuild in TP is on the cards.

I'm now looking into which decking material to use. Following other threads on the WW side of the forums I've decided Modwood is probably not a good choice for full sun use in the subtropics, although it initially seemed to promise a viable low maintenance option.

At the moment I'm leaning toward using a 140mm wide decking board. I rather like the image of the wide board giving a solid wharf like feel around the pool as it is quite elevated at one end. The choices for 140mm boards seem to be blackbutt at 19mm, merbau at 19 or 25, and treated pine at 25 or 35mm. The treated pine has the cost advantage and I'm thinking the lighter colour and more substantial profile is better suited to the application.

My question is, how well does fully exposed TP hold up? I've seen it used in beach areas without apparently much additional finish but it seems to suffer from heavy traffic wear. How well does unfinished TP hold up in domestic situations? If it is to be finished, what type of finish would require the least on going maintenance? (I dislike the idea of having to refinish/repaint every 12 months) How well does unfinished TP hold up in domestic situations? If it is to be finished, what type of finish would require the least ongoing maintenance? (I dislike the idea of having to refinish/repaint every 12 months)

One thing worries me about using no finish is that during the last couple of years of wet wet seasons the brick paving has required pressure cleaning with a water balster, and I suspect if weather patterns remain the same, the timber decking is going to need similar treatment occassionaly. That's at least one issue that didn't arise with Astroturf! Does pressure cleaning treated pine do much damage?

[barney118]

As others have said, using a good hardwood would pay off in the future. If you go TP then at least screw it so its easier to take up in the future and replace (which you probaly will). merbau loves to run/bleed and make a mess, dont say we didnt tell you. If you are going for a wide board 140 use type 17 screws they are bigger look better IMO.

[Carrolls]

Hi Tiger, Buy premium grade treated pine decking and you will get a great job. This product has only a few knotts and is treated with a clear colour.
This will save you money and the clear look will allow you to stain it to look like Merbau.
You can buy this in sizes 90x22 140x22 and 140x25
They should be half the price of Merbau.

[ausdesign]

Just as a reference for others - under AS3959 Building in bushfire prone areas treated pine decking may not be acceptable. I am only familiar with the new Vic designated areas but worth while checking out your options which ever state you're in.

[Bloss]

Just as a reference for others - under AS3959 Building in bushfire prone areas treated pine decking may not be acceptable. I am only familiar with the new Vic designated areas but worth while checking out your options which ever state you're in.

:whs: Not just TP - all timber decking can be a problem in some areas. But depends on the rating of the location and so on - so as Peter says check local council if you are in a fire prone area.

[barney118]

More bureaucratic crap thanks to the greenies on brushfire requirements. Yet they allow zero setback alignments in some council areas. There is no one rule for all

[Fuzzie]

I had already been investigating the bushfire threat issue. I've found the GCCC bushfire hazard overlay map and not surprisingly our block is adjacent to a high rating zone. The map shows all house blocks on our street as uncoloured, but the adjoining green space is all marked red. I wonder what the interpretation of that is? Because our block is not marked does that mean we can presumably use TP?

I had been leaning toward using TP decking because I liked the larger dimension boards. Bunnings carries a premium 140x32 TP product that is virtually clear and reasonably priced at about $7/m. The cheapest I can find Kwilla in 140x19 is about $9/m. That's about $800 difference for the 60m² deck.

<edit...>

Ha. I just found another Burleigh Bushfire Management plan (http://www.gcparks.com.au/parks.aspx?page=127) that designates our block as High Risk Protection Zone. I guess I should just forget TP decking.

What is a good low maintenance paint for Kwila if I want light coloured deck?

[barney118]

If you are not in the Zone you should be clear. This is how absurd it is when I put in my new DA they had updated council records showed my western fence was in this radius and they made me fill out the brushfire report. I didn't need to do anything different as I have a pool and one requirement was water supply/tank.

[Fuzzie]

Another issue that would arise using treated pine around the pool would be the pool fencing solution used. TP and aluminium don't play together well.

[stevoh741]

Spotted gum is naturally fire resistant. I use it for nearly all my decks at 140x32 for around $9/m. Supports local industry and will way outlast and outlook TP rubbish.

[Fuzzie]

Hey Stevoh, where do you get spotted gum 140x32 for $9/m? Local timber yards here (http://www.greenmounttimber.com.au/show.aspx?product=Spotted+Gum+Hardwood+Decking&number=28&cat=16&catb=19) are quoting $16.25/m for std and better 136x32.

[stevoh741]

On Sunny coast: Lifetime timbers, Ironbark ($10/m), Directline timbers. Depending on supply between $9-$10/m. Worth a trip from gold coast at that price difference.

[barney118]

If you go with to then screw it so it's easier to take up later