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The best way to approach this is
to consider the factors that are most important to you,
your particular circumstances and the proposed deck
location and then give a weighting to each factor to
come up with the best option. Everyone’s situation is
slightly different, so what’s best for you, may not be
appropriate for someone else.
There are probably seven most
relevant factors which you should take into account when
deciding what lumber species is best for your situation.
These are:
- Type of wood (hardwood or
softwood)
- Natural durability
- Colour of the wood
- Wearability
- Ease of machining and working
- Environmental considerations
- Cost
Hardwood or softwood
Most softwoods with the notable
exception of western red cedar, some cypress species and
a few species of pine and larch are not naturally
durable and will decay quite rapidly if left totally
exposed to the weather. Fortunately softwood species
readily accept chemical preservatives so when treated,
their durability can equal or exceed most of the
naturally durable hardwood species.
Natural
durability - weather resistance
Durability refers to a combination
of properties which includes resistance of the timber to
decay, termite and borer attack and also to splitting
and checking when used under exposed conditions. As wood
is a natural product, it’s not really possible to assign
a precise or absolute value to the durability of an
individual species. And the actual life which can be
expected of a deck in service will be dependent on many
factors including degree of exposure of the deck to the
elements, prevailing weather conditions, the air
circulation around the decking etc.
Various charts and tables are
available which list the relative durability of wood
species based on their actual in service so can be used
to provide a useful broad comparison between species.
Note should also be taken of
termite resistance if this is important in your region
as this will vary greatly between species.
Colour of the wood
There is a huge color variation
within wood species, from pale yellow, through brown’s
to reds and red orange, even purple. And some species
may be very consistent in colour whilst others can vary
considerably from board to board or even along the
length of a single board. Some species have flecks of a
paler color interspersed along the grain.
However unless a strict
maintenance regime involving regular oiling of the wood
decking is maintained, all wood species exposed to the
sunlight will eventually fade over time to a soft silver
grey- the speed at which this occurs will depending on
the species, the prevailing weather conditions, the
degree of exposure of the deck to the sun, the intensity
of the sun and the frequency of application of the
protective oil.
Wearability
In this rather subjective term, we
are looking at what happens to the surface of the wood
as it ages, how it weathers as the deck becomes older.
Generally this is not such an important factor unless
you like to walk on your decking with bare feet. With
some species, the grain tends to lift as the wood ages,
causing small splinters to appear. With other species
however the surface can remain virtually smooth for
years.
Ease of working with tools
Some hardwood species are
exceptionally hard and thus require carbide tipped saws
to speed construction. Also when nailing boards, some
species can be nailed directly whilst other species will
tend to split if not predrilled. Even with softwoods
such as cypress, pre-drilling may be necessary.
Environmental considerations
The destruction of the great
forests of the world, not only in the Amazon basis and
South East Asia but also in major Western nations,
should be a major concern to everyone.
Several organizations, the best
known of which is probably the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), have established standards and operating
procedures which forestry owners must adhere to in order
that their products may carry that organization’s
official certification. This provides some assurance
that the wood and wood products have been harvested in
accordance with sustainable forestry practises and sound
forest management procedures and that any finished
products have been manufactured and supplied under non
exploitative labor practices.
Many governments have established
their own standards outside of the FSC but consideration
needs to be given whether such standards and operating
procedures may in fact be catering to vested interests
and that some reliable and certifiable mechanism
actually exists to ensure procedures and practices are
indeed followed as required.
Cost factors
In general, softwoods will be
lower in cost than hardwoods, reflecting the shorter
time to maturity of the trees, extensive plantation
grown forests with easy access for harvesting and lower
processing costs. Some plantation grown hardwoods can
approach the cost base of hardwoods but the lower
recovery rate of most hardwoods still tends to keep the
price above that of most softwoods.
The above presents just an
overview of the main factors you should consider when
choosing a lumber species for your deck. Each of the
above factors can be looked at in more detail but this
should enable you to make a more considered decision on
the type of lumber you would like to use for your
particular decking project.
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