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Old 07-07-13, 11:52 AM   #1
Xringer
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Default Conservation of trees, use 100% plastic decking (Cellular PVC)

Veranda 1 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 16 ft. Cellular PVC Deck Acorn-K250MAC16 at The Home Depot

It's $2.50 a foot now, so I'm removing all the old cedar and will replace it with
plastic lumber when it comes in from Home Depot this week.

I've removed the cedar on both catwalks and was amazed at how deteriorated it has become since the late 1980s.

East catwalk


West catwalk


I found a tool for removing old deck planks.


The Duckbill Deck Wrecker Online Store
http://www.burnstools.com/cart/image...ckwrecker2.jpg
http://www.burnstools.com/cart/image...eckwrecker.jpg

Still have the main deck 12x24 (288 sq ft) to strip..

Not sure why these things have to be done during the hottest days of the summer..?.
But, July might be better than August.. When I built this, it was during a very hot August..

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Old 07-07-13, 04:30 PM   #2
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Yes you are saving trees but plastic isn't every renewable.

either way, cant wait to pictures of the finished product.
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Old 07-07-13, 06:26 PM   #3
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But, it's recyclable as PVC.. Just in case it ever needs replacing..
Actually, I think this stuff might last a lot longer than wood.
So, if it lasts for 25 years... Wow, I'll be 92 in 2038 !

I think this is the same (or very similar) stuff.. TUFboard Building Products: Alsek
Here's a slide show TUFboard Building Products: DECK
The brown decking is the Acorn. It has some fake wood grain on one side,
and some neat low profile non-skid on the other side.
I'm pretty sure that depth of the fake wood 'grain' is going to need a lot more cleaning..
So, we will likely use the low-maintenance non-skid side..

Not so sure that investing so much money into a product that hasn't time-tested, is such a good idea.
But, based on what I've seen over the years with PVC (vinyl) siding and moldings, it's worth a try.
I understand that it's going to fade in the sun, but it can be painted, if it gets too light colored for us..

The Home Depot truck will be here on Wednesday, and I'll post some more pics after that.
I'll also have come back in 10 or 15 years and post some 'after aging' pics. (of the deck)!!
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Old 07-09-13, 08:51 AM   #4
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Default Old main deck cedar planks.

Here is a link to a slideshow. The "Before" shots of the main deck were added today.

Deck Slideshow by Xringer | Photobucket
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Last edited by Xringer; 07-09-13 at 05:22 PM.. Reason: Simplifying linking to pictures, to one click..
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Old 07-09-13, 09:57 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xringer View Post
These are links to Hi-Res main deck pics. The "Before" shots.

Why don't you put the JPEG links into the on-line feature tool... it really doesn't take much effort?

-AC
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Old 07-10-13, 02:40 PM   #6
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There is a company in Framingham MA called ReFoamIt that recycles styrofoam (#6 plastic) into beads that can be used to make plastic trim boards, etc.

There are different kinds of plastic decking and some are better than others. Some get quite hot in the sun. Some get slick in the rain. Some expand and contract a LOT in temperature changes.
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Old 07-10-13, 05:46 PM   #7
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This Cellular PVC has some pretty good specs. The install sheet says you don't have
to leave any gap when joining two plank ends. Unless it's below 32F when you install.
Then you need to leave 1/16" to 1/8" spacing.

I will be interesting to see how hot this stuff gets, since the old cedar got really hot. Says here, the deck rail was 150F..
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/renova...n-project.html

Not sure how heat sensitive this stuff is, but they warn you not to expose
it to the reflections off Low-E windows..

In Boston, some windows were focusing sunlight on a nearby house and melting the Vinyl siding!
Like this: Vinyl siding melts off from reflection of sun at Virginia Beach home - YouTube

~~~~ Thursday: 9:45 AM

Well, HD didn't deliver on Wednesday, so we are sitting here waiting again.
Watching the radar as the rain storms roll in. WOBURN WEATHER CENTER - Radar

~~~~ Thursday: 11:12
It's here! Just finished inspecting and counting. It looks good so far. No damage I can see.
I'll need to pull out the PT wood and check it over, when the rain slows down.

~~~~ Friday 16:36
Been busy working on the west side cat walk, will post pics tonight.
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Last edited by Xringer; 07-12-13 at 03:37 PM.. Reason: Updating and fixin typos as best I can..
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Old 07-12-13, 08:11 PM   #8
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Default New pics of deck install w/ tools.

Got the east catwalk mostly done (left the angle cuts at the end for later),
and got about 1/2 the west cat walk done.

Deck Slideshow by Xringer | Photobucket

As you can see from the new slide show pics, my wife decided on the fake grain side up.
I told her it's gonna be twice the maintenance, but she liked the grain side better.
I compared the two sides for skid prevention (when wet) and they seem about the same.
There is some text with the slide show, if you put your cursor on the pic..

Got about 2 hours of work to finish up the west side, then I'm going to attack
the main next with the Duckbill Deck Destroyer..
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Old 07-13-13, 05:39 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
There are different kinds of plastic decking and some are better than others. Some get quite hot in the sun. Some get slick in the rain. Some expand and contract a LOT in temperature changes.
This is true. I was on a pool-side plastic deck last weekend and we had to stand on towels. It was to hot and too slippery to stand comfortably. But it looked fantastic.
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Old 07-13-13, 06:22 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamsterpower View Post
This is true. I was on a pool-side plastic deck last weekend and we had to stand on towels. It was to hot and too slippery to stand comfortably. But it looked fantastic.
We had some sun for a while yesterday. I used my IR scanner to look at
the difference between the old cedar and the PVC.
There wasn't any difference. Both showed 120f to 130f.

However, I think the thermal transfer rate for naked feet will be less with the cedar.
So, wood will feel cooler, because heat transferring to skin will be slower.
It's thermal mass is also less. Not very dense wood. (It weights much less).

~~~
7/14/2013 The Hot Spell:
Yesterday, was really hot. From today forward, this week is going to be a loss.
Real-feel in the high 90s and 100s until Thursday. Early this morning was bad.
Working on the main deck is possible, if we only stay out for a few minutes and then come in and cool off.
We did get some repair work done on the sub-deck and sawed out and removed the outside
edges of the deck.
Because the Duck-Bill can't put up the end planks, due to the over-hanging rail..

Added some new pics.
Deck Slideshow by Xringer | Photobucket

~~~~
Edit 7/26/2013:
It's been raining a lot lately and we've been out on the new PVC decking with and without shoes.
It's not slippery at all.
There is a lot of traction in that fake wood grain design. It's almost uncomfortable to my tender bare feet.
I remember back when the cedar decking was new. It was very slippery when wet.

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Last edited by Xringer; 07-26-13 at 02:14 PM.. Reason: not slippery note
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