What is the best wood to build a deck with in Florida?
Question:I want to build a 10' x 24' deck for my house. What would be the strongest and most affordable wood for this project? Also I live in Florida so it is very humid. Thank you!
Answers:
Nobody reads the question before responding. You are building a deck, and want to know the strongest wood. The framing of the deck (the posts, beams, floor joists) should be built using treated yellow pine (ACQ treated lumber). Everyone else here is giving you their opinion on the decking material to use. There are many choices of decking, but the strongest and most affordable is still treated deck boards (also ACQ treated yellow pine, in 5/4 x 6 inch eased edge boards). If you can afford to use a composite, that's fine.
You will spend $350 - $400 on the treated framework of you deck.
You will need 240 sq. ft. (44 each 12' pieces of 5/4x6 material) for your decking. This will range from $450 to $1,400 (yes, $1,400) depending on what type of decking you choose.
instead of conventional wood products, I suggest a composit. You can screw through it with regular deck screws just as easily as wood, it comes in different colors, natural and man made, and it lasts a lot longer. made up of wood chips and a composit (plastic) material. Considering the Florida has a lot of moisture and mould. try going to your local Home Depot and asking for Trim Tex. or something of the like.
If you are still set on natural wood, redwood and cedar are less likely to rot, and if you treat it with a weather treatment, it will last a lot longer too.
Green treated is the most affordable, or cypress might be nice... You have a lot of options. You could use synthetic deck board. It looks good and won't rot, ever.
Try composite, its a little more expensive than wood but less maintanance. The material is recycled so its good for the environment and it doesn't splinter or warp. There are many companies that make composites and there are many diiferent colors to choose from and it lasts longer than wood. I provided one link below.
Composit will last forever and looks just like wood. Wood deterirates (sp) over time, but this stuff is great. And you don't have to paint, stain or seal it.
IPE...is going to be the best WOOD product for you...I'm a lumber salesman in Ga.it works great here...and is about the same price as comp. it is a brazilian hardwood...use a product called penofin gold for hardwoods to finish it...
yellow pine for the frame and red oak for the deck boards
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