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We need to rebuild the front porch on our 100-year-old house. The front part is covered, but the side part (it is a wrap-around porch) is not, so is constantly exposed to the elements. I'm told that composite is the best, but it's also the most expensive--and I'm not sure it really suits such an old house, anyway. I've been told of a new product, pre-coated pressure-treated wood, sold only by American Cedar Mill (in Raleigh): ACM Pre-Coated Decking | American Cedar
Anybody have any experience with this product, or have any advice to offer (other, better materials, best contractor, whatever--all appreciated). Thank you!
Never used that stuff before so I cant comment on it. Composite is the most durable and the cost is significantly higher than PT wood. Not just the material but the fasteners as well. You can buy premium version of it with patterns into the material and it looks really nice.
If you go with regular PT wood I would strongly recommend Armstrong Clark Stain (not Armstrong). You have to buy it online and have it shipped and the price is not that much higher than regular stains. It is the best stain period. Deck restoration companies use it in our area and thats where I learned about it from. I did my deck with it last year and extremely happy with it. Cabot stains really don't have the best reputation so I would be apprehensive about buying wood that is treated with it from the factory. At some point it will need to be treated again because it's wood, so I would find out when that should be. Look at the cost difference and see if it's worth paying more for. The one negative is what if you come up short on material and need to get more? Is it readily available locally, or does it need to be ordered and shipped?
If you can afford it I would go with composite and never have to worry about the deck again.
We built our deck 8 years ago using pressure treated lumber. We clean and re-stain the floor boards each spring with Behr 6-year deck stain, so we do it 6X more often than the manufacturer says we should need to. Even with that, I'm having to replace rotten floor boards this year.
What direction is your porch facing? Do you have trees close enough to provide shade throughout the day?
If the porch is facing South, no trees to provide shade then composite decking should handle the brutal Summer heat/direct sunlight better then wood will in the long run. Since you mentioned that this is a wrap around porch, going composite could potentially be like taking out a small 2nd mortgage.
Thank you, everyone, for your very helpful feedback.
Bpobill: As it turns out, can't use composite: just checked with the town, and because the house is in a historical district, composite is not an option. It's okay, can't really afford it, anyway (BIG porch). Thank you for the much-appreciated stain recommendation; I'd heard the same thing about Cabot stains.
MikeJaquish: I think this is what we'll ask for, thanks so much. In my research, I read that the grade makes all the difference.
Pete168: Yes, porch faces South, but has a roof, so the decking on that part is fine. It's the decking on the East side that's problematic: no roof, no protection.
Poppydog: Wonder if Armstrong Clark Stain has an equally good decking paint. Hmmmm. . . .
Thank you, everyone, for your very helpful feedback.
Bpobill: As it turns out, can't use composite: just checked with the town, and because the house is in a historical district, composite is not an option. It's okay, can't really afford it, anyway (BIG porch). Thank you for the much-appreciated stain recommendation; I'd heard the same thing about Cabot stains.
MikeJaquish: I think this is what we'll ask for, thanks so much. In my research, I read that the grade makes all the difference.
Pete168: Yes, porch faces South, but has a roof, so the decking on that part is fine. It's the decking on the East side that's problematic: no roof, no protection.
Poppydog: Wonder if Armstrong Clark Stain has an equally good decking paint. Hmmmm. . . .
Prime and paint the SYP underside before installing it.
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