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Hiring a Decking contractor
pros, cons, and questions to ask
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First: the Pros and Cons of doing it yourself
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Pros
- Justify the tools for your workshop
- Learning experience
- Full Control
- Flexibility as you have new ideas
- Less out of pocket
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Cons
- Time involved
- Extra costs overruns
- Injury Risk
- Lots of learning
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| the big advantage of hiring a good contractor
is they have the tools and knowledge to complete the job quickly and
efficiently. Many times a good DIY starts a project and many
unanticipated issues arise. Some questions to ask, and
know yourself are as follows. This is not an exhaustive list |
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Which Wood Where
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| There are two primary woods used in deck projects.
The first is the supporting framework while the second is the
decking surface (that you will walk on). The supporting wood is not
visible and the primary concern is for rot or lack thereof. The best
wood for this is pressure treated lumber - available at any home
improvement store.
Pressure treated wood is cheap, easy to work with, but may have
poisons. Use care in leaving a lot of sawdust in your grass for
animals and plants sake. Pressure treated wood is also frequently
wet, which may dull blades quickly. Don't spend a lot of time
touching PT as the chemicals may absorb through your skin.
The second issue is the decking surface. Wood choices include any
of our various Brazilian Hardwoods. The 1x6 boards are actually 3/4
inch think and about 5 1/2 inches wide. Brazilian Hardwood is
sold in various lengths (up to 18’), widths, and thicknesses to
allow maximum design flexibility with no additional costs. |
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Fasteners how to keep it all together
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| The only correct answer to this question is
stainless steel. Your local hardware store will tell you that teflon
coated or ACQ compliant deck screws are sufficient. The reason
coated screws may not last as long is that beneath the coating is a
standard steel screw. If you scratch or mar the coating, the metal
of the screw is exposed and you'll rust. Rust on Brazilian
hardwood will cause staining. Soon you have streaks or spots
on your deck. Stainless Steel will match the life of your
Brazilian wood. You are spending the money for Brazilian
hardwoods so match them with high quality fasteners. Hidden
Fastener Clips are often chosen by customers who don’t want to see
the heads of the screws in the face of their deck boards. To use
these, the boards must be kerfed (grooved) on the sides so that the
clips can be inserted into the boards.
Ipe Clip Extreme is another
effective hidden fastening product made of stainless steel covered
with plastic to blend in with the wood color. The Ipe Clip Extreme
is installed by driving a screw through the hole in the clip at a 45
degree angle and through the board thereby holding the board from
moving as the board shrinks slightly. Most installers find it easier
to pre-drill a hole in the board so that they can drive the screw
more easily.
Aluminum Deck Clip ™ are preferred
by some installers because pre-drilling is not necessary. These deck
clips are durable and hold well but the boards may shift as they
shrink because the screws are not driven down through the board. The
screws are driven straight down through the clips between the
boards. Using All Weather Sub Floor Adhesive solves this problem.
The absolute worst thing anyone can tell you is that Brazilian
decking will be attached with nails. A contractor who talks
nails may not be familiar with Brazilian Hardwoods.
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Finishing with Finish
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| There are many ways to finish a deck and one way is
to not put a finish on it. Brazilian Hardwoods are naturally insect
and rot resistant so no finisher is necessary. Be aware no
finish will allow your deck to turn silver gray. I you
do not want your Brazilian wood to silver with time you need to put
a finisher with UV protection.
There are many products available and we carry what we feel is
the best. Application details of Finisher products are
available in the HowTo section of the menu. In a summary, you
clean the deck once installed, coat the deck with finisher insuring
you do not leave any puddling. If you have ever stained wood
then you know how to apply finisher. If you have no expertise,
you can still apply finisher.
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Maintenance
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| A well built deck should last you a long time with
little structural maintenance. If you have "finished" (Use a UV
Inhibiting Finisher) the deck you may need to touch it up or
re-apply a coat each year.
Issues to ask your contractor about:
1) Who do I call if there are problems?
2) How should I
handle any screws that pop out?
3) If boards start to squeak in
the future, what should I do?
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Permits
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| You or your contractor need to check 3 places before
you start to build:
1) Your Home Owners Association (they may want to see your
plans)
2) The local City Hall to get a builders permit (if required in
your area). Also be sure to check out the rules about your property
lines and where you can build structures.
3) The utility company to come mark your in-ground lines (if they
are near the project)
Do not assume anything. Ultimately the homeowner is responsible.
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Ipe Clip Hidden Fastner
