 Denver Decks, LLC offers a wide variety of Construction Designs
Over
the past thirty five years we have been focusing our sights on the stronger,
longer lasting and more durable deck products and their application systems. Although, we still
construct a full line of products made with real woods; such as Heart Redwood, Western Red Cedar and all other types of Hardwoods coming from many places, generally outside of the United States. Although all of our structural framing materials are built with treated lumber, we will not use this type of treated product for the surface decking, fascia or railing components because of the possibility of severe splintering that is caused by our dry climate here in Denver, and because of some failures that we have seen in the field on some job sites that became unsafe (warping, cupping and grains being raised above the surface), knowing that this act of nature can be potentially harmfulness to humans.
Our clients, are finding themselves
with less free time on the weekends and way too many obligations with
the time they do have to be spending their discretionary time
sealing and staining the outdoor living space; they increasingly
request products that require much less time and work of maintenance, with a greater durability.
Many of the new and untested composite materials, solid plastics, vinyl coverings and even some fiberglass products have recently flooded the decking market here and have
some very lofty promises to limit, prolong or even to eliminate the normal
maintenance problems of a deck. When we have further tested and worked with these new technologies, this claim has not always been actually substantiated in true reality. It has been our experience through our own testing, that a cap-stock or mixed composite material is the ones we are recommending on a daily basis. These can actually provide the longevity, durability
and can also limit their maintenance, while staying in a reasonable
cost range. Some more expensive PVC coated and also core composites can offer stain,
fade and mold resistance that can make life easier and subsequently, your deck will
look much more beautiful with multiple color options.
Allow
us to share the positive and negative aspects from our perspective, of the most popular choices in today's
decking, fascia and railing components on the market.
TimberTech,
EverGrain, Trex, Fortress and Fiberon materials, are at the top of the list.
These
companies offer multiple levels of materials in a wide variety
of colors and textures. They will differ in their quality, shape, color,
density and longevity; and although each product has it's own
limitations; each one of these products does have an optimal application.
Allow one of our representatives to help you determine which product
type and color blend that will work best for your deck or patio project.
Having the first hand knowledge and experience with the benefits and draw
backs of each of these systems, we can give you advise on a Company and their product type that will best encompass all that your family requires
and that will promote the aesthetics that you are looking for in the overall scheme of things - for the total deck project.
Cedar - has been widely used in the United States in various
applications for hundreds of years and is certainly growing in
popularity in today's decking and structural landscaping markets.
Cedar is milled for so many different applications and textures
making it the most versatile wood used in America today. Rough cuts
are produced for fencing, siding, facing and trim boards. Large Timbers of
all sizes are cut for both structural and architectural uses such
as roofs, shade arbors, pergolas and gazebo components. Smooth cuts of the Cedar tree are so beautiful because of their grain and their knot configuration
and are milled for many surface decking and railing applications; as well as fascia and skirting.
Cedar is very versatile and can be cut, routed and milled easily on the job site to fit any
purpose. The strength of its grain allows it to be used in almost
all structural uses, but generally it is used for surface aesthetics. Cedar is a soft wood, which allows it to age well in
very dry climates like Colorado, it alsp paints well and resists the normal
cracking of denser woods, and dries very quickly in wet climates as well. Some types of Cedar wood have a very pleasing natural aroma and has a natural resistance
to rot and decay. Cedar will oxidize and gray if it is not treated properly
and will mildew or even get burned by the sun if it is over sealed with the wrong products.
In Colorado's dry climate, Cedar needs to be sealed yearly or
bi-yearly to maintain its natural beauty or should be professionally caulked and primed before
being painted.
Redwood - has been American's primary choice for most decking products in the
past several decades, but because of building overuse, misuse, over harvesting and forest mismanagement, it is quickly losing its charm and popularity here in Colorado because of
its rising cost and very high maintenance issues as well. It has natural lasting
beauty in its grain and knot configuration, with mixed colors of red and white Construction
Common, B-grades and mostly red shades of Heart grades are still available. The nature of the Heart of the Redwood tree, allows it to be very naturally resistant to decay and can be used for many
applications in the most humid of environments. In more arid environments
like ours, it will tend to dry out too quickly, crack, split and raise its grain when
not protected properly. The changing laws and management of the
Redwood forests in the United States has greatly increased the
cost and also limited the availability of these products. Redwood should
be sealed every year in the early fall. Redwood should not be
used in painting applications, for it bleeds it's natural color
because of immature growth and clear cutting issues.
Upper Heart Redwood Deck w/ a wood Builder style snow railing
Hardwoods - like Belau, Mahogany, Ipe, Brazilian Redwood, Tiger Wood and Cypress
have been widely used in the construction of decks and other landscape
structures for many years in other countries, but have just recently
been gaining in popularity in our area. The true beauty and consistency
to a real hardwood product is very attractive to the consumer
in these markets. The durability and longevity are clear acknowledgments
of the hardness and extreme density of these hardwood trees. But, the sheer strength
of a drying board of this density often requires a stainless steel
screw (it can be quite costly to pre-drill every hole) application to hold it firmly in place and will
also require high grade steel or titanium bits to bore pilot
holes for each attachment.
These Hardwoods require more intricate and involved construction
applications, and in turn requires a more experienced, seasoned
and talented carpenter. The additional labor involved with this
type of construction can be as much as double the normal time
and can cost between double and triple the normal labor fees depending on the finer details requested. In our
climate, normal oil based sealants may take several additional
days to soak into a hardwood product; many other circumstances of weather and temperatures can further delay this process; and certain species of wood may even require
a Teak Wood Oil sealant. This should be applied by hand and the excess oil removed by hand as well.
The
opinions expressed here are those of Denver Decks and more specifically
of Philip R. Tussing, the owner of Denver Decks and your "Deck Answer Man". Note: The consumer should always
thoroughly investigate a proposed product before choosing to purchase a deck material or any other product for use in their own construction project. It
would also be prudent to test every opinion received and further entertained in order to determine
its factual nature and practical application.
We
have determined that products such as first and second generation
composites, vinyls, hollow and solid plastics and fiberglass decking materials
have too great of a financial or health risk, or may just have some type of liability that we are not willing to undertake without much more testing. We always like to see a product on the market and used here in Colorado for some years, so we are able to see its benefits and draw backs (if any) before we start to intigrate that system in our nornmal construction choices of deck construction. Deck products are always changing in an attempt to meet pressing needs and for future requirements, so we will endeavor to keep you informed of the newest and best developments that come our way in the deck industry. |
