oak deck experiment

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

unclemoustache

My 'stache is bigger than yours.
AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
24,057
Reaction score
62,597
Location
S. Il. near St. Louis
I recently milled up some oak and needed a little outdoor walkway for a project. I decided to use the fresh oak for it. 1" thick (well, closer to 7/8") and 5" wide.
The joists are 2"x6" oak.

I understand white oak is better for exterior use, but decided to give this a shot anyway. I think this is pin or bur oak. (I think bur is a white oak....??)

I am curious to see how long it lasts. I'm going to leave it untreated until it's dry, so next year I may add a preservative.

Sorry no pics yet - they are on the way!
 
Boards are nailed on. Pre-drilled the holes. Made the spacing pretty narrow in expectation of the shrinkage.
I don’t expect much warping since it’s all fastened down.
 

Attachments

  • 24B6EF7A-0B4A-4D6D-8A5F-25636C9A6AE5.jpeg
    24B6EF7A-0B4A-4D6D-8A5F-25636C9A6AE5.jpeg
    4.6 MB · Views: 65
  • CA4AE5B5-C8B5-4133-BEA9-9FFFE9C7E8BF.jpeg
    CA4AE5B5-C8B5-4133-BEA9-9FFFE9C7E8BF.jpeg
    4.5 MB · Views: 63
End sealer is breathable I’ve found. Put in on some cookie cuts and they have a big crack in them now and I use it on my dinner table and it is cracking also, Meaning there both able to dry out If there checking
 
Bore Care is a fungicide, insecticide, and preservative for wood.
Ive used it on recently milled white oak for a historic structure on a state park . It works very well and does what it claims but it not cheap.
Im not sure what would reduce checking though?
 
Tranny fluid is not good. It is mostly detergent and make water 'wetter' and thinner. Linseed oil is not good either, as it will attract fungus.

If anything I would use plain silicon like Thompsons as a sealer coat, the plain silicon Thompsons w/o the linseed oil. Just to keep the water out. Here in Oregon covered bridges last 3x longer than uncovered ones, due to all the rain we get here. That will not protect it from UV damage though. A good strain with high pigment is the best for UV protection. Paint will just flake off. Stain will not. So I would stain it and then seal it with silicon.

White oak here (Oregon, or garry oak) rots really fast on the ground. No one uses it here for much for that reason. Good firewood though. Hardwood for decks and posts? Black locust is the best. The wagon train pioneers here planted that stuff as soon as they got here. There are still groves of it in what is left of some ghosts towns around me here. At some sites, that is all that is left; the black locust trees.
 
It’s only sold direct from company as far as I know. (I buy it directly anyway).
First time I used it was 2011/12 .... A client recomended the stuff to coat some fir exterior newel posts...
I looked at that project last year as a tread loosened up... looks great.... posts silvered out just like the cedar.
We sling gallons and gallons of on decks now.. mostly on tight knot cedar which millers are shipping with way too much sap wood on “B” sides.... so far so good.
I’m in the PNW where water damage is a constant threat.

One thing to note.... you can not very well stain boards after coating with timber.
Once you seal it.... that’s it for clear finishes... Imagine painting would be just fine.
 
It’s only sold direct from company as far as I know. (I buy it directly anyway).
First time I used it was 2011/12 .... A client recomended the stuff to coat some fir exterior newel posts...
I looked at that project last year as a tread loosened up... looks great.... posts silvered out just like the cedar.
We sling gallons and gallons of on decks now.. mostly on tight knot cedar which millers are shipping with way too much sap wood on “B” sides.... so far so good.
I’m in the PNW where water damage is a constant threat.

One thing to note.... you can not very well stain boards after coating with timber.
Once you seal it.... that’s it for clear finishes... Imagine painting would be just fine.
Reading online it seems to be indicated for soft woods
Recommended for softwood species such as cedar, pine, fir, spruce, and redwood used in direct contact with consistent moisture such as fence posts, gardening boxes, shake roofs, decks, wood docks, wood siding and logs. Product does not have UV protection and will not fill or seal cracks or checks in wood.

Internal Wood Stabilizer is a ONE-TIME PERMANENT APPLICATION that chemically hardens and densifies softwood species used as fence posts, shake roofs, decks, wood siding and logs. . .
ftwood.
 
Back
Top