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The Deck Handbook - Contents Click to select another page
Part 1: Introduction to Decks
Part 2: Domestic Wood for Decks
Part 3:Exotic and Imported Wood Decks
Part 4: Composite and Plastic Decks
Part 5: Railings, Lighting, Pergolas and Seating
Part 6: Staining, Sealing and Maintaining Your Deck
Part 7: The (Almost) Maintenance Free Deck
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The Deck Handbook Part 7: The (Almost) Maintenance Free Deck
One advantage of being in the general home remodeling business, rather than specializing in deck building, is that we take a broader view of how things should and could be built. Deck builders by training and experience look at deck-type solutions to deck problems. If the wood they use needs a lot of maintenance, they look for better wood and better finishes or wood substitutes such as composites or plastics. These are the materials photo: American Olean (Almost) Maintenance Free Deck Quarry tile makes a durable, waterproof, and very low maintenance deck. they are trained on and have experience with.

We look at all these, of course, but we don't stop there. There are many possibilities outside of the traditional deck-builder's craft, including materials that even the most seasoned deck builder is not probably not familiar with.

If you have read the all of the prior parts of this Handbook, you know that all decks need regular and routine maintenance. No one has come up with a truly maintenance-free deck material. Wood, even expensive, exotic woods, tends to fade and discolor over time. They need regular sealing to keep their crisp look. Otherwise, they soon deteriorate into an ugly gray mess that can detract from rather than adding to the visual appeal and value of your home.

Composite decking materials, introduced with promises of freedom from maintenance, have proven to be not nearly as maintenance free as was initially advertised. Like wood, they fade over time and turn gray if not periodically sealed. In addition, they have their own particular problems associated with the use of plastics in their composition. Pure plastic materials, such as vinyl decking, are nearly as maintenance free as we can get right now, but they are soft, scratch easily, and are difficult to keep looking new over time.

Aluminum offers sturdiness and freedom from most maintenance, but only at a great initial expense, and only if you love that quintessential industrial look. For most homes, an aluminum deck is prohibitively expensive. And, they can get so hot that they are not usable at all in the high summer months without a roof or pergola.

So, what is the solution? Can we build, using materials and methods available right now, today, a beautiful, sturdy, long-lasting very low maintenance deck that doesn't look like a commercial loading dock? The answer is yes. But, let's define that answer further. What we want do do is:

• Eliminate as much of the material on a deck that requires regular maintenance as we can, and

• For those materials that still need maintenance, increase the maintenance interval as much as possible. If the restaining interval is now 3-4 years, we would like to increase it to 5-6 years or longer.

Not easy, but it can be done. To do it, however, you have to let go of many of your pre-conceptions about how decks should be built and look a little bit outside the box.


Where and Why Decks Fail
Wood rots. It gets eaten by insects, mold, mildew and bacteria. Some wood is naturally resistant to insect and microbe damage — the cedars and cypress, for example — because they contain chemicals that repel or kill bugs. Wood that is not naturally resistant can be made so by treatment with various chemicals that the bugs don't like. Pine is, for example, treated with copper compounds — harmless to us, repulsive to insects and many micro-organisms.

Rotten Wood Decking The decking and other horizontal surfaces of a deck take the most beating from sun and rain. But, even very resistant and carefully treated woods need protection from water and ultraviolet if they are to be used outdoors. Pressure treatment, in most products, stops just a few millimeters below the wood surface. Water can seep into the unprotected wood and provide a splendid environment for the mold, mildew and bacteria that consider wood to be tastier then Baskin-Robbins double fudge. Unprotected wood also fades and turns gray. This is primarily caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. (For more reading on how ultra violet affects wood, see Part 6: Staining, Sealing and Maintaining Your Deck.)

The traditional protections are paint and sealants — what the building industry calls "coatings". Coatings create a barrier between the wood and the things that attack wood. As long as the barrier is intact, the wood will do well outside. Nevertheless, coatings do not last forever. Even the best UV coating has a lifespan of just a few years. Once the coating has degraded, water and sun can make short work of the unprotected wood.

However, damage to deck wood from water and sun is not uniform. The parts of the deck most exposed are the actual decking (floor) of the deck and the tops of the railings — the horizontal surfaces of the deck. The vertical members of the railings are less affected, and the understructure, almost completely shielded from the sun, will remain undamaged long after the more exposed decking has completely deteriorated.

So, the parts we need to protect are the horizontal surfaces most exposed to the sun, snow, ice and rain — the decking boards themselves and handrails. Unfortunately, these are also the parts most exposed to wear and tear from normal deck use, and the parts most difficult to keep well sealed.

Non-Traditional Decking Materials
What we need are better, more resistant, materials for the deck floor — something not affected by water, sun, insects or microbes. We know that composite materials are not the answer. They are sometimes less affected, so it often (but not always, see The Deck Handbook Part 4: Composite and Plastic Decks) takes longer for them to deteriorate to uselessness, but deteriorate they will. Nor are the metals, at least not in the parts of the country where it gets hot enough to want a deck, because they get hot enough to cook on in direct sunlight.

What materials are unaffected by water or sun, do not get particularly hot in summer, are unappetizing to bugs and microbes, and do not provide a happy home for most mildew and mold?

We can think of three materials right away: concrete, stone and ceramic tile. These materials meet all of our criteria for low maintenance, resistance to deterioration, strength and longevity.

Ceramic Tile
Photo: Duradek Ceramic Tile Decking Tile deck. Tile decking is durable, long-lasting, and virtually maintenance-free other than periodic sweeping and an occasional hosing-down. Ceramic tile is a particularly good choice. It is very durable. There are a great many places in the world where tile dating back over 2,000 years is still in use. And, by today's standards, it is not actually very good tile. And, even if you paid almost no attention in Sister Mary Agena's 9th grade geology class, you probably know that stone lasts a good long time.

But lest you think we cleverly came up with this idea ourselves, you should know that in other countries tile is the standard for decking, particularly in Central and South America and along the Mediterranean. Our chief tiler, who hails from Oaxaca, thought tile was such an obvious choice that he did not understand why we were excited about it.

Tile on patios is common in the U.S., especially in the Southwest and on the West Coast, but the idea has not, for some reason, migrated to decks. Possibly because in the past building a strong deck understructure suitable for tile was not a trivial undertaking, involving as it did wet concrete and much skill at getting it very level. Today, however, new underlayment materials have eliminated the concrete and make the process much easier and much less expensive. In fact, depending on one's choice of tile, a tile deck will cost barely more than a treated pine deck, and quite a bit less than a composite deck. But rather than lasting for a few years, will last your lifetime, and probably that of your children and grandchildren, and their children, and the children after that.

Setting tile on a deck is actually straightforward. We say this because many of the articles on the subject we have read make it out to be some kind of arcane, mysterious, difficult process. But, in fact, if you can set tile in a kitchen or bathroom, you can set it on a deck. Nevertheless, keep a few basic rules in mind:. For more information on how tile is graded and which grades are suitable for outdoor use on decks, see Porcelain or Ceramic: What Is the Difference?.

Ceramic tile is a tough, durable, impenetrable, very low maintenance material. You need to keep it swept, and hose it down every once in a while. In very shaded, damp areas, you may even have to hit it with the 10% bleach solution twice a year or so to knock back mildew — but that's pretty rare. That’s it for maintenance. Even today's epoxy or urethane grouts used on decks are very stain resistant and require virtually no maintenance.

Concrete & Stone
Concrete Decking Decorative stamped concrete deck. This is not your driveway concrete. It is a denser mixture with special additives and surface treatments to give it almost a stone look. Concrete is a little more complicated to install. Concrete is heavy, so generally a sturdier deck structure is required as are larger footings. Finishing concrete, especially where sloping is required, is not for newbys, and concrete has to be trucked in, which usually means more than minimal damage to your landscape. But, where appropriate, concrete is a very durable deck surface — possibly even more durable than tile. The finishes on concrete, including staining, texturing and acid coloring are seeminly unlimited.

Stone is commonly in the form of tiles, and are set just like ceramic tiles. However, irregular or "patio" stones are also suitable, and can be used for bery interesting effects. It is usually no heavier than tile, although very thick patio stones should be avoided, so no structural heavy-up is required in most cases.

Concrete and stone are not nearly as maintenance free as ceramic tile. Both are porous and require periodic sealing. Otherwise minute dust particles get into the pores, and once in are nearly impossible to get out. They also stain rather easily because, unlike ceramic tile, they are not colated with a virtually unstainale ceramic glaze. But, if this is the look you like, then just expect a little more maintenance.

Minimum-Maintenance Railings
Sloped Railing Sloping the railing allows water to run off rather than standing. This extends the life of the sealant. Because they are vertical, wood railings are less likely to be damaged by the sun and water. Water runs off quickly, and the sun can only strike the wood at an angle. Still, since it is wood, it will deteriorate over time. So, again, the trick to lower maintenance is to get rid of as much wood as possible. With less wood comes fewer problems.

Handrails
But, some parts of the railing almost have to remain wood. The top rail, called the "handrail", for example, could be metal (but don't forget the heat problem). But, we prefer wood handrails, if only for the aesthetics. But, to make them minimum maintenance we slope them so water cannot sit on them for extended periods. Standing water is what ruins handrails. We wish we had as good an answer to UV deterioration, but we don't. You just have to bite the bullet and get out the stain bucket every 4-5 years and re-coat the railings. Sorry! In fact, give it an additional coat every time you do it for that little extra protection. The bottom rail on the railing, called the "shoe" is treated the same way.

Deck Posts
Vertical wood newel posts (see The Deck Handbook: Part 1 for the names of railing parts) typically must remain wood. These pose a special problem because the top of the post is end-grain and end-grain absorbs water like a sponge. It must be covered, usually with a wood, plastic or metal post cap. This acts as a little roof over the post that sheds water a blocks sunlight so the post is protected. Decorative newel post caps are available in wood, metal and plastic, and may contain a lamp Protecting newel posts with post caps not only reduced maintenance, but adds an important decorative feature to your deck. This is a wood ball cap. We buy these, but many others we make ourselves.

Balusters
Aluminum Balusters Replacing wood balusters with virtually no-maintenance aluminum balusters helps reduce overall deck maintenance. The more numerous wood balusters can be eliminated and replaced with a low maintenance material. The usual choices are aluminum balusters, cable railing and glass.

Aluminum Aluminum balusters started out as simple 3/4" or 1" aluminum tubes designed to be inserted into holes drilled into the top and bottom railing of the handrail. Today, there are a variety of styles: square, bowed, and expanded with various degrees of decoration. Of course, the more elaborate the baluster, the more it costs. So, by far the most used aluminum baluster is the simple tube, and black is the most often used color. All these balusters require in the way of maintenance is a quick swipe with a damp cloth every once in a while. Virtually every manufacturer guarantees the powder coating finish for 10 years. However, over time they do tend to fade just a little on the sun side, so rotate them 1/4 turn during each annual cleaning to keep the fading even.

Cable Railing CableRailing Cable railing requires almost no maintenance except a little tightening every once in a while if the cable loose some tension. Not all localities allow them, so check with your building department. Cable railing requires even less maintenance. Not even a wipe down. The cables and all components of the railing system are stainless steel. There are many manufacturers marketing proprietary systems — most of which are relatively expensive. But a roll of 1/8" stainless stranded wire from the local farm store, some turn buckles, cable anchors and screw eyes puts you into the cable railing business without much investment. Once the cables are installed and properly tensioned, they need adjustment only if the tension slackens — such as when junior decides to use them as a ladder. Cable railing is not as suitable as aluminum balusters for households with young children, and in many places, horizontal cable railing is illegal. So, check with your local building officials.

Glass Balusters Glass balusters are even less suitable for use around young children. Although tempered glass is relatively sturdy, it has sensitive edges and it does not take much of a blow to an edge to break the glass. Starting out as simple rectangular glass panels, glass balusters have evolved into more complicated shapes designed to complement just about every decor. An alternative to balusters are tempered glass panels. These are typically set in slots in the top and bottom rails, and secured with silicon. They may also be drilled for attachment using a normal stainless steel glass mount of the type used for frameless shower doors. With fewer edges exposed, and with larger, and usually thicker, glass panels, these are more suitable for rough use than the more delicate balusters. Glass Balusters Tempered glass balusters like these by Deckorators provide the most unobstructed view through the railing.

Glass is low maintenance, but not as low as aluminum balusters or cable railing. Treat it like a window. Every time you wash windows, also wash your balusters.

Stock Panels Stock Wire Railing Usually used for stock confinement, galvanized or stainless welded wire panels are an excellent material for deck railings. Stock men use galvanized heavy duty welded wire panels to confine livestock. They are strong, rust resistant and available in various mesh sizes and shapes. The mesh is excellent for deck railings. It provides the same visibility as cable railing at a fraction of the cost. It is much easier to install than cable railing, and, therefore less expensive.

The most common material is mild steel treated with the same hot dip galvanizing process as chain link fencing, so it will not rust under normal conditions. But the meshes are also available in stainless steel from specialty suppliers for those who live on the coasts or who just want to eliminate any possibility of rust. Meshes as large as 4" are legal in most jurisdictions for deck railing, but we recommend smaller mesh openings where keeping junior from climbing the railing is advised. A foothold in a 2" mesh is hard to get, even for tiny feet.

Like cable railing, stock meshes are virtually maintenance free, although a rust inhibitor applied to the galvanized meshes after about 10 years if often a good idea. Stainless meshes need no maintenance at all.

The Cost of an (Almost) Maintenance Free Deck
OK, how did we do?

We eliminated about 90% of the exposed wood on a wood deck, decreasing maintenance by at least that much. The only wood left is in the sheltered understructure that is not directly exposed to sun, and some bits and pieces that must, except at exorbitant cost and effort, remain wood.

Maintenance is drastically reduced. The substitute low-maintenance materials have all but eliminated periodic re-staining and sealing. You may need to touch up the top of the wood handrail every once in a while because it is the one remaining wood part of the deck that will still get blasted by the sun and rain. Even then, on a 12' x 15' deck, it will typically take you about the same amount of time as washing and waxing your car. Neat, huh?

So how much more do all these alternative materials cost? Actually very little. You can expect to pay more initially for your (almost) maintenance-free deck than you would for an all-pine deck, but less than you would pay for a cedar deck and a lot less than the cost of an exotic wood, composite or vinyl deck. So, even with all the supgrades, the deck is still an economy project, and a good value.


Can we build an (almost) no maintenance deck for you? Contact us for a free estimate.





Need to learn more about designing, planning and building a deck or porch? Try these articles:
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    You can always do at least some of your remodeling yourself. How much you can do depends on the extent of the work to be done, how much knowledge you have of building techniques and such things as building code requirements; and the three "T"s: Time, Talent and Tools. Find out what you can tackle yourself and what you should absolutely leave for the pros.


  • The Construction Process
    Once your blueprints are completed, the real work begins. Your project manager works with you to develop a construction process that minimizes disruption to your household while work is in progress.


  • The Deck Handbook Part 1: Introduction to Decks
    Learn the basics of deck design and construction using the latest materials and techniques.


  • The Deck Handbook Part 2: Domestic Wood for Decks
    By far he most wood most commonly used for decks is pressure-treated pine. But it is not the only species widely used. Tamarack, cypress and the cedars have found their place in American decks.


  • The Deck Handbook Part 3: Exotic and Imported Deck Woods.
    In the ever-widening quest for wood that looks good, is structurally adaptable and resists rot and decay, imported hardwoods have become significant niche players. The most common are Ipe (pronounced "ee-PAY") and the old standby mahogany. Others include Teak, Cumaru and Jarrah.


  • The Deck Handbook Part 4: Composite and Plastic Decks.
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  • The Deck Handbook Part 5: Railings, Lighting, Pergolas and Seating
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  • The Deck Handbook Part 6: Staining, Sealing and Maintaining Your Deck
    Wood rots. Some woods rot quickly, some very slowly, but all are going to deteriorate to uselessness eventually. Learn how staining and sealing protect you deck and the products to use to reduce wood deck maintenance to a minimum.



  • Building by Design: The Design-Builder Concept
    A design-builder is a modern form of an ancient approach to building structures — that of the master builder. A master builder of old was a combination architect, engineer and builder, responsible for every phase of building a structure from initial concept to completion. Design-building firms such as StarCraft Custom Builders continue this oldest of building traditions.


  • The Design Process
    If your plans include substantial changes to your kitchen or bath, or another room, or you are contemplating an addition; then a construction plan is required. Learn how your ideas are turned into a concept plan and then a construction blueprint in a three-step process using computer-assisted design.


  • Living Through Remodeling
    Remodeling will disrupt just about every routine you have; including some you are not aware of having. But this noisy, gritty process doesn't necessarily mean you will be tearing out your hair. With a little advance planning, it is possible to live through even major renovations with your sanity and good nature largely intact. Check out our remodeling survivors guide.