Useful Deck Information

I know it sounds awfully repetitive because it seems like I post something like this at least once a month.  However, I think it’s one of the more important points I can relay to homeowners and deck builders alike.  Decks have always been and still are one of the more secure investments when it comes to residential home improvement projects.

More proof comes from a U.S. News & World Report which lists the “The 5 Best—and 5 Worst—Home Improvement Projects for Your Money.”  The article explains that a wood deck is the third best home project to spend your money on.  It does a better job articulating the reasons than I do, so the link you just passed will take you there.  The report doesn’t rate PVC or composite decks.  Nor does it mention treated or tropical hardwood decks.  However, I guarantee that just about any type of deck, if properly constructed and of quality craftsmanship, will meet, if not exceed, this type of performance.  Especially if the deck is  made from a reputable composite brand such as Evergrain or a top notch material like Azek or a gorgeous, durable product similar to an Ipe tropical hardwood.

Just remember to do your research.  Find a decking that flows with your home and is ideal for your regional environment.  And as always, hire a reputable, professional deck builder.  One who’s built with that exact material more than once.  Trust me, not all deck products are installed the same.  Incorrect installation is not only wearisome and extremely costly; it may even void your warranty.  And what’s the point in that?

For more proof why decks are a sound investment, I’ve attached some of my previous posts:

• Looming Inflation Guarantees a Deck Investment
• Purchase a Deck in a Down Economy?
• A Kansas City Deck is a Wise Investment

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

Professional deck builders see a wide variety of potential customers.  Some desire an intricate design combined with ornate accessories and features which coincide with the architecture of their home.  Yet others just need a basic layout constructed with simple, durable and low maintenance materials.  And there is an infinite range of desires within this spectrum.  No matter what the deck purchaser requests, there’s always a common thread.  Everyone wishes to achieve functionality while obtaining the most deck for their money.  Therefore, here are a few tips to utilize that valued deck space to its fullest.

Know your numbers.  Lumber, composite, PVC, and just about all building materials are sold in even increments.  A deck builder can usually obtain even numbered dimensional lumber from eight to twenty foot lengths without special ordering.  Composite and PVC deck products are more explicitly produced.  Synthetic decking is usually manufactured in twelve, sixteen, and twenty foot sections while railing components are generally offered in twelve and sixteen foot increments.  What this means for the deck builder and buyer alike is paying for the shortest possible lengths to fit their deck dimensions.  Planning your deck design around the material availability can save both deck builders and homeowners a substantial amount of money.  It can also help create a more practical deck space.

Visualize the deck’s footprint and how it will be utilized.  Decide where to place tables, chairs, a BBQ grill, planters, etc.  This helps ensure you don’t have any major regrets about the deck’s size or configuration. 

Keep stairs towards the corners of the deck.  Stairs in the middle of a side withhold usable room in order to preserve trouble-free entries and exits.  They also break up guard rails and add extra railing posts.  Don’t just consider the cost of materials.  Experienced deck builders are sensible enough to figure in their labor for such additional work.  Also, keep staircases close and adjacent to the deck frame.  Longer staircases may require descents to turn a corner or switch back with a split level landing.  This concept not only saves valuable yard realty, it’s much safer in case of an inescapable fall.

These are just a handful of suggestions to assist deck builders and homeowners with deck conception.  No matter what the objective for a deck, screened porch, pergola or other construction project, thorough planning is sure to enhance the outcome and the tweak the aim.  Similar to much of life, diligent preparation is the key to success in quality deck building.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

On Tuesday, October 20th, Principia Partners publishing department released their predictions for the deck industry in 2010. Principia Partners is a strategy consulting firm for companies in material related industries.  They estimate that decking and deck related sales will rise from $2.8 billion in 2009 to $3.1 billion in 2010.  This is obviously great news for us Kansas City deck builders and deck related companies throughout the country.

PVC and composite decks have steadily risen in demand since their inception.  However, wood decks gained back substantial ground in 2009.  This was due mainly to the combination of falling wood prices along with the increase in cost of petroleum based products.  The impact of our deep recession has also forced customers to choose deck products which are easier on the pocketbook.  Principia is predicting the trend to shift back in favor of PVC and composite decking as wood prices begin to recover.

Cautiously optimistic, Principia hopes that a greater ability to tap into home equity to finance home improvement projects along with more confidence in consumer spending will result in substantially more deck sales.  “The increase in housing starts and modest growth in repair and remodel activity will increase the demand for decking and railing,”   Principia said.

There will be about 2.5 million decks built on residential homes this year.  Principia says we should expect about a 6% increase in deck sales.  That’s about 150,000 more decks next year.  As a Kansas City deck builder, I sure hope they’re right on target with this forecast.  And I’m sure my fellow deck builders, retailers, and wholesalers are crossing their fingers that these numbers come to fruition.  Because like many industries throughout the United States, the American deck industry could sure use a banner year in 2010!

For more info on this report, here’s a link to Principia Partners.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

As I’ve posted before, we’re a huge proponent of FastenMaster’s Cortex hidden fastening system.  It retains the simple engineering principle of keeping two face screws per board per joist.  Many Kansas City deck builders use other methods of concealing their screws.  However, most structural experts will agree that the Cortex system provides a much more stable deck than any hidden clip or tongue and groove method.

Earlier in the year, I spoke highly on how well Cortex’s core and plug operation worked for AZEK Deck®.  I was amazed at both the ease of installation as well as the consistency of its appearance and performance.  However, when I heard FastenMaster had created one for EverGrain Classic Colors*®, I was somewhat skeptical. 

As a professional Kansas City deck builder, our company installs more EverGrain decking than any other product.  Therefore, we know its characteristics very well.  I love the value EverGrain delivers.  It’s both low cost and durable as well as not harboring mold and mildew.  Sorry for the digression.

The main reason for my skepticism was the raised dense grain pattern pressed into EverGrain’s surface.  I didn’t picture those plugs being very easy to install or blending in very well with such a pronounced and defined texture.  Then the EverGrain rep showed me a demo that quickly forced me to swallow my presumptions.  The plugs were easily set even with the raised parts of the surface and simply conformed to and became part of the texture.  I guess that’s why I’m a deck builder and not in the manufacturing business.  I was both surprised and impressed.

If you’re a deck builder or consumer who prefers using another type of decking, FastenMaster has also extended the Cortex line to other brands.  It is now available for Trex® Accents and Escapes and TimberTech® TwinFinish Decking.  They’ve also come out with the new Azek Kona and Fawn colors.

For more info, here’s a link to FastenMaster’s Cortex Fastening System

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

I can’t tell you how many composite decks I’ve looked at recently where the deck wrap hasn’t been properly installed.  It seems there are a lot of Kansas City deck builders who’ve not been told or instructed how to correctly install composite deck wrap.

What I most commonly see is composite deck wrap which is wavy and buckling all around the perimeter of the deck.  This is caused by two factors.  The main reason for the waviness is the inadequate amount of screws used.  All composites should be screwed off with no more than eight inch spacing between screws.  I must say that being a Kansas City deck builder, we didn’t used to install screws this close for fear of looking too peppered with fasteners.  This was before the composite manufacturers informed us that we had to put them this close in order to keep a warranty intact.

The other reason composite deck wrap or even composite decking will buckle is too little or no space left between boards for expansion.  Gapping of composite decking looks aesthetically right.  However, I know why most deck builders don’t like to leave gaps in their composite deck wrap.  It’s because the homeowner will almost always point it out and ask them to make the joint tighter and less noticeable.  Generally, when you tell a consumer, paying a fair amount for a quality composite deck, that the joint is supposed to be gapped for expansion, they tend to think the deck builder might be making excuses for not wanting to replace the board.

Unless you want to spend much of your time going back and trying to suck in bows and twists in all your deck wrap, stick to your guns and put the gap in there.  Do it relative to the climate.  Leave one eight to three sixteenths of an inch gap in the very coldest of temperatures (below freezing).  A weak eight inch gap about this time of year, for most of fall and springtime, is just about right.  In the midst for summer, only about a sixteenth of an inch is necessary.  

Mushrooming around the screw heads is another major problem.  Not only with composite deck wrap, but even more so with composite decking.  Some Kansas City deck builders try to convince consumers that Deck Mate screws or any kind of exterior grade fastener is sufficient for installing composites.  I won’t mention any names, but you guys know who you are.  Wise up a little.  You can’t establish yourself as a reputable deck builder when every composite deck you put up looks like it picked up an outbreak of the chicken pox and mumps at the same time.  I know, you hammer them down to show the homeowner that they just help cover the screw heads and tell them those appendages will stay down forever.  But why?  Then you just have to deal with the headache when they don’t stay down for one month and that customer is complaining about their rocky road of a deck surface.

Fasteners such as Trap Ease composite deck screws should ALWAYS   be used when installing any composite deck or PVC deck.  Better yet, do as we do and pilot every single hole on your decking, wrap and railings.  It will remove all the unnecessary material and allow that screw head to sit nice and even with the board surface.  Just make sure the pilot bit shank is about the same size or less than the shank of your screw shank and smaller than the head.  An eighth of an inch or five thirty seconds is about right for a composite deck screw.  Trust me, you customer will be much happier, and it’ll be much easier to build your name as a quality deck contractor.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Deck – Kansas City deck builder)

Not long ago composite decks were a revolutionary new product just popping into the deck industry.  Trex was the brand name that pioneered the low maintenance (not maintenance free) decking.  It quickly became a household name and was actually referred to composite decking much like Zerox is to copiers.

As almost any new invention does, the first lines of composite decking products had their share of flaws.  They absorbed stains easily, got very hot under direct sunlight, became very malleable when heated, and harbored mold and mildew more easily than wood or concrete.  Composite decks were also very limited in their design and construction due to a slim variety of board sizes and dimensions.  However, it didn’t take long for the major players in composite decking to adapt and overcome these issues.

Brands such as Evergrain, Timbertech, and Trex soon corrected composite’s shortcomings.  They also developed many more accessories, colors, textures, and therefore, possibilities.  This led the way to composite now being the most popular deck material in America.  Today, composite is the number one material decks are built from.  As a Kansas City deck builder, nearly ninety percent of the decks we build are composite.

There are still a large number of people who still prefer the natural look and feel of real wood.  Combined with price, that’s why treated, cedar, Radiance Wood, and tropical hardwoods still have a solid place in the deck industry.  Cellular PVC sales on brands such as Azek and Gossen are quickly on the rise and may soon replace composite decking as the industry leader.  But for now, composite still owns the lion’s share of deck sales.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks - Kansas City deck builder)

Many economists are giving high praise to the U.S. government’s “Cash for Clunkers” auto rebate program.  They say it is definitely going to help jump start the economy as well as release a little of our society’s dependency on foreign oil.  The government is reimbursing auto dealers $3,500 and $4,500 (depending on the trade in vehicle) for a sale when a vehicle with lesser gas mileage gets traded in (and destroyed) for one with much better gas mileage.  This is Great for the consumer, great for the auto dealer, great for the economy, and more importantly – great for the environment.  What a surprisingly great idea from our elected officials.  However, I gotta say, our company thought of this idea long before the government did.

Starting back in the Fall of 2008, (the epicenter of this economic fallout), we now too offer huge savings on decks, screened porches, and pergolas.  Like Uncle Sam, we allow customers to trade in their high upkeep and high cost deck for a brand new low maintenance composite, PVC, or tropical hardwood deck made from recycled plastic products and trees not harvested from a rain forest.  At the same time, we give back huge savings compared to normal market prices.  We also ensure that the old, decrepit, unsafe, unsightly, and ANYTHING BUT GREEN DECK – BUILT BACK IN THE DAYS OF CAREFREE AND WORRY, is destroyed and never mentioned again.

This is Great for the consumer, great for the Kansas City deck builder, great for the economy, and more importantly – great for the environment.  So there you have it, we actually thought of it first.  But because we are true patriotic Americans, we’ll not push the issue since it is for the betterment of our country.

If you’d like to see exactly how much you can save on a composite, PVC, exotic, cedar, or treated deck or pergola, visit our Pricing page.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks - Kansas City deck builder)

You might have yet to hear of Radiance Wood.  It’s another new decking product just being introduced to the deck industry.  What makes this new deck product special?  What does it offer that Cedar, Treated Wood, Composites, Cellular PVC, and Tropical Hardwoods don’t?  These are the very first questions that most Kansas City deck builders, retailers and distributors are asking about Radiance Wood.

Kansas City Deck Supply recently held a contractor’s breakfast get together to ask the representatives of Radiance Wood these questions and more.  Let’s just say the reps weren’t fully prepared for barrage of inquisition that our Kansas City deck contractors were hurling their way.  Basically, they just didn’t convince the Johnson County deck builders and decking suppliers that Radiance Wood was going to sell against composites and traditional wood decking at the price point being offered. 

This past Tuesday morning, the president of Radiance Wood, and a local distributor stopped by our office to clarify the answers to those questions with me and my partner.  They were able to convince us both that at comparable price to composite decking, around $2.00/ lineal foot, Radiance Wood may in fact be a another option to present to consumers looking to purchase a deck.

Many people prefer the natural wood look over composites.  However, they’re not willing to take on the maintenance of cedar, aren’t happy with the future appearance MCQ and ACQ treated woods, or aren’t willing to pay the premium price for tropical hardwoods like IPE and Tiger Wood.

Radiance Wood developers have done a good job of identifying those weaknesses and have nestled themselves into a nice little niche. 

The new decking product looks outstanding.  It has a rich dark tone, much like that of tropical hardwood decking.  It also comes in either a Euro style ribbed surface or a traditional smooth finish.   

Radiance Wood is kiln dried so it is very stable so it won’t shrink, and is not likely to warp, twist, cup and bow.  It’s only treated with only heat and water so it’s environmentally safe.  It’s very durable being made from premium Southern Yellow Pine and milled at an inch and a quarter thick.  Its finish is a factory applied resin and guaranteed not to grey out for two years and not to rot for twenty years.

It also seems to be very deck builder friendly due to the fact that it weighs approximately one third that of most composites.  The deck contractor only has to pilot the end fasteners and can even use a pneumatic nail guns if desired.  There’s also a surprisingly well balance selection of building members like 2”x2”, 2”x4”, 2”x6”, 2”x8”, 2”x10”, 4”x4”, and 6”x6” boards and timbers.  Our Johnson County deck vendor also sends out a quart of “One Time” with every job pack so the deck builder and reseal the cut ends and touch up any scratches or nicks.

We haven’t actually installed Radiance Wood on any decks in Johnson County, KS or any deck in Kansas City yet.  However, we are going to start offering and promoting the product as long as the cost stays reasonable.  And as we all know, price is definitely king in today’s world.

Follow this link for more information on Radiance Wood.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks – Kansas City deck builder)

In case you hadn’t heard, Evergrain (by Tamko) has two newer colors available.  I say newer instead of new because I think they’ve been out for a little while.

I just happened to notice them yesterday at an open house that Kansas City Deck Supply was throwing for Kansas City deck contractors, home builders, and vendors.

The one that caught my eye first was “Forest Green” which is suitably named for its deep, dark green color.  I’m not sure how most homeowners purchasing decks in Kansas City would take to it, although it is very unique to composite decking.  I know the Evergrain representative said it’s been well received and was actually created with parks and recreational areas in mind.  I can see it as a perfect fit for that type of application.

The second color, which didn’t stand out so much but more blended in with the other samples laid out, was “Rustic Birch.”  This color looks fairly close to the cedar tone but with more of a “rustic” look.  Wow, what a coincidence!  Seriously, it looks more natural and outdoorsy than the cedar tone.  The “Rustic Birch” is also unique because it adds a different tone to Evergrain’s Vibrance Collection.

The Vibrance Collection is a step up from the Classic Colors due to the blackened pigmented streaking to achieve a tropical hardwood resemblance.  Also, the Vibrance Collection contains more ultraviolet chemical protection.  Therefore, the colors in this family will not fade nearly as much as the Classic Colors.

If you’d like samples or literature of these or any of the Evergrain decking colors, visit http://www.evergrain.com/contactRequest.do and fill out the form.  For deck builders and contractors, your local representative should be more than willing to accommodate.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks - Kansas City deck builder)

Evergrain "Redwood" decking

Sources tell me that Azek will have three to four new darker decking colors coming later in 2009.  This is great news for those deck builders selling the PVC deck boards.

I’m pretty sure that most of the United States, like the Kansas City deck market, is moving more and more towards darker decking colors.  Timbertech came out with their Earthwood composite decking line a few years ago, and we’ve built many decks in the Kansas City metro with the rich colors like Tropical Walnut and Tropical Teak.  Elk has had their own stamp on the deep dark brown and reds for a couple of years now.  And Gossen, another cellular PVC manufacturer, just released its own version of a similar tone.

Azek is the leader in cellular PVC marketing.  It has many benefits over composite decking.  Azek has far superior stain and fade prevention due to the chemical makeup of PVC.  Durability is also one of the product’s strengths.

Azek is very resistant to scratching and denting.  The other beautiful trait of cellular PVC is that if you do somehow mange to dent or scratch the surface, you can simply apply light heat (with a heat gun – not a torch or lighter!), and surface will almost always form back to its original state.    

 All the deck builders and contractors I’ve talked to love working with Azek because of its weight, or lack thereof.  Deck contractors are also very fond of the product’s ease of installation.  You can literally put a screw within one eighth of an inch of a board’s edge without it splitting.  This means there’s absolutely no piloting necessary which saves both the deck builder and consumer a ton on labor.

With all of these great things to say about Azek, one of its few weaknesses has always been the color selection.  I’m told that the technology of cellular PVC has always limited the pigmentation of which it can be manufactured.  Well, it looks like those barriers are being broken and cellular PVC decking is taking a giant step forward towards dominating the decking market. 

Now, if they can just find a way to make a structural PVC two by four and two by six boards that will pass IRC guardrail code requirements.  Then I think we’d see the next great revolution in the deck industry.

Hope this helps,

Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks - Kansas City deck builder)

Azek "Clay" decking