 |
| Credit: www.paulbangeroofingsofla.com |
Now that summer is almost near, everyone is looking forward
to a week’s worth of vacation just relaxing and doing nothing. Students are
most probably the most excited for this coming season. Those that are not privy to this kind of
privilege so we have to make do with what we have. The best way to do this is to have a deck in
the house where you can relax and unwind.
Those who already have one can consider themselves
lucky. For those that still don’t have
one at home and is still planning on adding one, it is best to do it now. Having
a professional
contractor do this kind of project is ideal, although homeowners
may opt to go the do-it-yourself way. However, having a contractor can be
easier because homeowners do not have to do any work and instead just be
involved in the planning and selecting of materials.
There are a lot of materials available for deck
construction. The most common of which are wood planks. Real wood is preferred because of the look
and feel that it has. There are several
types of wood that can be used which you can choose from. These are pressure treated lumber, redwood
and cedar and tropical hardwoods. These
decking woods are available in most lumberyards however may have limited availability
depending on the vicinity where you are located.
Of the three categories of wood, pressure treated lumber or
decking is the most affordable and widely available material. Most decks that can
be seen now are made of this kind of wood decking. These are chemically treated to resist decay,
fungus and wood bugs. The downside of
this material is that it has a tendency to swell, crack and split. Maintenance and care should be done to enable
it to last long. Contractors can use diamond blade cutters to
get the precise shape and size needed to make spiffy decks made of pressure
treated lumber.
Another material that is fast becoming popular for decking
is plastic lumber. It is also called
composite decking, which is a hybrid product that is composed of wood fibers
and recycled plastic. It is becoming
popular because of its durable characteristics, such that it will not splinter,
warp, rot, or split. It is actually
maintenance-free because there is no need to sand, scrape, refinished, and
stained.
Plastic decking is made of a hundred percent plastic and
contains no wood fillers and fibers. It is similar with composite decking with
its characteristics like being stain resistant, won’t warp or split. The only
downside of this is that it is a part of an overall system so you would have to
get a special contractor to install it.
Deck contractors are most probably biased on deck materials that
are easy to use. Homeowners who want the
job done fast and precise can look and see if the contractors use diamond blade cutters to
get the right size of the materials cut up. This would be essential in making
sure that the deck is up to the specifications that they have set.
