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I’ve never heard of Black Locust and I don’t recall it being an option when I built a deck a few years back (perhaps it was though!) but reading about it I wish

I’ve never heard of Black Locust and I don’t recall it being an option when I built a deck a few years back (perhaps it was though!) but reading about it I wish I had. I ended up just using pressure treated pine (the exotics were 10’s of thousands more) but when it’s time to rebuild I’ll certainly consider Black locust. Apparently it takes stain well too.

foobarian 3y ago
My porch is made of that newfangled plastic wood and as much as I hate the idea, I love how long it will last.
- ljf 3y ago
  We have had that plastic wood down for 5 years and it is perfect. 2 years ago I extended a small bit of decking and used real wood as it isn't that visible and was so much cheaper. Already two years after it looks terrible and I'll be amazed if it lasts 5 years. Sadly plastic wood is brilliant. I can see it outlasting the frame it is built on.
  - nemo44x 3y ago
    You need to seal and stain the wood. Depending on the brand that could mean every year or every 2 or 3 years. The wood will rot otherwise. But maintained then pressure treated pine (or outdoor hardwood) will last a long time. You’ve also pointed out the problem with plastic. It fades and if you were to add new plastic it would look off.
- digging 3y ago
  Will it? I'm not aware of any plastics that are insanely durable, they just don't rot. But treated wood also doesn't rot. I'd expect a lot of weathering and surface degradation at a similar rate to typical woods.
  - AnotherGoodName 3y ago
    My big concern is UV stabilization. Plastic can be stabilized but how can i be sure the product i buy is actually UV stabilized? I don't want a deck that may turn to powder because the manufacturer skipped a step of the process.
  - nemo44x 3y ago
    They have serious issues with mold and mildew as well. They also get rather hot. They’re fine for certain people I guess but I don’t like how they look. And if you ever have to replace a part it will look weird as the deck will be faded except the new part.
    - digging 3y ago
      > They also get rather hot. I've noticed that as well on plastic decks I've been on. They feel bad on feet and seemingly get hotter than wood (but that could be an illusion).
  - dwater 3y ago
    > treated wood also doesn't rot That is a pretty broad statement so perhaps you're thinking of a different thing than me when you say "treated wood", but the typical pressure treated pine you get at big box home improvement stores will absolutely rot. They reformulated the treating agent in 2004 so it's no longer using arsenic, and since then pressure treated wood just doesn't last as long. Generally in my area, fences and decks built with standard pressure treated pine look good for about 6 months, then look bad for 5 years, then start to fall apart.
    - digging 3y ago
      Is your wood unstained? If you stain or paint it, wood should be lasting longer than 5 years. I think my mom rebuilt her wooden deck after about 10 years at least. I don't know what this plastic wood is tbh, but I'm having a hard time imagining any plastic surface looking good after 5 years of rain, sun, and boots. Maybe if you sand it down annually. I'm not a fan of grinding microplastics into my yard.
- wintogreen74 3y ago
  It's likely color-throughout as well, so never needs to be refinished. A birthday cake with sparklers did some pitting damage to mine though. I will never use real wood for a flat outdoor surface again.
  - nemo44x 3y ago
    Nah they fade and look bad after a few years. Any damage can’t really be fixed either without the replacement sticking out. They’re sort of fine but they’ll need replacing just the same, tend to get very hot, hard to change, and are not very flattering.
    - mbreese 3y ago
      I don’t know about the fading. My in laws have a dock built out of it, and aside from it getting hot in the sun, the color is still pretty consistent between shaded and non-shaded sections.

foobarian 3y ago

My porch is made of that newfangled plastic wood and as much as I hate the idea, I love how long it will last.

ljf 3y ago
We have had that plastic wood down for 5 years and it is perfect. 2 years ago I extended a small bit of decking and used real wood as it isn't that visible and was so much cheaper. Already two years after it looks terrible and I'll be amazed if it lasts 5 years. Sadly plastic wood is brilliant. I can see it outlasting the frame it is built on.
- nemo44x 3y ago
  You need to seal and stain the wood. Depending on the brand that could mean every year or every 2 or 3 years. The wood will rot otherwise. But maintained then pressure treated pine (or outdoor hardwood) will last a long time. You’ve also pointed out the problem with plastic. It fades and if you were to add new plastic it would look off.
digging 3y ago
Will it? I'm not aware of any plastics that are insanely durable, they just don't rot. But treated wood also doesn't rot. I'd expect a lot of weathering and surface degradation at a similar rate to typical woods.
- AnotherGoodName 3y ago
  My big concern is UV stabilization. Plastic can be stabilized but how can i be sure the product i buy is actually UV stabilized? I don't want a deck that may turn to powder because the manufacturer skipped a step of the process.
- nemo44x 3y ago
  They have serious issues with mold and mildew as well. They also get rather hot. They’re fine for certain people I guess but I don’t like how they look. And if you ever have to replace a part it will look weird as the deck will be faded except the new part.
  - digging 3y ago
    > They also get rather hot. I've noticed that as well on plastic decks I've been on. They feel bad on feet and seemingly get hotter than wood (but that could be an illusion).
- dwater 3y ago
  > treated wood also doesn't rot That is a pretty broad statement so perhaps you're thinking of a different thing than me when you say "treated wood", but the typical pressure treated pine you get at big box home improvement stores will absolutely rot. They reformulated the treating agent in 2004 so it's no longer using arsenic, and since then pressure treated wood just doesn't last as long. Generally in my area, fences and decks built with standard pressure treated pine look good for about 6 months, then look bad for 5 years, then start to fall apart.
  - digging 3y ago
    Is your wood unstained? If you stain or paint it, wood should be lasting longer than 5 years. I think my mom rebuilt her wooden deck after about 10 years at least. I don't know what this plastic wood is tbh, but I'm having a hard time imagining any plastic surface looking good after 5 years of rain, sun, and boots. Maybe if you sand it down annually. I'm not a fan of grinding microplastics into my yard.
wintogreen74 3y ago
It's likely color-throughout as well, so never needs to be refinished. A birthday cake with sparklers did some pitting damage to mine though. I will never use real wood for a flat outdoor surface again.
- nemo44x 3y ago
  Nah they fade and look bad after a few years. Any damage can’t really be fixed either without the replacement sticking out. They’re sort of fine but they’ll need replacing just the same, tend to get very hot, hard to change, and are not very flattering.
  - mbreese 3y ago
    I don’t know about the fading. My in laws have a dock built out of it, and aside from it getting hot in the sun, the color is still pretty consistent between shaded and non-shaded sections.