A Decking that is Actually Hazardous to Your Health!

Take a look at the picture above. Gross, isn’t it? That picture is off pressure treated decking. The worst part? This picture was taken on a boardwalk that many children and people walk on each and every day. Basically, it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Can you see why I am a little biased toward hardwood decking? After looking at that picture, it’s easy to see why. Wood decking species like Tigerwood, Cumaru, Garapa and Ipe, just doesn’t have these problems and are naturally built to last.

Yes, pressure treated lumber is cheaper. But, the long term cost to maintain it can be far more expensive. Imagine someone getting injured on your pressure treated deck? Can you say, “Hello higher hazard insurance premiums?”

The truth is, hard wood decking maintenance issues are few and far between. Most people just apply a deck oil like Ipe Oil™ once every couple of years to maintain it’s natural reddish brown color and that’s pretty much it.

You can search for my previous posts on the dangers of pressure treated wood, but for now…a picture really is worth a thousand words!

First off, lets take a look at how pressure treated decking is made. Pressure treatment is a process that forces chemical preservatives into the wood. Wood is placed inside a closed cylinder, vacuumed and then pressure is applied to force the preservatives into the wood. The preservatives are meant to help protect the wood from attack by termites, other insects, and fungal decay. Now with ALL of these chemicals that come with pressure treated decking… do you really want this material installed on a deck that will come in contact with so many of your loved ones? Sure pressure treated decking may be resistant to some insects, but what about a few years from now? What about the overall condition of the pressure treated lumber used on your deck; will your pressure treated deck stand the test of time?

Not only are the chemicals found in pressure treated a health concern, but the lumber itself is far inferior to ipe decking and any of the hardwoods that Advantage Trim & Lumber Co. offers. Above is an example of a pressure treated deck (2) and an ipe deck (1) that have been weathered over time. The pressure treated decking is from a bay front restaurant located in Longboat Key, Florida. You can see that the ipe decking (1) stands up to the elements much better than the pressure treated decking (2). Besides the Ipe (1) turning to a sliver/grey color the ipe looks the same as the day it was installed. To make this comparison even MORE drastic… The ipe deck (1) is from the famous Miami Beach boardwalk! Clearly, the fact that an ipe deck held up in more severe conditions is probably the best testimonial anyone could give. Typically, commercial applications like the Miami boardwalk should show much more wear than residential applications. However, the exact opposite is shown here because of the superior NATURAL qualities found in ipe decking (1).