c/exterior-design-build

My fancy new composite decking started warping after 2 months

Ngl I thought I was being smart spending $3,800 on that high-end composite stuff from a local yard in Portland. By week six I noticed three boards near the south corner buckling up like a speed bump. Turns out they didn't leave enough expansion gap on a 90 degree day. Had to pull up half the deck and reinstall with proper spacing. Anyone else run into this with composite or was mine just a bad batch?

2 comments

angela_wilson78•2d ago

Spent $600 on a composite deck and wish I went with PVC instead

I redid my back deck in June here in Portland and went with a mid range composite from a big box store. After just 4 months it's already showing some fading and a couple spots where moisture got in near the edges. The installer told me composite was a good middle ground but I'm seeing now that PVC might've been worth the extra $200 or so. Has anyone else dealt with composite decking not holding up as promised?

2 comments

felix_martin56•3d ago

Appreciation post: That 6 month old cedar fence in my backyard after the rainy season

I just noticed how the gray patina settled in evenly across all the boards, and it hit me that skipping the sealant and letting it weather naturally was the right call, has anyone else had their wood age way better than expected?

2 comments

wendy_clark•6d ago

Finished painting the trim on my house and the can said it covered 400 square feet.

I was sure I'd need a second gallon, but it did the whole thing with a little left over. Has anyone else found those coverage estimates to be surprisingly accurate?

2 comments

elizabeth_chen•7d ago

Found a way to stop my new fence from warping in the first season

I built a cedar fence around my backyard in early spring, and by July the boards were already starting to cup and pull away from the rails. I was ready to replace the whole thing. Then a guy at the lumber yard told me to try predrilling the screw holes with a bit one size bigger than the screw shank, but only through the top board, not the rail. I did that on about 20 of the worst boards, and after a full rain cycle, those ones stayed flat while the others kept moving. Has anyone else tried this trick with pressure-treated wood instead of cedar?

2 comments

noraj79•9d ago

Appreciation post: My old brick walkway was a trip hazard for years until I finally replaced it.

I kept putting it off because I thought it would be a huge mess and cost a fortune. Last spring, I bit the bullet and paid about $3,200 to have a local crew pour a new concrete path with a simple broom finish. They tore out the old bricks in a day, graded the ground properly, and had the new walkway poured and cured within the week. It's completely level now and looks so much cleaner. Has anyone else switched from brick to concrete and been happy they did?

2 comments

veraramirez•11d ago

Vent: My neighbor's new paver patio is already sinking in the corners.

They didn't compact the base gravel enough before laying the sand. I watched them do it in one afternoon, and we get serious freeze-thaw cycles here in Denver. Has anyone else had to fix a sunken patio after just one season?

2 comments

john_hunt2•11d ago

Can anyone recommend a good roofing company in Toronto?

We are doing a massive exterior facelift on our home—new siding, new windows, and we definitely need to replace the roof to match the new aesthetic. Can anyone recommend a good company that handles modern residential roofing?

3 comments