Tips For Finding The Right Deck Lumber

[Posted on September 19th, 2013 by Aaron Presley]

When you’re building a deck, you want to make sure you are using the right deck lumber. You may think that you can go into any home improvement store to pick up some wood, but this may be a mistake. It can be advantageous to work with a lumber company because you will have more varieties to choose from – and pick up some building tips along the way. The goal of building a deck is to be able to have a place to enjoy the great outdoors without leaving your backyard. You want to make sure your deck is strong enough to support the weight of everything that you will have on top – and this is especially important if you plan on doing a lot of entertaining. You also want to make sure the wood is going to hold up against all of the elements. There are different types of deck lumber. When choosing lumber, you have to know what each kind is good for and how strong it is. You won’t get this kind of information at the home improvement store. You’ll only get the information from talking to someone at a lumber yard. When something is exposed to a variety of elements, it needs to be able to hold up day after day. Just as you buy materials for ranch fencing that will hold up against rain and heat, you want to do the same for your deck. Deck lumber can be pressure treated to last much longer. Then, you can choose to stain the deck as well to improve the overall aesthetics. Choosing the lumber is the hardest part. Learning how to build a deck is easy once you have the right materials. If you aren’t purchasing the right materials, you may find that your deck isn’t going to last very long. Especially if your deck is going to come in contact with salt or brackish water, you may be done for before you even know it. Ask questions about the lumber and what it is good for. Tell the lumber yard that you plan on using the lumber for a deck. One of the questions they are going to ask is whether you want the deck to look rustic or not. This is something you want to give some thought to as it will affect the type of deck lumber that you buy. For example, you may want rough cut cedar for a rustic look or smooth cut cedar for a traditional look. Regardless of what kind of deck you are building, you want one that is going to last a very long time. Once you treat it, you don’t want to deal with it any more after that. This is why it’s critical for you to buy the right deck lumber when you are going to build your own deck.