Wooden patio

Hi everyone,

Will a wooden ' patio '

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require a lot of maintenance and can anyone share some tips to cut down on these maintenance costs?

Reply to
Qqueen
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Everything requires maintenance...

One _extremely_ important piece left out -- _where_ is this proposed patio going to be? Local climate has much to do with how much or little maintenance one may expect.

Probably the most significant thing one could do cut down on maintenance would be to use one of the wood substitute products instead of wood altho selection of which wood itself were to be used (at a cost, of course) can make a big difference as well.

Reply to
dpb

Click on the "Contact Us" link on that page and ask them.

Reply to
willshak

Maybe it is just me, but saw a photo of a grill on the website and saw SPAM cooking.

What is interesting, the web site looks loke a decent design, but they give no clue as to the area they serve or where they are located. How dumb is that?

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

+1 Spam detected. Spam rejected!
Reply to
trader4

It's in the name. "woodlands", as in The Woodlands, TX.

Read the home page.

"We began serving the Katy community and from there expanded to serve other homeowners in Sugar Land, Fulshear and the whole Houston area."

Reply to
DerbyDad03

It might be spam, but they do discuss the area they serve and where they are located. Per the home page:

"We began serving the Katy community and from there expanded to serve other homeowners in Sugar Land, Fulshear and the whole Houston area."

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I did miss that. It should be ont he Contact page though. I won't by from a company that does not give the actual address of the main office. Nothing is guaranteed, but you are a little less likely to be scammed by a real business.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

No argument, but I think there's an element of safety in this case. The Contact Form does say "Woodlands residents are encouraged to drop by our office for a consultation at no cost to them." **(More on that statement later)

While the address of the office does not appear to be listed on the site, they are inviting people to stop by. I assume that if you were to fill out the contact form, they would be in touch with you to set up an appointment, first at their office if that will make you feel more comfortable, and then, obviously, on-site where you want the patio built.

In this case, I think the issue is more of a web site that is lacking some information rather than an attempt to scam people. Granted, if you set up an appointment and they are reluctant to have you stop by to see their facilities, you would have cause for concern.

** I think that that sentence is kind of a typo. On their home page they say that the serve a number of towns around Houston, yet they only "invite" Woodlands residents to stop by. I think that is just sloppy web site design and that if it was pointed out to them they might have it fixed. I might even fill out the form and let them know.
Reply to
DerbyDad03

I used their contact page to let them know about the lack of a company address and the fact that they only invite Woodlands residents to "drop by" their office.

It'll be interesting to see how responsive they are.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

After installing mini wood patios under my lawn swings that held up for many years, I went ahead and laid a full size wood patio made from squares of treated decking lumber. I liked it so well, I installed an even larger patio linked to the original patio a few years later. The patios are on a simple sand base. I didn't bother with sealing or staining, I just let them weather to gray.

Advantages of wood vs cement or brick pavers:

Lighter weight pavers, which makes for easier handling and installation/removal Much cooler surface in hot weather - wood doesn't absorb heat the way brick and concrete do Has a smoother surface, with a tiny bit of 'give', making it more comfortable to walk upon More permeable (due to the spaces between the planks) than brick pavers, which makes them a better choice for installing in close proximity to trees

Disadvantages:

Underside not smooth, making installation a little more tedious since the center (between the crosspieces) is that little bit deeper Some pieces of planking may be prone to cupping, which is exacerbated during lengthy dry spells

Neutral:

If it isn't stained or weatherproofed it will weather to grey More informal looking than bricks or pavers

It works very well for me. OTOH, I have neighbors who had an elaborate and very beautiful brick patio installed. They love their patio and I admire it immensely - but for myself, I prefer wood.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

I'm going to look into these for a walkway and even maybe even refacing a stoop.

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With the forms, it seems like it would be tough to screw up.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

On 9/23/2013 2:55 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: ...

...

I'd get a couple samples and check 'em out for the heat absoprtion/temperature thing.

The Azek and the other composites as well will burn as badly as a car door in the hot sun out here in W KS if anything but the lightest of colors and even those you can't walk on w/ bare feet unless they're shaded...

The poly fences will sag and take a permanent set after a couple of summers--just don't have the necessary high temperature resistance for

100+ F full W KS sunshine. AZ and the like have to be even worse.
Reply to
dpb

Thanks for that warning. Where these will be going doesn't get a lot of direct, all day sun, nor do we have many (any?) 100+ days. However, I will heed your warning and get some samples.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Qqueen:

You want the wood to be pressure treated to avoid the problem of wood rot occuring in your patio.

However, pressure treatment only addresses the issue of wood rot; it doesn't address the issue of the wood splitting at the end grain due it absorbing rain water there. If you ever look at wood that's been left unprotected outside, the end grain of the wood will be split and the wood will be grey in colour. The grey discolouration comes from UV damage to the wood from the Sun, and the splitting of the end grain is due to the absorbtion and evaporation of liquid water at the end grain of wood. Water is absorbed into the end grain of wood 15 times faster than it is into wood across it's grain, which is one of the reason why wood rot almost always starts at the end grain of wood.

If the end grain of the wood you're using to build your patio isn't treated somehow to prevent water absorbtion, one of the most effective ways to treat it is with a liquid epoxy meant for use on rotted wood. Basically, you paint the end grain of the wood with epoxy to prevent it from absorbing rain water, Then, the only way your wood could absorb water is across it's grain, and it's unlikely that will ever result in the wood ever splitting because absorbtion of water across the grain of wood is very much slower than at the end grain.

So, if your wood is pressure treated, and even if it's not, then my suggestion is to buy some two part liquid epoxy for strengthening rotted wood, and paint that on every end grain of every wooden patio paver to prevent the absorbtion of rain water and snow melt at the end grain of your wood.

Reply to
nestork

Yeah, strange. Looking up the area code of the phone number I found

Texas Atascocita, Baytown, Bellaire, Channelview, Friendswood, Galena Park, Houston, La Porte, League City, Mission Bend, Missouri City, Pasadena, Pearland, Spring, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, West University Place

So maybe people in Houston have heard of The Woodlands and would associate it with this company.

Still, strange.

Reply to
micky

They have some really nice patio designs on their sight. I like to get something to replace my present patio shown at right of my current home in this photo:

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I wonder which I should get?

Reply to
CRNG

Before going through all that aggro, I'd advise the OP to think about how long of an expected life he wants from his patio. I've had wood patios in place for nearly twenty years that are not yet showing signs of rot, and I never bothered to seal any parts of the wood planking. Frankly, if I did spot any, it would be much faster and simpler to just replace the bad section, since they're just squares made of planking.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

I suspect that email wouldn't have to travel very far.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

That's what I think too.

Reply to
Frank

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