Wood for balcony beams?

[Mr Sandman]

Hi all, can someone tell me the best wood to use for the beams of a balcony? Apparently oak is no good as it splits and holds water and rots from the inside out.

Cheers

Steve

[Andy Dingley]

Oak is good, but expensive - timber's expensive, working it takes longer too

Larch is good rot-wise (very resinous) but it's prone to twist on drying so you need to select your timber carefully.

Douglas Fir might be your best all-round choice. Good structurally, light & strong, pretty good rot resistance. Easier to buy from non- specialist yards too.

Yes, of course, that's why there are no oak-framed buildings left standing that are more than a few _centuries_ old.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No wonder all those old sailing ships sunk, then.

[NT]

I think oak is the most durable species known

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

As long as its nor permanently wet, its pretty good.

Not sure what a balcony beam MEANS actually.

[Matty F]

Can't you get timber in the UK that is treated against rot? In NZ we would use H3 treated pinus radiata, as Douglas Fir won't absorb the treatment well, and only lasts a few years outdoor if untreated.

[NT]

yes, but of course it rots. UK is a wetter climate than many countries.

NT

[Martin Bonner]

Yew is definitely more durable. I suspect some of the tropical hardwords are more durable.

- But both would be too expensive.

Accoya (wood with hydroxl groups replaced with acetyl groups) looks possible.

[Martin Bonner]

Err - a beam to hold up a balcony surely? (The bit that sticks out from the house, and has the decking planks laid on top of it).

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah. so basically OUT of the rain.

Lots of 16th century oak beams still around doing that.

Possibly teak is slighthly better.

[Jules]

Although it get be pretty wet here, too, and the pressure-treated stuff is readily available - there's as much of it in the lumber area of the local DIY shed as there is non-treated. (comes with a 40 year guarantee against fungal decay, too). Just loaded up the other day - $3/lf for 2x4" and $4/lf for 4x4", so price isn't too bad either (about 30% more than untreated)

Most if it's not rated for ground contact, which suggests that it does need to be able to dry out once it does get wet.

Memories of living in NZ were that it could be pretty darn humid in some places, no different from anywhere else really.

cheers

Jules

[Stuart Noble]

Pinus radiata wouldn't last five minutes here. Nice to live in a climate where it does :-) I would ignore the advice and go for recycled oak beams. Pitch pine is also reasonably easy to source, and should be a good alternative. Doug Fir I wouldn't be so sure of.

[js.b1]

Pitch pine; European Oak; Iroko; Teak.

Iroko is a dense heavy hardwood, far more so than Oak. The downside of Iroko is that if recut will twist from varying internal stresses.

Steel UB/RSJ zinc-epoxy 2pk coated with slipped in Iroko planks? Alternative to hardwood planks is wood-fibre-in-resin rot-proof planks?