We recently hired a contractor to build us an 8x10 deck made from treated yellow pine. The problems are that some of the wood is turning yellow orange and the deck has not been stained yet. A lot of the boards are getting blue speckled dots, small and large in them. Most of the boards in the floor have more than 4 knotholes in them. Some as many as 9. Some of the boards have 1/2 gap between them. The builder is telling me all this is normal. I wasn't born yesterday. I'm 61. I would appreciate any info
Deck nightmare
- Thread starter Paulad59
- Start date
The blue speckled dots look like the wood treatment leaching out. I believe it's normal. It should disappear over time and when stained. The wood looks like the typical grade found at the big box store. It should last 20 years with regular maintenance. We had a deck built a few years ago and paid 2x the cost for premium grade with very few knots.
As far as the gaps, our builder built the deck with new lumber with a high moisture content and installed the boards with a very small gap (2-3mm) and over time the gaps increased a bit. The gaps will never be exactly the same. Wood is a natural product. You want some gaps so water can drain through and the deck can dry out.
Were the pictures taken shortly after the deck was finished?
As far as the gaps, our builder built the deck with new lumber with a high moisture content and installed the boards with a very small gap (2-3mm) and over time the gaps increased a bit. The gaps will never be exactly the same. Wood is a natural product. You want some gaps so water can drain through and the deck can dry out.
Were the pictures taken shortly after the deck was finished?