Wood Decking

How To Choose The Right Wood To Use For Your Deck – Main Factors To ConsiderBy: Malcolm D Kay
There’s a huge range of wood species available for building wood decks, so how do you decide what’s best?
The best way is start is to consider the factors that are most important to you, your particular circumstances and the proposed deck location and then give a weighting to each factor to come up with the best option. Everyone’s situation is slightly different, so what’s best for you, may not be appropriate for someone else.
There are probably seven most relevant factors which you should take into account when deciding what lumber species is best for your situation. These are:
Type of wood (hardwood or softwood)
Natural durability
Colour of the wood
Wearability
Ease of machining and working
Environmental considerations
Cost
Hardwood or softwood
Most softwoods with the notable exception of western red cedar, some cypress species and a few species of pine and larch are not naturally durable and will decay quite rapidly if left totally exposed to the weather. Fortunately softwood species readily accept chemical preservatives so when treated, their durability can equal or exceed most of the naturally durable hardwood species.
Durability
Durability refers to a combination of properties which includes resistance of the timber to decay, termite and borer attack and also to splitting and checking when used under exposed conditions. As wood is a natural product, it’s not really possible to assign a precise or absolute value to the durability of an individual species. And the actual life which can be expected of a deck in service will be dependent on many factors including degree of exposure of the deck to the elements, prevailing weather conditions, the air circulation around the decking etc. Various charts and tables are available which list the relative durability of wood species based on their actual in service so can be used to provide a useful broad comparison between species. Note should also be taken of termite resistance if this is important in your region as this will vary greatly between species.
Colour of the wood
There is a huge color variation within wood species, from pale yellow, through brown’s to reds and red orange, even purple. And some species may be very consistent in colour whilst others can vary considerably from board to board or even along the length of a single board. Some species have flecks of a paler color interspersed along the grain. However unless a strict maintenance regime involving regular oiling of the wood decking is maintained, all wood species exposed to the sunlight will eventually fade over time to a soft silver grey- the speed at which this occurs will depending on the species, the prevailing weather conditions, the degree of exposure of the deck to the sun, the intensity of the sun and the frequency of application of the protective oil.
Environmental
The destruction of the great forests of the world, not only in the Amazon basis and South East Asia but also in major Western nations, should be a major concern to everyone. Several organizations, the best known of which is probably the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), have established standards and operating procedures which forestry owners must adhere to in order that their products may carry that organization’s official certification. This provides some assurance that the wood and wood products have been harvested in accordance with sustainable forestry practises and sound forest management procedures and that any finished products have been manufactured and supplied under non exploitative labor practices. Many governments have established their own standards outside of the FSC but consideration needs to be given whether such standards and operating procedures may in fact be catering to vested interests and that some reliable and certifiable mechanism actually exists to ensure procedures and practices are indeed followed as required.
Wearability
In this rather subjective term, we are looking at what happens to the surface of the wood as it ages, how it weathers as the deck becomes older. Generally this is not such an important factor unless you like to walk on your decking with bare feet. With some species, the grain tends to lift as the wood ages, causing small splinters to appear. With other species however the surface can remain virtually smooth for years.
Ease of working with tools
Some hardwood species are exceptionally hard and thus require carbide tipped saws to speed construction. Also when nailing boards, some species can be nailed directly whilst other species will tend to split if not predrilled. Even with softwoods such as cypress, pre-drilling may be necessary.
Cost
In general, softwoods will be lower in cost than hardwoods, reflecting the shorter time to maturity of the trees, extensive plantation grown forests with easy access for harvesting and lower processing costs. Some plantation grown hardwoods can approach the cost base of hardwoods but the lower recovery rate of most hardwoods still tends to keep the price above that of most softwoods.
The above presents just an overview of the main factors you should consider when choosing a lumber species for your deck. Each of the above factors can be looked at in more detail but this should enable you to make a more considered decision on the type of lumber you would like to use for your particular decking project.
About The Author
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For more information see http://www.swiftdeck.com/.

Thinking About A Nice Bay Window

Bay Windows Give a Home Added Space

The person that likes to improve their home on their own can do a bay window installation with a ready to go unit. These are for sale at most of the home improvement stores. All you have to do to install bay windows is have a few tools and a good source of extra help.

Finding the perfect spot in your home is the key. Think about where you would like to look out and see a great view. A window like this is going to extend out your home and give you the view of a lifetime. You can have a large bay window or any size that you want to match the look that you want to achieve. The walls and the ceilings can be anything that you want and have a beautiful wooden bay window installed in your home. Think about a picture of a bay window and what you want to see out of it for your perfect view.

There are different sizes of bay windows. There are ones that are 72 x 72. They are thought of as a bow window. Some like these windows and others do not. It is all about great looking windows and a great view. There are also three panels on windows and multiple panel bow windows. You can fill the window seat with great plants or picture to catch the sunlight with. There is so many different look that you can create with your own mind. It will be a great time to shop for the right accessories for your new bay window.

Do you want scratch or rebuilt?

When you are looking for a window to install, you should think about plans for building your own bay window. You can go through books, magazines, and even the Internet to find what you are looking for. There are so many different plans for the right bay window for you. You can take on your own project and figure out what is going to work well with your ideas. There are many window manufacturers. Some are Pella, Milgard and then there is Anderson, these are pre-assembled bay windows pre built for just any home.

Little contractors will take on the idea of building you a bay window or bow window from scratch but you want to beware of who is building your window. They believe that it is not practical when they can get one for less money and have it installed easier. If the contractors now were to use pre built windows for new homes or renovation ideas, then anyone can do the same for their own remodeling projects.

Having a bay window installed is an easy project for you to do. You should think about a contractor or person that will help you out if you fall into some trouble. This is a job you have to take a few days to do. You are probably not going to finish up in one weekend so you should plan accordingly.

You will want to make sure that you have help to lift the bay windows because they are heavy. You need more than one person to handle the weight.

You should also make sure that the weather would be good for your project. You do not want to do it when it is raining outside. This will take a few days to get the new window in place and ready for sealing. You do not want to have to worry about water getting into your home through the window.

You should make sure that you are checking the local area for construction codes to make sure that you are following the guidelines. There may be special requirements in your area and you will need to make sure that you have all of these needs met. You will also want to make sure that you have a building permit too. This is not a good time to break a law or get into trouble trying to put in your new window. Once you have it in place, get the best set of bay window curtains that you want for the special new look of your home.

Peter J. Wilson's long articles are published on large numbers of online publications related to bay window curtains and decorating. His comments on bay windows are found on his webpage and other web sites.

Small Kithen Ideas

Get Creative with Designs for Small Kitchen Spaces
Building Stairs

Many of today’s kitchen designs are showcased in larger over-sized kitchens, which make great ideas for those who have large kitchens but just not practical for some of us who don’t. What about designs for small kitchen areas? Since we all want a space that provides efficiency and optimum storage for the kitchen here are a few ways to maximize designs for small kitchen spaces.

With any kitchen space you shouldn’t have to give up your amenities, just use sensible designs for small kitchen spaces. In most cases it is better to remove anything big and bulky and use small accent pieces to bring out your style. I have also found that in just about any room you can position mirrors or even add an imitation mirror window to the wall and it will automatically make the room seem larger.

Simple enlarging designs for small kitchen areas will start with eliminating anything that is not used in the room at all. Clear all your counter space; remove junk in drawers, or anything else that is not used in the kitchen. When choosing color for your new kitchen designs stay away from dark colors and large prints on towels, curtains, walls, anything that will be showcased.

Designs for Small Kitchen

To maximize kitchen space, create lots of open shelving. Adding shelving on the walls makes use of otherwise wasted storage space. Add some storage bars, hooks, and pot racks. This will make cooking material more convenient and free up cabinet spaces for other items.

As you review designs for small kitchen spaces, keep in mind there are three main areas of the kitchen that need to be spaced to provide maximum use and allow multiple people to be in the area without cramping each other. These three areas are 1) the stove, 2) the refrigerator, and 3) the sink. By choosing a design that allows movement around these areas you’ll have a much more functional kitchen.

Designs for small kitchen areas should also carefully place lighting. Light is a very important part of making a space feel open. In many cases, just adding some extra light to a room can make a big difference. There are a couple of different ways you can achieve more lighting. One way is to add a window, a skylight, or just hiring an electrician to install more light fixtures in the room. If you are using a low watt bulb, maybe bump it up a notch.

This article was written by Gregg Hicks of http://www.reliableremodeler.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.