Decking for a rental property in Melbourne weather. Which coating ?

• 

  nocure on 01/11/2015 - 12:52

  +1

  Intergrain Ultradeck. Best imo ,a little expensive upfront but will require less maintenance in the long run.

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  subywagon on 01/11/2015 - 13:57

  +3

  Why don't you try applying the finish yourself? All you basically do is mop the finish all over the deck until it's covered.

  • 

    altomic on 01/11/2015 - 14:31

    This

  • 

    rmamila on 02/11/2015 - 09:22

    Yes I am planning to do it my self once the decking is finished just to save some money. However in the long run I may not be able to do it myself every year once tenants are moved in. I may need an appointment through the rental agent and send a Tradie to do it which would cost a lot in the long run which I am not able to recover from rent anyway. That's my worry.

    • 

      ms_caz on 03/11/2015 - 07:57

      you can claim the cost of a tradie to complete the required maintenance/repairs as a tax deduction.

      • 

        rmamila on 03/11/2015 - 13:29

        I am not looking to tighten my belt even further.
        What's the point in having more and more negative gearing. Return is third of what you spend out of pocket and no point accumulating more costs on an already negative property. All those extra costs are buried money otherwise could spend for your own living.
        It's funny some ppl think negative gearing is a good thing. Once a Tax agent said it's good to pay him more so that I can claim that complete amount from Tax. I gave him an earful and no wonder ppl fall into their traps.
        Negative gearing would only be attractive for people who have some dodgy side business which earns enough cash for their own living.
        What I am looking is to reduce negative income.

• 

  Kevan2 on 01/11/2015 - 22:39

  There are so many coverings and material. If you are at planning stages consider composite timbers.Composite Decking: Deck boards manufactured from wood fiber and plastic to form a profile which requires less maintenance and generally has a longer lifespan than natural wood.

  If the deck has not started, it is advisable to get in and paint the bits under the deck ie
  Fascia: The boards used to cover rim joists and end joists. Also called "skirt"

  Joists: Horizontal framing members that support decking; a system of sub-deck structural elements located directly beneath the deck boards, commonly using 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 lumber.

  Post: The vertical structural element that rests on the footing and supports the beam

  Note that Pressure Treated Wood: Wood subjected to a high pressure treatment of chemicals as a preservative will need to be undercoated and then painted as it will not take stain etc,

  When we built our deck we were novices. Some things done were good others should have been done, I listened to others and did not do it and regret it as much more work or costs.

  The essentials , in my mind, that needs to be done before hand and you may like to do it as it is good cost savings/

  Joists - should at least be undercoated before construction, it is better to paint fully as you can always touch up.

  Timber Posts should be treated or painted with stain resistant undercoat/primer again if time permitted first top coat,

  Flooring we sealed the underside of the floor as advice was the builders will make a mess of open floor. In reality it is not a issue if they make a mess you have the same clean up but less if one coat is on. The finish on the underside came out great apart for the two planks that they turned upside.

  Undercoat I have found Zinsser 123 brands worked well for me even on green cut timber and treated or compressed timber. Good luck

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  rmamila on 03/11/2015 - 13:37

  Did my price comparison with the prices from Masters and Bunnings. Artificial wood is less maintenance but very expensive to install. The other problem is that they don't look anywhere close to natural wood.
  In forums lots of people comment against using Merbau as they are coming from Indonesian rain forests and not from regrowth or controlled harvesting. As long as there i demand from Australia they will keep cutting their rain forests. On the other hand you can do your bit by going for Jarah or Iron Bark. They are from local regrowth but the cost is more. The other problem with Jarah is that you need to stain it especially because of the finger joints they have every 2 - 3 meters in length.

  A friend told me it's good to go for a water based treatment rather than oil based from the beginning.

  • 

    rickxs on 04/11/2015 - 09:51

    ''A friend told me it's good to go for a water based treatment rather than oil based from the beginning.''

    your friend is a clutz unless you want to sand every 1-2yrs —I made this very mistake
    read this forum http://www.renovateforum.com/f196/cleaning-oiling-your-deck-…

    make sure all fixing heads are below the surface of the deck

  • 

    ClaudiaBeck on 17/08/2017 - 11:18

    I agree natural wood looks the best, but there are some pretty believable composites nowadays (see Trex colours in Lava Rock, Spiced Rum, etc.) that have a similar look to Merbau. Yes, they're more expensive to install and materials cost more but long term savings in time/effort maintaining might be worth it, especially if you don't know how well your tenants will treat it.

    It sounds like your main concerns are maintenance, long term cost, and environmental sustainability, so a high quality composite might be a safe bet.

    Best of luck!