Garden déjà vu is a thing of the past with me, at least when building new structures in my gardening and outdoor social areas. Tired of splinters and replacing decayed steps and decks every few years, I just had my longtime landscape contractor come over to remove yet another wood deck.
And I have had quite a few over the years, including three round or semi-circle ones in the front garden and four in the back yard, each one rebuilt at least twice.
Most modern pressure-treated preserved wood, while very useful for landscape projects, is now very expensive yet doesn’t last very long. I still use it for fenceposts and arbors, and prefer treated boards around my raised bed, but I am done with it for decking, seating, and fence boards.
Not going to get into the pros and cons of treated wood here, because though it is much safer than what we used last century, there are still some valid concerns over its handling and some folks will simply not accept it out of principle. Suffice to say I care as much about the environment and my own health as anyone, but, being deeply familiar with the issues, I still believe it is superior to untreated wood. Also, if you include forestry production in the equation, it actually has less environmental impact than constantly replacing untreated wood. In my opinion it is perfectly safe as long as I don’t breathe in the sawdust or make toothpicks from the splinters. Plus, I use wood sealants and paint, and don’t plant root crops right up against it. Otherwise, it is fine.
I will mention, however, that there are varying levels of treatment, with the stuff labeled for ground contact being the stoutest and best for posts, followed by above ground products which are fine for raised beds and decking.
But to get the most out of decking, steps, and even seating, here is something that very few DIYers even think about: Always lay boards “bark side up” so the wood sheds rather than absorbs water, which affects how long it lasts and whether or not it cups and splinters easily. It’s easy to tell which way should face the sun and rain: Look at the end of a board, and notice which way the growth rings in the wood curve. If the rings in the wood go up and back down like a rainbow, it is called bark side up and will shed water; if they curve down and back like a smile, it is bark side down and will soak in more water, and cup and splinter. Sounds silly, but makes a difference.
All this to say I am now limiting my use of treated wood for different reasons, and carefully choose what kind of wood I select for different projects.
My son just completed a boat dock using “fake wood” made of a composite of sawdust and plastic, which comes in different colors and patterns. Yeah, it can be kinda slick and on a hot summer day it smells funny, but, though expensive up front, it is now competitive with real lumber, looks good enough, and lasts nearly forever - won’t have to be replaced in six or seven years.
Instead, I am using decay- and insect-resistant cedar and cypress where practical, and gradually replacing my wood decks and raised walks with flagstone and chipped slate, which costs about the same these days as wood, and looks good and bright with an annual pressure washing.
So I am basically done with repairing or replacing decayed wood. Hopefully for good.
Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the Gestalt Gardener on MPB Think Radio. Email gardening questions to rushingfelder@yahoo.com.
