Western Red Cedar Timber Decking
Thuja plicata
A large softwood, the largest of the North American cedars, found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Heartwood is a pale brown to dark brown in appearance; the texture is fine with a straight grain. Western Red Cedar is too soft to use as decking but for screening and most outdoor joinery work it is one of the best materials to use. It is light, very easy to work with and will not require as much labor as hardwoods when its oiled as it holds oils and stains much better and for a longer amount of time that almost every other timber species.
Western Red Cedar can be a little more expensive but can even itself out with the lower labor requirements and the longer lasting finishes you will get. It also weathers very well outside with less surface check and natural movement than most other timbers.
Class 2 above ground -Termite resistant – BAL Low – Non Leaching – Janka hardness 2.0
Standard sizes are – 42×19, 40×40, 65×19, 90×19, 140×19, 190×19 other sizes available
Buy Western Red Cedar Timber Decking from Abbey Timber today.
SYDNEY’S LARGEST RANGE OF TIMBER DECKING
There are few improvements to the home or garden that can match a timber decking area for its natural beauty and usefulness. Indeed there are many uses for an outdoor wood decking area including being used as an outdoor living space for dining, entertaining friends and family or simply relaxing with your favorite drink in hand. Additionally they also provide kids with a safe area to play within the compound.
If you are looking to add a timber deck to your home, you have come to the right place. Abbey Timber is one of Sydney’s largest timber decking suppliers. We have been in the business providing timber decking supplies to the market for many years and have gained a reputation of being the very best in the business.
Abbey Timber has the largest range of decking available with over 20 different species, many grades to suit every budget and multiple sizes to get a decking board to suit every application.
Abbey Timber is your one stop Decking Shop with everything in stock to build your Deck to completely finishing it off with the best coatings available on the market.
GRADES:
Premium Grade (Standard & Better)
This is the most popular grade and often will give you the least amount of natural features. Some hardwoods like Blackbutt and Yellow Stringybark have natural features like gum veins and pin holes so need to expect certain features that are common in that particular timber, where other timbers like Northern Box and Ironbark have very little features so you will get more boards free of natural features.
Rustic Grade
This is a fall down from Premium (Standard & Better) so you will get a lot more natural features like Gum Veins, Pin holes, Splits, Surface Checking as well as Miss-Milling and run off and shorter boards as short as .900mm. This grade is for those on a tight budget or is looking for a more rustic looking deck design. You will need to add a little more waste with this option. Rustic is a mix of Standard, Feature and utility grade boards.
Feature Grade
The lowest grade of decking available and is suitable for a deck where the appearance is not so much of a concern. We recommend you allow an extra 10-15% waste when ordering feature grade as some boards may not be suitable to install and you will have to dock out excessive splits at times. We recommend you inspect the timber to know what you are purchasing with features grade.
BOARD SIZES:
When designing your deck you need to consider the correct width and thickness of the decking board to suit your application. Timber is a natural material and exposed to the outside elements can behave in ways we wish it didn’t so it’s important to choose wisely.
Decks built less than 1meter from the ground with no roof coverage we recommend choosing a narrow board like 65mm-90mm. installing a wide board increases the change of the boards cupping; the cause of this is due to the lack of air flow beneath the deck after rain and the bottom of the board will pick up moisture causing expansion where the top of the boards that are now exposed to the sun will drying out causing the boards to contract. With the two uneven moisture contents from the bottom of the board to the top it is possible for the boards to cup (concaved surface).
Some believe that using a thicker board like 25mm will eliminate this but in fact it can make it worse as there is far more pressure in that board to pull and less structural strength in the screw fasteners to hold the board down. We find the thinner boards like 19mm and 22mm with have less chance cupping if installed in the wrong applications as there is less pressure in the board and the screws have more structural strength to hold the board in its place. This is also where the correct choice in screw size and type of coatings can help control the board’s movement.
For more technical advice feel free to call our office to speak to a professional.