New Verandah

[Bella]

Hello,

I'm a newbie here so be kind!!

We are going to replace the timber decking on our little Edwardian style house. My question is what timber is best and looks best?

I really like the verandahs that don't have gaps between the boards but after reading the other T & G post maybe that is a silly idea.

Bella

[Zed]

itr depends onwhether your verandah is covered or not - if it is well protected form the elements then Id suggest blackbutt, if its exposed perhaps treated pine is better.

this would hold true for the "seen" parts and the "hidden" (support parts eg bearers, posts etc...)

cheers, welcome.

[Bella]

Thanks.
The verandah is covered but gets a little wet on the edges.

[Garves]

Kwila decking is great, very durable and great colour

[Bella]

What about Jarrah? It looks good but is it ok for tongue and groove?

[julianx]

Hi bella
I wouldn't recomend t&g for a deck as it will swell and shrink with the weather which will eventually lead to small gaps between the boards anyway. If you want it to look older I suggest you source some square dressed decking instead of the pencil round that is more commonly used, maybe even get wider boards they look good in square dressed. As far as species I think jarrah would look good but may be expensive, personally i think treated pine looks terrible and dosn't age well. when I'm doing a deck I generally use kwila or mixed hardwood (which ever is cheaper) if its undercover and iron bark if it is exposed. 150 mm square dressed jarrah would look great

[glock40sw]

Tallowood will outlast all of the species so far listed.

It will also out last you and me.

Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton

[Programmer]

Hi Bella, you've obviously been reading the posts between others and myself regarding Jarrah T&G and other species, water, etc etc. It was my veranda(h) we were discussing.

While you might have thought of the following issues I'm going to mention them because they are important. There are some woodies among this clan that consider 'period' important, others think very logically. Neither point of view is wrong, but I believe in respecting the period of a home in consideration with selection of replacement of any item - not just wood. I'm not stating you can't have mod cons. Just that you should consider the overall 'look' and 'feel' of a period home. A quick perusal of any real estate mag will show you that a period, but modernised home will outprice a badly fully or partially restored property every time. That said, consider the following:

a) Why are you replacing the floor? Is it damaged beyond repair? Maybe it just needs a clean up if it has gone grey on top, a good re-finish etc.
b) What is there at the moment? (type of wood) If you don't know, find out. Is it original?
c) Do not (and this is the issue that I can't agree with others with) replace an original T&G floor with some horrible decking. Decking is great for decks, and I've seen some absolutely beautiful decks. But decking is for DECKS. There is a BIG difference between decks and verandas'. A deck is UNCOVERED. A veranda is COVERED via the roof/eaves at least partially (that's the basic difference, but an important one - and yes, there will be angst with this definition too since the two definitions are often used interchangeably these days and one persons' deck is another's verandah/porch/covered deck/uncovered verandah... the list goes on forever.).

If you want a Jarrah T&G verandah done properly then you'll pay for it. Both in initial costs and on-going maintenance. We all agree that a T&G verandah will take more time in maintenance, but is the wood and style right for your house?

The bottom line for myself is not creating a deck from what was a lovely verandah. I see 'investment' properties for sale all the time where the investor has taken the wrong advice and ripped up a verandah that could have stayed - been restored/refinished, to replace it with 'wood with gaps'. I know this because it's one area I concentrate on. There are lovely decks, and horrible ones. There are nice verandah's and awful eyesores. I'm not against any species/cut/design of wood, I love 'em all in the right place, for the right house. Further, I'm not some T&G 'lover'. I actually find it a pain to work with and I would not use it on a DECK.

Lastly, the advice you've received from previous posts I agree with. If that sounds a bit 'hedging both ways' then you're correct. If the edges of your verandah constantly receive rain then T&G and a wood such as Jarrah will certainly require more work to keep nice. That doesn't however mean that it's a silly idea. Authors of the previous posts are all thinking logically. Rain (warmth, cold cycles etc etc) do awful things to wood (and especially T&G, as it does to us ;)), and they're all giving you their preferences for particular coverings, considering their experience and the info you've provided. There is nothing wrong with it.

Retention (as reasonable as possible) of period is a preference of mine. Why did you buy an Edwardian again?

Cheers.

[Bella]

a) Why are you replacing the floor? Is it damaged beyond repair? Maybe it just needs a clean up if it has gone grey on top, a good re-finish etc.
b) What is there at the moment? (type of wood) If you don't know, find out. Is it original?
c) Do not (and this is the issue that I can't agree with others with) replace an original T&G floor with some horrible decking.

Thank you all for your advice. I tried to talk to my husband about it last night but he was too intrigue in the footy show so you guys are my saviours.

To answer your questions:
a) The boards are rotten, have holes in them and can't be nailed back down because of the rot. They have broken off on the exposed ends too.
b) I have no idea what the wood is. If I had to guess I'd say pine as it looks pretty soft.
c) It is currently not T&G. It has spaces between boards.

I am kinda liking the idea of wider boards as suggested by julian and I will investigate this square dressed option.

I did a walk around the neighbourhood last night and 90% had T&G verandahs and I could see how some of the really old ones had come apart.

Cheers,
Bella

[julianx]

hi
if the boards are as rotten as you say then it is likely that the joists are rotten as well especially in te exposed areas, so be ready to replace them as well as the decking

[Bella]

hi
if the boards are as rotten as you say then it is likely that the joists are rotten as well especially in te exposed areas, so be ready to replace them as well as the decking
Spot on Julian. They are rotten. We are replacing them this weekend.

[Dan_574]

Here we go programmer and bella, just call this my own scientific experiment into the effects of 19mm jarrah t & g flooring left out in the elements. The pictures are of the mentioned flooring being out in the weather since august last year. The only cover they have is under a tree. They have not been sanded and no oil or sealer applied. I say if you want to use them on a verandah, go ahead, if its only a small area I would seal the underneaths first before laying and then give them a good oil once down, I see no reason why they wont last and it will look magnificent ( I wish I had done it instead of 70mm pencil round jarrah for my verandah.) The boards will open up, no doubt but thats part of the look, isn't it.
The boards were left over so I used them as a platform next to the kids sand pit.

[julianx]

The boards will open up, no doubt but thats part of the look, isn't it. forgive me but I just don't understand, if the gaps are part of the look, then whynot simply put down square dressed decking with gaps that will allow drainage and will be cheaper and easier to lay (floor clamps are a pain in the back).

[microcorys]

Go for tallowwood, looks great, tough as, and is grown as plantation timber (methinks) so not depleting old growth forests.

[seriph1]

Hi Bella and welcome to the forum..... jarrah will work, as it has been used for a hundred+ years on many homes with pretty decent success, but I too would recommend Tallowood if you can get it. It was available as a result of the MCG demolition but sold out very quickly. If you need referrals, I will be happy to help - just PM me for further details. Finally, this is the "face" of your home, therefore I strongly advocate using a timber prpfile that matches what was there originally (not necessarily what's there now). Based on the area and exact style/period of the home, you should be able to replicate the look easily.

have fun

Steve

[jackiew]

Go for Tongue and Groove - replaced the totally rotten deck of my 1920's house with T&G Jarrah and haven't regretted it. Decking would have looked terrible.

Yes you will need to look after it but look on it as the equivalent of Dry Cleaning. Sometimes we buy clothes which need dry cleaning rather than slinging in the washing machine and we accept the expense and the inconvenience because the more expensive clothes make us look and feel good.

You will hit the resale value of your house if you use decking - it gives the house "street appeal".

Even if you were completely slack and didn't do anything to maintain the verandah it would be a good few years before it really deteriorated.

The Timber advisory board will tell you what gaps to put in the T&G to take account of the time of year you are installing the board so that you don't have whopping gaps or buckling boards as the weather conditions fluctuate. I.e. don't cramp them up tight as tight if you know they are going to expand lots later and don't leave the joints sloppy if the boards are going to contract lotslater.

[Bella]

Just though I'd post a picture of the new verandah deck.

It's jarrah T&G and I love it. Still have to punch the nails and oil it though.