wood framed balcony: exposed wood decking

[hippo11]

Hello,

I am buying a brand new condo with a large wood-frame balcony....the decking is made of wood 2x's, and it looks like they aren't going to put anything over the decking, and there's no slope to the balcony.

So basically I am going to have rainwater collecting and ponding on these bare wood balcony 2x's.

Even if they are pressure-treated members, I just get a really bad feeling about this. I have seen similar balconies before and the wood decking degrades over the years and you can punch your foot through them.

So I'd like to make the argument to the builder that they need to seal/cover the decking...can anyone point me to a resource I can use to back up my fears of the wood decking degrading?

Thanks.

 

[JKW05]

Unfortunately, I think the problem is that even if the deck is "sealed", and "re-sealed" periodically, the wood will probably deteriorate over time. That is the nature of wood exposed to the elements, and wood decks just don't last forever. An alternative may be to use a composite wood deck such as "Trex Deck", which may hold up a little better under the elements.

 

[RHB51]

Treated decks will generally last about 20 years and longer if you put a penetrating sealer on them every few years.
I wouldn't worry about water ponding either, treated timber usually has a very high moisture content when first installed and it will shrink so there will be gaps between the boards.

I wouldn't worry about it. If anything I would look to see how the deck is attached to the home. They should use joist hangers and the hangers should be "screwed" into the ledger board, not nailed. The nails will pull out and the deck will move laterally.

Also, very important: the new treated lumber is extremely corrosive to steel. Any nails and especially the joist hangers should be galvanized. There have been reports of non-galvanized hangers corroding within 2 years of installation.

Randy

 

[COEngineeer]

If you are really worried then you should ask for a change order. Put trex decking instead. They probably want more money for material though. You should be able to work it out with the condo agent and the contractor. Maybe the agent will let you deal with the contractor directly. I doubt it though.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[JKW05]

I think RHB51 has raised a very important point. The structural connections are probably more of a detail to review than concern over the long-term deterioiration of the floor deck. As I recall, a few years back, a multi-floor wood deck collapsed at an apartment building in Chicago. I know some inspectors around here require ledgers be bolted through the walls.

Simpson Strong-Tie has a heavier galvanized coating called Z-max for their hangers which is what I specify for use with the new treated wood. More info is available here:

http://www.strongtie.com/productuse/corrosion.html