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quote:
Argus has CA-C lumber.
Just got through building a 12x12 deck a few weeks back with the material Argus sells. It is a brown color. I was talking with Argus and he said a man down the street from him built a fence with the stuff about 15 years ago and it is still standing. You may want to call Argus and talk to him about it.
If you use it, be sure to treat all cut ends with preservative and for an added precaution, put a membrane material on top of the joist before putting down the deck material. It helps keep the water from rotting the joist out under the board.
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The Hi-Bor we bought had a tag on it that says "only for indoor use in Hawaii"
Since Home Depot had recommended it for use outdoors, we returned it.
The usual advice there is "Use the Hi-Bor and rebuild every few years" Good advice for them, not so good for us.
We used the Argus CA-C. It's been a couple of years. We painted one deck, left the other one raw. Both are holding up nicely.
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Are you concerned about the ca-c? Pets drinking runoff, children touching it and eating, etc?
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It comes with warnings to not use it for playground equipment or picnic tables. It should be painted if you have kids!
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What's the markup on the CA-C ?
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From Argus's website
"CA_C treatment costs a bit more than HI-BOR but when you factor in the longer life span from superior performance the cost becomes a pretty cheap insurance plan.
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CA-C is a Class III toxin according to WHO. Mildly toxic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicity_c..._Class_III
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Mike
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The stuff is amazing. Over the years you could see untreated lumber virtually dissolve but the treated stuff didn't change at all. Horizontal boards (like decks) that never saw sunlight under the forest canopy would get slimy (and slippery) but a good blast from a pressure washer and it was like new again. Untreated lumber, your foot would go through the boards after a few years. There is an environmental footprint to the toxicity but I'm wondering if the environmental footprint of replacing structures / lumber or having to tent buildings / use insecticides makes using the treated lumber the most environmentally responsible option.
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ACQ from Argus for the underpinnings, and whatever you choose for the decking. You can go with borate fir, but it won't last and even the borate will leech out in the rain as white streaks. Even if you stain or paint it, it won't last. It's amazing how many people think borate pressure treated lumber will withstand exterior use. It won't. You'll get about 3 to 4 years out of it and then it will start to fall apart.
Fake wood decking has its own problems. First, it's often ugly or gets ugly soon with weather. Second, every scratch is yours forever. Still, it might be your only options. ACQ underpinnings and trex or veranda-like decking will give you something that will last 15 or 20 years easily.
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One thing I've found about Argus: they will happily go back and choose the lumber for you and bring it out on a forklift. It's fast, you're in and out, but you get what they give you. I've come out of there with 4x4's that look like you could make an archway out of them.
You can go back and get choosy, though I've never really tried it. Normally they charge a restocking fee, but I think if you return very abnormal lumber they would exchange it outright. Don't quote me on that.
