How long do I need to air dry white oak before I use it for the deck of a pool? I can buy #2 common white oak rather inexpensively and have it milled and still be cheaper per board foot than PT lumber or cedar. If I cut it in March and build the deck in July, would that be sufficient? Can you think of any problems with using white oak for a pool deck?
Thanks,
Mike
Replies
Oak for pool deck.
I may be mistaken on this but it is my belief that oak does not
do well when exposed to moisture as it would be on a pool
deck.
Perhaps if it were finished with a spar varnish it would hold
up.
I personally would not use anything but PT on a pool deck
because it will last longer than untreated. You may just
have to redo it in a couple of years if you use anything less.
Some thoughts
I read in a boat building book that white oak is not a good material because it's open cell design allows moisture that enters the endgrain to essentially seep through the entire length of the grain structure. Red oak is better as it's closed cell structure only allows the outside edges to be effected. Having said that, without some kind of treatment either species will deteriorate somewhat quickly outside. If you have the money to drop on oak, why not consider some of the hardier outdoor woods like cedar? I think Ipe does well, too, and it's much heavier and denser than cedar. Your lumber yard, or some other forum members, may know of some other species that do well.
Backwards
White oak is closed cell. A good reason old ships were made out of it.
I've been questioning that ever since I posted it, and looking back through that book to try and find the reference. Thanks for the correction!
Search the Internet for weather resistant woods. My understanding is that heart white oak is pretty darn good, on par with cedar. Of course, a pool deck will be an extreme environment as it will continually get wet, much more often than rains.
#2 isn't the best grade of lumber - it may have more knots and splits, which might be hard on bare feet.
A general rule of thumb is to air dry one year for each inch of thickness. July would only allow half a drying "year".
I would interview other pool owners before choosing a wood and grade.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled