Decks, Deck Plans, Deck Building Materials, Patio Designs, Docks & Outdoor Projects

Wood Deck Construction and Maintenance - a list of selected publications from the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison Wisconsin. They are available in Portable Document Format (PDF) for use with the free (Adobe Acrobat Reader). Topics include Details For a Lasting Deck, Controlling Moisture in Deck Lumber, The Bark Side Up or Pith Side Up Debate, Finishes for Wood Decks, Cleaners and Restorers for Wood Decks and more.

CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenicals - information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs about CCA and its use as a wood preservative.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wood Preservation - information from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory about various types of wood preservatives, including: Acid Copper Chromate (ACC); Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ); Ammoniacal Copper Citrate (CC); Copper Azole (CBA-A and CA-B); Copper Dimethyldithiocarbamate (CDDC); Borate Preservatives.

What are the alternative types of treated wood for residential use? - information from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory about various types of wood preservatives, including: Acid Copper Chromate (ACC); Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ); Ammoniacal Copper Citrate (CC); Copper Azole (CBA-A and CA-B); Copper Dimethyldithiocarbamate (CDDC); Borate Preservatives.

Changes in Pressure-Treated Wood for Residential Construction (PDF) - a publication from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory addressing the availability of CCA-treated wood and alternative types of treatment.

American Wood Preservers Institute - the AWPI represents the pressure-treated wood industry throughout the United States, this site has information about water-borne preservatives, oil-borne preservatives, CCA (chromated copper arsenate), creosote, fire retardants and related codes and standards.

Canadian Institute of Treated Wood - the CITW "serves as a forum for those involved with the wood preservation industry, from research to production, marketing and protection of the environment." The "Using and Specifying" section contains articles about CCA treated wood and the environmental concerns associated with the arsenic it contains.

Pole, Piling and Timber Council - division of the AWPI with an objective to "promote the use of pressure-treated timber products in the marine, foundation, and utility markets." The site includes a history of treated wood pilings and "Construction Guidelines for Timber Piling" in PDF format.

Armor-Rail - Structural fiberglass deck rails, stair rails, and railing systems, shipped in pre-assembled sections, which will span up to 12 feet between posts.

Bigfoot Systems - funnel shaped polyethylene plastic footing forms, which can be used with concrete construction tubes to form footings for all types of decks. A great idea.

California Redwood Association - trade group that promotes the use of redwood lumber for all types of projects. Find a source for redwood lumber, learn about the various grades of redwood lumber and download free deck plans and blueprints for building a bench, picnic table, shade trellis, gazebo or deck.

Chemical Specialties, Inc. - suppliers of wood treatment technology and preservative formulations used in pressure treated wood products, including Preserve, Preserve Plus, SupaTimber, UltraWood, DesignWood, Olympic and D-Blaze.

ChoiceDek - this decking material is "manufactured from a blend of low and high density polyethylene plastic, compounded with steam-treated and pre-cleaned cedar fibers which are continuously extruded under a unique patented process."

DECKMASTER^® - is a "hidden deck fastening system", which is available in galvanized steel and stainless steel. The 22.5 inch brackets are installed under the deck so nails or screws are not visible on the surface of the decking material.

Check current prices by using the following link:

• Deckmaster Hidden Deck-Fastening System
• EB-TY^TM - polypropylene hidden deck fasteners that are inserted into saw kerfs in the edge of deck materials and screwed into place on top of the joists with stainless steel screws.

Check current prices by using the following link:

• Eb-Ty Hidden Deck Fastening System

Better Homes and Gardens Landscaping and Deck Designer Software

Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 7 More home design software...

Ultimate Deck and Landscape 90 Day Money Back Guarantee

• Lowe's^® Home Centers, Inc. - look for hundreds of home improvement tips, do-it-yourself projects, and home repair information on this Web site. They offer instructions for building or repairing decks, installing brick paver patios and many other DIY projects.
• Installing A Brick Walkway - "Step-By-Step" instructions for creating a brick paver walk, from Popular Mechanics magazine.

Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

Ortho's Patio Plans 14 step-by-step patio plans.

Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping

W. H. Maze - When a lumber company in Peru, Illinois needed an alternative to the bright steel cut nails that were causing their cedar shingle roofs to fail, they bought a used nail machine and started making longer lasting nails from pure zinc strips. Today, the Maze Group, which consists of Maze Nails, Tremont Nail and Independent Nail, offers double hot-dipped zinc-coated nails for all types of exterior applications, stainless steel nails and screws, collated nails for pnuematic tools, masonry nails, flooring nails, post framing nails, log home spikes, pressure treated lumber nails, and other specialty nails. Maze Nails

Nexwood - an extruded decking product that is manufactured from a mixture of reclaimed plastics and cellulose fibers, in the form of sawdust and/or rice hulls.

SHADOE^®TRACK - an under-deck fastening system that is available in galvanized steel, stainless steel, and powder coated tan finishes. It is sold in 4 foot and 8 foot lengths, which are installed under the decking so nails or screws are not visible from above.

Sears Craftsman Tools - besides their well known hand, power, lawn & garden tools guaranteed for life, this site has projects to make with your kids, as well as, deck plans, furniture plans, a garden gazebo, a sun trellis and more.

Swan Secure - this Baltimore company manufactures corrosion resistant nails, screws, staples and other specialty fasteners in stainless steel, as well as, copper alloy. They produce fasteners that are designed for use with cedar, redwood, mahogony, cypress, Ironwood, Pau Lope, pressure treated lumber, plastic and composite decking.

TimberTech Limited - manufacturers of an extruded composition decking material manufactured from recycled wood and polymers, which passes the ADA slip resistant walking surface standards.

TREX - produced from approximately equal parts waste wood fiber and reclaimed plastic grocery bags and stretch film, this composition decking material is a dark brown color, which weathers to a driftwood gray when exposed to the sun's rays.

Vixen Hill - manufacturers of gazebos, garden houses, pavilions, porch systems and shutters. Their high quality modular garden structures are prefabricated from Western Red Cedar and they can be assembled by most "handy" homeowners. They also sell an interesting modular porch system, which includes posts and removable screen, glass, louvered or paneled wall sections.

Weber-Stephen Products Co. - manufacturers of Weber charcoal and gas grills. You might wonder how this site rates a spot on this page. Well, since a good grill is a required fixture on any respectable deck or patio, you should be sure to check grill dimensions before you build your deck. Besides describing their products in great detail, their Web site offers some excellent outdoor grilling recipes. BTW, our favorite Weber grill models are:

Check prices on the following grills:

• Weber Genesis Silver B
• Weber Genesis Silver C
• Weber Genesis Gold B
• Weber Genesis Gold C

And some excellent books:

• Weber's Big Book of Grilling
• How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - a Vancouver based non-profit trade association representing producers of Western Red Cedar lumber products in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Their site contains information about cedar products, deck design and construction, railing designs, staining and finishing cedar, fasteners and more.

Wolman^® Wood Care Products - Dr. Karl Wolman invented a process for pressure treating lumber, which eventually became known as "WolmanizedŽ" lumber. In 1986, the company created a new business unit was formed, which developed various wood care products. Today, Wolman no longer manufactures chemicals for pressure treating lumber. The company has merged with Wm. Zinsser & Co. Inc., a subsidiary of RPM International Inc., which manufactures many types of specialty coatings.

Woodburst^® - manufacturers of transparent wood stains, deck stains, outdoor furniture stains, non-toxic (when dry) brightly colored "rainbow" wood stains for childrens play structures, and other tung oil based wood finishes.