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08-25-2015, 03:54 PM
I'm going to be building a deck on the back of my house. It will be about 500 sf. I'm looking to use a hardwood, but it seems that most of the exotics are very expensive. I can source white oak fairly easily around me for about $2/bf. I know white oak will handle the elements. Any thing i should be considering before using white oak as a decking material?
There is no person so complete that he can't out-person himself tomorrow.
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08-25-2015, 06:51 PM
Just make sure you leave about 3/8" between boards, it can swell when wet, and you must allow rain to run off for any shot at longer life. Friend in Ky has 2 decks of WO, one is close to 70 years old, the other we put in about 18 years ago. One thought to pass along, WO can be splintery, so it makes a crappy bare foot deck, but if you can wear shoes it goes a nice grey, and stays there for a long time. If it starts getting real dirty, just power wash it off. Mike has never finished the new deck.
Edit to add, his new one is skip planed 13/16 x 6 and 8" stock all of it is 16' length, so it goes across the entire deck. It tends to crown up at butt joints. Note the joints below, typical can be much worse. If you can get full length stock, you will be happier. 
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya
 GW
08-26-2015, 08:16 AM
White Oak would last a long, long time, with or without finish. If you can get it quarter-sawn, it will be much more stable.
If I had 8 hours to cut down a tree, I'd do it in 15 minutes with a chainsaw and drink beer the other 7:45 hrs.
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08-26-2015, 08:43 PM
A quarter sawn white oak deck would be awesome.
Lumber Logs, domestic hardwoods at wholesale prices: http://www.woodfinder.com/listings/012869.php
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White Oak for Decking
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