First EZ Project

http://photojournal.azdustdevil.com/?p=195

Here's my first project that I completed in just over three hours. It was a piece of cake. I was a little cautious at first, but after cutting a couple of the slats, I was feeling confident and made some really good progress.

Not impressive, I know, but it's a start.

Talbert,

Nice gate. Just three hours is impressive. What wood, redwood?

Nope, it's 100% artificial decking made from recycled material! My goal is a maintenance-free home. This just takes me a step closer. Never needs paint, linseed oil, or anything else.

Oh, and by the way, I live in AZ and very few homes have gutters. Mine has none. Something else I do not have to care for or pay for. My roof is made of concrete shingles. No maintenance. We are installing artificial grass. Wanna buy a used lawnmower?

I want my time free to pursue woodworking, golf, and photography.

Talbert,

My wife's family are in Flag and Tucson, I envy your dry climate.

I hope your gate holds up better than the Trex and PVC lattice trellis I made about 15 years ago. The horizontal members began to sag so I took it down last year.



Here in Georgia gutters are necessary (although this house had none when purchased), so I have leafless gutters. No cleaning, if cleaning is ever required, the installer will come back and do it. I made my front porch and walk with Trex (the above picture was taken prior to installing the walk), and once I get around to building a replacement for my now gone wooden deck out back, it too will be composite. The ceiling of the front porch is solid PVC (unpainted), just requires power washing after the spring pollen season. Everything here requires power washing after all the pollen falls, all that beauty at the Masters doesn't come without a price.

I'm slowly replacing all my windows with higher efficiency, units which are vinyl clad on the outside. I'm using solid PVC for the exterior trim, but painting it to match the dark brown windows. Because the PVC does not breath, the paint should last much longer than if I had used wood. Again, just requires power washing to remove the pollen.

Around here, anything wooden usually has mold growing on it so all the wooden trim and a few siding accents (dormers and bays) have been replaced with vinyl/aluminum.

My lot is heavily wooded, so I have little grass to cut, mostly just the drainage ditch along the side of the street out front. I try to keep "yard" work to once a year in the spring, along with cutting the grass when absolutely necessary.

Dik Harrison wrote:

I hope your gate holds up better than the Trex and PVC lattice trellis I made about 15 years ago. The horizontal members began to sag so I took it down last year.

Regarding the durability of composite decking, it varies quite a bit between brands. I recommend that anyone that is considering using it for any purpose does their homework to find out what will be best for the application. Asking sales people will likely give you the answer that the brand they carry is the best. So try asking someone who actually works in the lumber yard or maybe find some unbiased opinions online somewhere. Believe me when I say that they aren't all the same and some are better for some things than others.

Bruce

Bruce,

I was outside the box with that application and I knew it. I was just hoping it would work out, and it did for a while.

I also boxed the 6x6 posts by milling and joining the Trex (not an advisable application), which is holding up in some places, but coming apart in others. Some day I'll have to address that too. At the time I did it the widest product available was the 6" decking. Now there are wider planks available for skirts, etc. They would have worked great if they had been available.

Dik:

How well I remember living in Tennessee and having a "pea gravel" concrete driveway. The humidity was so bad, fungus would grow all over the driveway and turn it black or green. I had to power wash it and seal it every couple of years.

Yeeecccchhhhh!

Talbert