Picked cheap lumber over premium for a deck job and regret it 6 months later

Honestly, I had to choose between pressure treated #2 pine and a more expensive cedar for a client's deck in Austin back in March. I went with the pine to save the client $800 upfront, figuring it'd hold up fine. Now it's already warping and splitting in the heat, and I'm going back to replace boards for free. Should've just pushed for the cedar from the start. Anyone else deal with material quality biting them later?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaigibson19d ago

Is it possible the pine you used just wasn't dried properly? I mean, I've seen people grab lumber that's still pretty green straight from the big box store and that stuff almost always warps. Around here we have to let pressure treated sit for a couple weeks or pick through the pile real careful. Not saying cedar wouldn't hold up better in the long run, but cheap pine can work fine if it's dry and you install it right with good fasteners. Maybe it's just me but I've had plenty of pine decks last 10 years without splitting.

west.casey19d ago

Feel you on this one, man. That gut punch when you realize you saved a few bucks upfront but now you're eating the cost in labor and materials really stings. I've been there with a fence job where I used the cheaper treated pine and six months later it looked like a warped mess. The heat and humidity around here just does a number on anything that's not really dry or naturally rot resistant. It's one of those lessons you only learn the hard way, and it always ends up costing more in the long run. What's the client's attitude like now, are they understanding or giving you grief about it?

margaretramirez18d ago

Switching to a proper moisture meter made a huge difference for me. Grabbing lumber under 20% moisture content and letting it acclimate on site for a week before cutting saved me from ever making that mistake again.