Balau decking problems after 6 months
Discussion
Hey all,
We had a yellow balau deck installed back in December, it hasnt been treated as they said to leave it for 6 months to grey out but since the spring started and warmer weather have noticed that screws are snapping and boards warping. I think half of the screws have snapped and replaced by the installers and even a few of those have snapped since.
Theres also some weeping/damp from the ends of some boards and also splinters are appearing on a couple of boards.
Any ideas? I checked with the supplier and they reakon it could be dampness under the boards, but theyre raised up 150mm at least . They also said hardwood screws should have been used by the installers.
Any suggestions , thanks.
We had a yellow balau deck installed back in December, it hasnt been treated as they said to leave it for 6 months to grey out but since the spring started and warmer weather have noticed that screws are snapping and boards warping. I think half of the screws have snapped and replaced by the installers and even a few of those have snapped since.
Theres also some weeping/damp from the ends of some boards and also splinters are appearing on a couple of boards.
Any ideas? I checked with the supplier and they reakon it could be dampness under the boards, but theyre raised up 150mm at least . They also said hardwood screws should have been used by the installers.
Any suggestions , thanks.
Yeah i`m thinking cheap screws have been used, I asked the local supplier as i had an invoice from delivery and it says yellow balau , cant be sure of its origin.
They have gone back to their supplier to check who have come back saying hardwood screws should be used. I also wonder if they werent pre-drilled originally?
They also said to check that the wood underneath isnt wet causing the warping, so thats something i`ll check. There is a weed prevention fibre sheeting underneath, maybe that is staying wet causing the distortion.
Question is , can it be fixed?
They have gone back to their supplier to check who have come back saying hardwood screws should be used. I also wonder if they werent pre-drilled originally?
They also said to check that the wood underneath isnt wet causing the warping, so thats something i`ll check. There is a weed prevention fibre sheeting underneath, maybe that is staying wet causing the distortion.
Question is , can it be fixed?
I know this isn't particularly helpful to the OP but that looks like a properly sh*t bit of work.
Go to all the expense of using nice timber and then riddle it with screw holes. A hidden fastener system would have looked way nicer.
That said is seems like the quality of the wood is questionable anyway. Decks just really don't work in our climate, composite is about the only thing I'd consider but it's prohibitively expensive.
Go to all the expense of using nice timber and then riddle it with screw holes. A hidden fastener system would have looked way nicer.
That said is seems like the quality of the wood is questionable anyway. Decks just really don't work in our climate, composite is about the only thing I'd consider but it's prohibitively expensive.
I did a yellow balau deck 4 years ago. Used stainless steal screws. The boards were reeded on one side smooth on the other. I put them down reed side down. Other than 1 scrub with some decking cleaner each spring I do nothing to ours and its perfect. No movement at all.
Yours looks to have too many small pieces, the joins should be minimal but that won't affect the warping!
Is it smooth both sides i.e. no reeded side? If smooth both sides that could cause a problem?
Yours looks to have too many small pieces, the joins should be minimal but that won't affect the warping!
Is it smooth both sides i.e. no reeded side? If smooth both sides that could cause a problem?
The wood is not fit for purpose, so who ever said it was the right wood for the job got it wrong.
Would definitely chase the wood supplier for a copy of what they were supplied from their supplier and have it tested.
If it turns out to not be balau, then you have a claim for mis-supply.
Would definitely chase the wood supplier for a copy of what they were supplied from their supplier and have it tested.
If it turns out to not be balau, then you have a claim for mis-supply.
Boarder1 said:
The wood is not fit for purpose, so who ever said it was the right wood for the job got it wrong.
Would definitely chase the wood supplier for a copy of what they were supplied from their supplier and have it tested.
If it turns out to not be balau, then you have a claim for mis-supply.
With all due respect, the wood is fit for purpose. I did loads of research on yellow Balau before I did our decking and I can tell you that when installed correctly it will last for years. Would definitely chase the wood supplier for a copy of what they were supplied from their supplier and have it tested.
If it turns out to not be balau, then you have a claim for mis-supply.
I don’t think there is any chance the op will send a piece to your mate in Germany for analysis
Ok thanks all, bit of head scratching trying to work out the info.
Boards are grooved underneath. Screwed down to treated timber 147*50mm I think ,then a weed protection cloth which the balau is layed on top of.
Seems conflict of information whether the screws are at fault or the wood. Does balau naturally bend, as I've read in two places that it doesn't naturally but another site said whilst storing if it bends then turn it over.
Cheers
Boards are grooved underneath. Screwed down to treated timber 147*50mm I think ,then a weed protection cloth which the balau is layed on top of.
Seems conflict of information whether the screws are at fault or the wood. Does balau naturally bend, as I've read in two places that it doesn't naturally but another site said whilst storing if it bends then turn it over.
Cheers
It's called cupping. The underside is wet so expands, the top is dry so shrinks (or doesn't expand as much as it's not sat on water) and you have an imbalance hence the shape. The grooves are supposed to counteract that.
Multiple issues there:
What should have happened (apart from not putting wood outside) is that the underside of the boards and the battens be coated liberally and several times before it was laid, that would have helped. I think also as it's so close to the ground the air can't get round it to dry it either so it's just wet underneath all the time. Sorry, but it's just a crap job all round really.
Multiple issues there:
What should have happened (apart from not putting wood outside) is that the underside of the boards and the battens be coated liberally and several times before it was laid, that would have helped. I think also as it's so close to the ground the air can't get round it to dry it either so it's just wet underneath all the time. Sorry, but it's just a crap job all round really.
Boarder1 said:
Who and where was the timber sourced from? Can you 100% guarantee that it is Balau?
As Balau is considered "non-durable", so wouldn't be my 1st choice for decking.
If you need to send some away for species analysis, I have a very good contact in Germany and the price is about €140.
I used yellow Balau on my old house decking, fitted it myself but used these plastic fasteners to attach to the joists. You had to make a biscuit type hole in each plank and then screwed the plastic down, no visible screws. The picture shows it once it had been down for about 3 years, we loved it and it never got slippy or warped at all.As Balau is considered "non-durable", so wouldn't be my 1st choice for decking.
If you need to send some away for species analysis, I have a very good contact in Germany and the price is about €140.
Ok thanks. Interestingly that some of our boards that are about a metre long are all fine. It's the longer 2-3m boards that are fixed about 5 times along the length that have the issues.
The supplier has asked me to lift a board and check for dampness so I'll do that tomorrow. The contractor who installed it is coming over at the weekend to have another look.
The supplier has asked me to lift a board and check for dampness so I'll do that tomorrow. The contractor who installed it is coming over at the weekend to have another look.
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