Mahogany's Beauty and Permanence Does it Ideal for Deck Con

A couple of years ago I had the chance to tour some freshly constructed Adirondack homes. One of the areas that particularly stood out for me spell road these homes were the decks. All used Mahogany lumber for some the decking and the railing systems. The red color and the general beauty of the Mahogany wood was unique to thing I had ever seen before in decking material.

After inessential my house tours I went out and researched Mahogany further. First, there are some species and colors of Mahogany, supplied by various countries about the world. Not all are the same, however. It is the species better-known as American Mahogany that has the rich red color that I had observed. American Mahogany comes from the West Indies, Mexico, and Central and South America. It is generally viewed as a harder wood that is extremely durable and resistance to wet and insects. Also, because it is a hard wood it has a tendancy to not split, twist or check. So be sure to ask just about the species, prior to purchasing Mahogany. Note however, Mahogany is a little much dear than pressure treated decking and railing systems, however it is well worth it in terms of quality, looks and durabilty.

Since discovering and researching Mahogany, I have built two deck systems victimisation this material. As I had indicated earlier, it is a hard material that as a result, requires a little much effort in its installation.

Fastening the Material

First, use unsullied steel nails or screws on some the decking and railing systems, as else types wish not penetrate this material really well. My preference was the unsullied steel nails, however pre-drilling holes is mandatory if not victimisation a nail gun. Even as with unsullied steel nails, they wish bend trying to just nail them into the wood. I found that with the unsullied steel hex head screws that they chewed the wood going in and left somewhat of a ragged stop on the surface of the wood.

Second, once commencement the decking material, I found it esthetically most attractive to create a frame on the outside perimeter of the deck surface victimisation long Mahogany boards. Once the outer frame is installed, the main Mahogany decking boards can be just installed inside this outer framework. The result is a cleaner line once viewed from a distance or standing on the deck itself.

Regarding the Railing system, screws and bolts should be used only as the material use in this part of the deck is typically thicker and requires much rigidity.

Painting, Staining or Sealing

Mahogany takes paint and stain well, however I have preferred to apply a clean sealer. The clean sealer enables the natural red color of the Mahogany to shine through, spell still providing a layer of protection from the environement. Typically I re-apply the clean sealer every year to continue to preserve the color. If you do not, the Mahogany wish bleach out.

Just just about THE AUTHOR

Me_Donovan@comcast.net
www.homeadditionplus.com
Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and house additions. Mr. Donovan's formal education & profession have been as an Electrical Engineer & Marketing Manager.