DECKS by JRW uses only the finest building materials available. It is for this reason that we use Dunn Lumber in Bellevue as our primary supplier of materials. The Bellevue store is a member of the Dunn family of lumber stores, which includes 10 locations in the Puget Sound area. Family owned since 1907, Dunn Lumber is known throughout the industry for providing extremely high quality and "hard to find" lumber products. We may pay a little more for our materials but we feel the quality justifies the cost. Please feel free to visit Dunn Lumber (2350 140th Avenue NE in Bellevue) to view and discuss all the different types of building materials available for decks. In short, we insist on the finest products available for use on your deck. We only build 100-130 custom decks per year and guarantee that each of our customers are 100% satisfied.

Framework

The wood used in the framework of all JRW decks is called "ground contact" pressure treated wood. The framework is the skeleton of the deck (what holds everything up) and local building codes require the use of treated lumber in all frameworks. There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding pressure treated lumber and the products used to treat this lumber. Dunn Lumber supplies us with Natural Select Wolmanized treated lumber. This lumber uses a process known as CBA and does not contain any arsenic. This particular type of treated lumber is also the least corrosive to the metal connectors used in deck construction. All supporting footings are hand dug and poured with new concrete on site.

There are many different types of products available for the decking surface.

Natural Materials

Western Red tight knot cedar
The most popular decking product in the Northwest. A soft wood with natural beauty and an abundant supply. Most tight knot cedar is a harvested product with second and third growth trees reaching the market place. The most popular size for decking is 5/4 x 4. Requires a protective stain regularly. Also available in clear cedar (no knots).

Outdoor Wood
This is an appearance grade version of the pressure treated lumber used in the framework of the deck. This wood is hem-fir and is known for its durability and long life. This product requires a protective coating of water seal on a regular basis. The most popular size is 2 x 4. This product is used a lot on trellis work and overhead pergolas.

Hardwoods
These would include products such as Epee, Ironwood and Mahogany. These exotic hardwoods are popular for their toughness and durability. They do require a maintenance program to keep them looking good. If a protective stain is not used, they simply turn an attractive silver color but still need to be cleaned to prevent algae growth.

Composite Materials

Composite (man-made) products have been taking the decking industry by storm for the last seven years or so. Over 80% of our work is done with composite decking and we have found these products to be attractive, durable and cost effective. The following is a brief list of composite decking products that we have used on many decks. The installed costs of these products will vary slightly. Most composite products are composed of wood fibers and plastics and are popular for their consistent appearance and low maintenance. There are over 30 different composite and man-made decking products on the market today with more coming all the time. This is definitely the future of decks.

TREX
This is the most popular composite product available. TREX is a wood fiber-recycled plastic composite product. TREX offers a low maintenance, high durability surface which requires only cleaning, no painting or preserving.. The product is uniform in color and size. There are currently four colors available with three of those colors — Saddle, Madeira and Woodland Brown — being relatively color fast, losing perhaps 10%-20% of it's original color. The fourth color is Winchester Grey and it does come a dark grey and fades to a light grey. TREX now comes in three versions; Contours (grey, madeira and saddle), Accents which has a wood-grained finish (all four colors) and Brasilia in two colors. TREX Brasilia has a streaked finish similar to hardwood. TREX has had a lot of success in the decking market and is currently our most requested synthetic product. The most popular size is 5/4 x 6. Railing systems are also available including the new "Artisan" white rail.

TimberTech.
TimberTech is another popular composite product which uses virgin plastics instead of recycled plastics along with wood fibers. The virgin plastics allow for great consistency in the product colors and profile. TimberTech is available in a "twin finish" plank with a wood grain finish on one side and a brushed finish on the other. TimberTech is also available in a tongue and groove system known as Floorizon. Both products are available in three colors. Matching rail systems are also available. Visit their website at www.TimberTech.com.

Monarch Exotics
Monarch Exotics is also a composite product that uses virgin plastics instead of recycles/reclaimed plastics. Exotics has a nice "streaking" pattern to it that comes very close to replicating the look of hardwoods. Exotics is also heavier and denser than most composites. We have found that a lot of people really like the four colors available in Monarch Exotics. Matching rail systems are also available.

Fiberon Topics
Fiberon Tropics composite decking is one of the most attractive products on the market.The look of tropical hardwood combined with a durable wear surface make this product a very popular choice.This product is available in 5/4 x 4 or 5/4 x 6 widths.

Azek
Azek decking is on the cutting edge of synthetic products. This is not a composite but rather a PVC (all plastics) product that stands up to scratching and staining far better than most other composite deck products. Available in 5 colors, this product is lightweight and very durable.

Additional Products

Waterproofing Membranes
Decks by JRW uses a couple of different waterproofing membranes for decks that require a complete waterproof (solid) surface. These are usually decks over living areas or decks over a patio, both of which need to stay dry. Weatherdek Vinyl is a sheet material system glued down to a plywood subsurface and sealed at the seams via a heat weld. Gacoflex is a liquid applied, paint-on type product available in a variety of colors and textures.

There are many other fine products available for decking surfaces not listed above. We will be happy to provide a bid on any products you may find on the market.

DECKS by JRW offers many different railing materials and styles. Most of our wood railings are built with Western Red Clear cedar. Some other railing materials would include composites, aluminum, glass, pipe, cable and wrought iron. We are also finding that combining different materials (i.e., aluminum and wood, composites and wood, composites and aluminum, etc.) makes for a very attractive and low maintenance railing system.