Deck contractor in Vancouver
A deck is described by architects as being a kind of flat surface which resembles to a floor, meant to support certain weight. What is typical for this construction is that it is placed outdoors and in many cases is elevated from the ground. In most situations, the deck is connected to a house or other building. The term per se is derived from the similar construction used by ships. Deck builders still use traditional materials like wood or timber, but also modern ones, such as treated or composite lumber, mahogany, teak, composite material or aluminum. Recycled planks made from polystyrene, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) or mixtures of plastic and wood, known as “composite lumber”, are also used, but any traditionalist deck builder will tell that nothing compares to wood in this kind of construction. Old growth forests have been the initial source for deck building materials, from where builders were using softwoods. Among them, redwood, Atlantic white cedar and Western red cedar were preferred to such an extent that, after a time, clearing of the cedar swamps on the Atlantic coast determined a real decline in deck building. As a consequence, deck builders had to turn their attention to new areas to take materials from. Western red cedar brought from British Columbia in western Canada was a more expensive material and therefore they tried to replace cedar with other species, such as pine. Unfortunately, pine was not as resistant to water and ice as cedar and it required additional chemical treatment. Even so, pine still cannot successfully replace cedar in outdoor locations. Pressure treated wood, or hardwood, became the new material largely used for deck building. It lasts for a long time and is resistant to agents like water or ice. But the worse was still to come. Chemicals used for the treatment of wood generally brought from tropical forests were proved as being toxic for humans. For example, slivers accidentally received from such chemically treated wood in most cases became infected. Saw dust also present in treated wood contained a series of toxins like strychnine, which is known as a rat poison. It is obvious that such toxins, when inhaled, are not supposed to make any good to humans or animals. On the other hand, teak, mahogany were often brought illegally, according to reports. Lately, deck contractor vancouver also use composite decking, which is a mixture of wood pulp and recycled plastic, which is agreed due to environmental concerns.