James Hardie Deck

Hi All,

Well my house is finally built and it's time for me to do the deck! I have put a deposit on James Hardiedeck as we love the look and how it would tie into our Hamptons style home.

My mates a carpenter and is going to build it but he has never worked with it before and has some concerns. The rep also called me and said one of the main things is making sure it has adequate ventilation.

So I have a few concerns:

I'm in a townhouse and my deck is going all the way out to the back fence and to the side fence. So reality is it will only get ventilation from one open side, even then I wanted to build closed in stairs.

The second concern is from my carpenter and his is got to do with the water. He said even though you build it with a fall what happens between the grooves. Yes they should be flush but even if 2mm and the water would pool up. The deck is half under cover and half now.

The other concern with water is we will direct it to the back but drainage there isn't the greatest.

So my question is who here has worked with it and if so what would you say about those concerns? And any other feedback?

I am having second thoughts now and thinking of doing a traditional deck but having a half open half closed area I worry about maintenance and discoloration.
TBH as well I don't love the look of standard decking and also don't like fake wood decks.

So I'm keen on the Hardie but not at the expense of pooled water and potentially damage due to no ventilation.

 

Hi there,
Just wondering if you went ahead with the HardieDeck and if so how did you overcome the concerns above? I'd love to know as I am in that exact situation too and we are doing a coastal Hamptons style. Ours is a block back from the sea on the South Coast so it does get a little salt spray blowing in when the wind comes from that direction and will settle on the deck of an evening despite it being covered. So would love to know how the HardieDeck stacks up or whether EKOdeck is a better option due to the problems you mentioned?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

 

How does hardiedeck around pool go after a few years. Have read some bad reviews, but wonder if the correct paving paint and sealer was used. Would it make a difference if the pool is chlorine or perhaps salt (which we have)? Also is deck super hot under foot?

 

i don't like the idea of cutting the hardie deck cement sheet essentially and needs to be painted constantly

 

I'm seeing a lot of the Trex system being used in decking and outdoor/street furniture.

I saw a demo at a trade show a few months back and was impressed. I had recommended it to a relo a while back and they'd used the system - looks good after a couple of years and requires minimal maintenance.

Composite Decking Boards, Railing, & Lighting | Trex

 

The Trex boards are very expensive for what they are - try $150/length+

I've found the Ekodeck composite decking boards at Bunnings at $90/length to be the best value board on the market

 

I didn't comment on price but I don't go to the big green box for trade materials either.

 

Fair enough - i think the OP Albanga will likely appreciate this however as most people like the convenience of the big red hammer, generally speaking