6x2 treated timbers instead of timber decking - any downsides?

[tygar2]

Hi everyone. After some advice.

I rebuilt my deck frame using c24 6x2 pressure treated timbers and after months of searching and waiting, my delivery of 5.4m Canterbury style decking arrived today. Hard to find during lockdown as the local timber yards were either sold out, did grooves both sides only, or were not doing longer than 4.8m lengths.

Anyway, I want smooth side up as I find grooves uncomfortable. I believe grooves were designed to be on the underside anyway! The delivery driver noted the missus checking for the smooth side and said we should have used 6x2s! That got me thinking - is there a downside to this? Is decking board not just a 6x2 cut in half and grooved?

At 2 inches, the timber will be much thicker than a deck board so should last longer and give room to be sanded down if needed. The price difference is £1 which makes the decking look like a rip off!

Seems like a no brainer to me unless I am missing something very obvious or there are other differences I am missing. I think I will waterproof the areas where the frame and underside of the top timber meet to make up for the lack of grooves for water to escape. I assume the slip hazard is no worse and the plan was to add an anti slip coating after oiling.

Thoughts?

 

[tygar2]

I built my deck out of 6x2's for the frame and 35mm boards for the deck. The wood did warp quite a bit in the days between it being delivered and me getting round to fitting it together. The decking boards are relatively easy to force back into straight - however 6x2's would be very difficult to get straight again. The warping of the 6x2s was mostly a twisting.

The grooves help for when it's wet - otherwise it'll be very slippery.

Thanks, I'm definitely going smooth this time - read somewhere that the grooves offer minimal traction anyway! Thanks for the tip on warping, will install as soon as delivered. Apart from the warping, did they look as good as decking after installation? Anyway warping or issues some time after installation?

 

[tygar2]

The 6x2s had markings stamped on them - might be a bit unsightly as decking boards.

Most people who want smooth use scaffold boards. Should work out cheaper than 6x2s.

Good points about the stamping - just had a look at my frame and there is quite a bit of "C24" printing on it. Will check out scaffold board prices. My 5.4m decking was £12/board and was offered 5.4m 6x2 for £13. Hope scaffold board come in that length as that allows me to have single pieces with no joints!

 

[tygar2]

Looked up scaffold boards and nearly the same price but much rougher looking so back to 6x2s vs decking - any other thoughts/opinions/experiences?