Page 6 - Discover Winter 2021
P. 6
Editor’s Note
By Tim Ernandes
There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of finishing it off with a highly recommended
a job well done. deck stain.
What’s not so satisfying is to have to In another few years, there were more
go back and do it again because of inferior rotted boards, this time numbering quite a
materials. few, and it was a huge enterprise to replace
them. In a few places, the rot had eaten into
Let me take you back 17 years. Jo-Ann
the joists, which I repaired as I went along.
and I had our house built on our waterfront
Another generous coating of stain followed.
lot. It was an exciting time for us, but we had
to stay within our budget. That mean, among At this point, one might wonder: Why
other things, that although we have a walkout hadn’t I used pressure treated lumber? That
basement, we did not have the requisite deck stuff is supposed to be rot free for 30 years.
installed by our contractor. We balked at the In point of fact, I HAD. However, I thought
rather high price of $18,000 for a deck that back to the time when I had originally built
was barely large enough for a table and chairs. my deck. It was shortly after the time when
the denizens of the ivory towers of the EPA
Instead, we opted to have our back doors
had issued an edict: The original formula for
temporarily barricaded, until such time as
pressure treated lumber had to change. It
we could build our own deck. A few years
contained arsenic, and after so many years of
later, we commissioned an architect to draw
successful use, it could no longer be produced.
plans for a much larger two-level deck. I put
my considerable skills to work, and brought I remember all of this because it happened
this masterpiece to life for a little more right before I started building my deck,
than $4000. It took me 6 months worth of and I had to wait for the “new” formula to
weekends, but I got it done, down to the last be available. I was assured that it would be
detail. equal or superior to the original. Some genius
in some other place had created this new
It took less than 5 years for the first deck
formula.
boards to show extensive signs of decay. They
were very spongy in places, and many had ugly When I placed the initial order for this
cracks. I went to work, replacing the spongy heralded breakthrough in green technology,
ones, and then I power washed the entire deck, pun intended, I was advised by the clerks
4 Discover Smith Mountain Lake WINTER 2020
