Charred timber as decking?

[paro]

Hi All - I was wondering if anyone has used or had expereince of using charred timber for decking. I've used it to clad my extension and am very happy with it. I've never liked the standard fluted look and out of principle am not going to pay millboard prices. I am not worried about slippage as I think that is a universal issue regardless and comes down to good maintenance. 

 

Cheers, Paul

[DownSouth]

We used charred wood cladding and can’t use abrasive cleaners without exposing the wood underneath, which then removes the weather protective properties. The very heavy charred wood is soft and flakes really easily.
 

I’ve seen very light charred wood decks on websites which look ok for low traffic areas that get sunshine - so they don’t get mossy. If you’ve got some left try a light power wash to see what happens.

 

It does have a residue even once brushed - so how do you stop mucky footprints? I think it might be one of those things that looks great but ends up being hard work to maintain it. Be interested to know how you get on…

[paro]

Thanks. These were the concerns I had.

 

The cladding I bought was pre-charred but with a square edge (didn't realise when buying, doh!) so to get the look I wanted I had to route off a chamfered overlap and char the edges. Whilst I prefer the look of my charring on the edges (crocodile look) I have no doubt that it wouldn't stand up to much poking and prodding, even with a sealer. 

The IRO stuff I bought does seem to be more hardy and the finish seems to have been scrubbed before they coated it.  I'll give the jet spray a good go over the weekend and report back

 

Edited Friday at 12:39 by paro

[paro]

So looks like the jet spray test was a good shout. The coating won't be tough enough to withstand foot traffic. I quite like the raised grain effect it leaves behind, but the finish is too inconsistent to be useable. It's a shame as this is really nice timber. 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by paro