Decking Material

Our house here has a concrete porch and we want to put a wood deck on it. All of the "experts" say we need adequate air flow under any wood deck to avoid wraping. Because of the front door sill we do not have a more than 1 1/2 inch of space on top of the concret. We do not want to use pressure treated wood. We have found a product sold under the name of Swiftdeck which is IPE wood mounted on a polypropylene base which is supposed to allow for adequate air flow. Has anybody used this product? Any advice? Any other ideas?

Remove the concrete patio.

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We decided not to use faux wood...tried it on other applications and not pleased.

Our house here has a concrete porch and we want to put a wood deck on it. All of the "experts" say we need adequate air flow under any wood deck to avoid wraping. Because of the front door sill we do not have a more than 1 1/2 inch of space on top of the concret. We do not want to use pressure treated wood. We have found a product sold under the name of Swiftdeck which is IPE wood mounted on a polypropylene base which is supposed to allow for adequate air flow. Has anybody used this product? Any advice? Any other ideas?

I don't believe air flow is the issue, I believe it is water flow. Hang on, I will confer with the experts and get back with you.

According to my expert (and I trust him ):

If you have someone who is telling you that IPE can go directly over poly, go for it, but get the guarantee in writing. Even though this stuff is like pressed diamonds (that'll get BB's attention) it is generally installed over sleepers (members running in opposite direction of porch decking).

I don't believe air flow is the issue, I believe it is water flow. Hang on, I will confer with the experts and get back with you.

The issue is water/the wood not drying out. If the area doesn't drain properly you will just be spending $ to install a slimy rotten wood sponge outside your door. Wood warps when it is installed with too high of a moisture content or gets wet and absorbs additional moisture because of a leak or improper sealing. A wood deck does need air to help it to dry out after rain etc. but the big issue is drainage.

With only 1 1/2" to work with, ripping out the concrete and replacing it with pavers would be your best bet. Wood is my preferred finish too, but your limitations (at least as I understand them) make it a bad finish choice.

Is the concrete porch close to the ground or are there steps from it to the yard?

Could always paint the concrete or lay some tiles.

According to my expert (and I trust him ):

If you have someone who is telling you that IPE can go directly over poly, go for it, but get the guarantee in writing. Even though this stuff is like pressed diamonds (that'll get BB's attention) it is generally installed over sleepers (members running in opposite direction of porch decking).

it actually DID get my attention. I was skimming through 'cause I know nothing about decking material ....and of all the words "diamonds" caught my eye. ;-)

it actually DID get my attention. I was skimming through 'cause I know nothing about decking material ....and of all the word "diamonds" caught my eye. ;-)

I'll have to start hiding some here and there . This could be fun!