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Professional Gainesville, GA on Jun 05, 2012

Has anyone worked with aluminum on a deck? Check out these great pics of a beautiful aluminum deck project!

"To reduce the up-keep, we decided to go with an aluminum decking. Turned out to not be any more expensive than the newer composites. With all the trees we have, keeping the debris cleaned from the openings between deck boards is a real pain. There are no openings with this material, so much less up-keep. It creates a water proof cover of the area below, but we are not using it for that property. We also have a problem with squirrels gnawing on the composite I used to build the front porch and walk, shouldn't have that issue with this."

Southern Industries/Archadeck of Augusta is the contractor and the product is AridDek from Wahoo Decks. We are also using aluminum railing from Wahoo Rail.

7 Comments

Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

I like the look. Does it sounds metallic? I wonder how it would hold up in a a beach area where the are salt issues. That is a big concern in coastal Florida.

on Jun 06, 2012 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

I also wonder how hot it would get in the sun...granted it is a light color but I have felt silver color metal get smoking hot in the sun....I love the cool under foot nature of my Ipe wood deck.

on Jun 06, 2012 · Like 0
Wahoo Decks Gainesville, GA

Doug, you are correct about the concern of salt spray in coastal areas. We and our sister company, Wahoo Docks, have been using aluminum powder coated decking boards for about twenty years. The powder coating we use is extremely durable in volatile environments. The powder coating goes through multiple levels of testing by the manufacture before it ever gets applied to our AridDek. I would be happy to ship you some sample materials for your review. We can also provide engineering specs and ...»
third party reports for approval by your local code enforcement officials.
The AridDek is rigid and thick enough that it does not create that "tin roof sound" when it is raining. The rigidity of the structure below will also help to absorb any vibrations.
BTW, we vacation in Ponce Inlet every year and we enjoy the New Smyrna Beach area as well. Good job on the landscaping down there!

on Jun 06, 2012 · Like 0
Wahoo Decks Gainesville, GA

KMS, thanks for bringing this issue up!
Aluminum decking will stay cooler to the touch than most other common decking products ie.: p/t 5/4, pvc, composite, concrete, etc. Aluminum dissipates heat faster naturally. Combined with the light color shades we use, AridDek may make your feet happier than Ipe!
(Think about baking that roast in your oven at 400 degrees for a few hours and taking it out ...»
to prepare, what is the only part that you can touch immediately and not get burned? The "Aluminum" foil!)

on Jun 06, 2012 · Like 0
Lisa B Raleigh, NC

Does it get hot?? I would worry about my bare feet burning...

on Jun 07, 2012 · Like 0
KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO

send me a 1 foot long section of off cut or scrap....and I can run a scientific test side by side with my Ipe...I have an surface temperature "gun" that can measure variations down to a tenth of a degree.
The reason the aluminum foil is not hot is because it is only 0.016 millimeters thick and it "thermal mass" is basically nothing. ...»

cook in a thick aluminum pot and perform that same test and your finger will be singing a different tune.

on Jun 07, 2012 · Like 0
Wahoo Decks Gainesville, GA

I would be happy to, just email me your contact and shipping information and I will have it UPS'ed to you. Good point on the aluminum foil and the "thermal mass". The overall point that aluminum does not hold on to heat like other common building materials is still accurate. I look forward to your test results and I appreciate the common interest in vetting new concepts.
ben@wahoodecks.com

on Jun 07, 2012 · Like 0