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Underwater Decks

Chicago Bite editor Allison recently found a furniture company that uses "rediscovered," submerged wood (look for that Chicago tip in the next couple months). This "new" source of lumber uses dead, old-growth trees from beneath lakes and reservoirs. The trees are already technically dead, so harvesting them could save a few live trees from cutting, and since they've been underwater for so long, the wood's extremely well-preserved and would make for a great deck - except it's extremely pricey, at about three times the cost of wood from virgin, above-ground trees. Still, whoever came up with the idea gets points for thinking outside of the live-forest box.

-Toshio...off to hold my breath for the costs to come down...

Posted by: tmeronek on 05/27/2008
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timi van houten  on May 27, 2008 at 10:34 AM 1
Eco-Decking: Disappointed with this tip. Decking is not environmentally friendly. Far better to keep grass to do its part of taking in CO2 and soil to absorb rain and prevent flooding. Also the fauna and flora that live in the grass and soil need a habitat. Decking is a fad that should be stamped out. It is also a waste of energy and resources to use and transport the wood for this purpose. Please discourage decking.
Anna  on May 27, 2008 at 12:10 PM 2
I love durostain by AMF but it is not for everyone. It is a water based stain and dries very fast upon application. You can easily get overlap marks. In addition, I used one of AMF's product to condition the wood since water raises the grain. I would speak to whomever is selling it to you before you use it. In addition, I would practice with some boards before applying. I actually used a product called Weatherbos on my deck. (It is a very eco-friendly product.) You can tint it if you want a certain color. It actually is absorbed into the wood to protect the wood. It lasts about 2 years and then needs to be redone. Check out the product. It has been around a long time. Anna www.green-talk.com

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