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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters stain their 200-square-foot deck with eco-stain, we’ll avoid the production of enough noneco-friendly chems to fill 100 bathtubs.
COCKTAIL FACT
Try it on a pillow: The Guinness World Record for the most punches in one minute is held by Robert Ardito, who packed 702 wallops into the time it took for you to read our Wanna Try? section.
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home › tip library › Decks
Wanna make your summer BBQs even more of a hit?
The Bite
Build a green deck (and spike the punch). Sustainable decking, with eco-wood, staining, and sealants, are now available at prices that won't knock the wind outta you.The Benefits
- Knocking on eco-wood. Choose wood that isn't harvested faster than it's regrown (look for the FSC seal).
- Chems that don't slam the earth. Low-emitting (aka low-VOC) finishes and sealants offer durability and aesthetic appeal without leaving you woozy or polluting the air.
- Smashing good looks. From good lookin' stains to teak wood, they're all available in greener versions nowadays.
Personally Speaking
Jen’s deck out back came with her place, but considering that the menagerie in her yard often eats off of it, there’s no way she’s using anything but eco stains when she refinishes it this summer.Wanna Try?
- AFM DuroStain - eight eco-friendlier, water-based acrylic (instead of the usual oil-based) stain options. Also: WaterShield sealer ($33-$39/gallon).
- East Teak - if you gotta go teak, go with a sustainable option such as this one ($226/16-foot board).
- Trex - reclaimed-wood and recycled-plastic decking and railing that’s more durable and easier to clean than regular wood decking ($33/16-foot board).
- International Eco Woods - interlocking deck tiles ($10 and up/square foot).
- Home Depot - check out its eco-minded wood purchasing policy.
- DIY Bite: If you’re just refinishing an old deck, use an electric sander (instead of paint remover) as a greener option.
May 27,2008
Sponsor
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...
Biter Comments...
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: timi van houten | May 27, 2008 at 10:34 AM