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Why Use Joist Tape?

Since the invention of alternative decking and the desire for higher end decks, joist tape has become more common as a simple method of “protecting your investment”.

Joist tape is used on decks is to protect the top of each joist on both new-growth wood framing, and existing framing where only the decking is being replaced.

Old-Growth vs. New-Growth Wood

“Old-growth wood” is lumber that has been harvested from an area where trees grew more closely together in unforested areas. Because the trees got less sunlight, they grew more slowly, and each year’s growth rings were tighter and denser. New-growth wood has been harvested from areas where tree cutting was spread out more, and left more sunlight for each tree, resulting in faster growth and a less dense grain structure.

On decks where old-growth wood was used, the framing generally lasted longer because less water has been absorbed, causing less rot and breakdown. New wood that is lighter would allow for more water absorption is more likely to break down sooner.

Why Use Joist Tape On Old-Growth Wood?

On any deck project that’s being re-decked, it’s likely that there will be screw and nail holes on the tops of the joists from where deck screws have been removed. Even though old-growth wood is tougher than the new wood on the market, water will tend to soak into the holes and through the wood more easily than if it was new lumber. Adding joist tape protects the top surface and keeps water and rot out of the top of the joist, where water and organic debris tends to sit and soak the wood in moisture.

New-Growth Wood

Most, if not all lumber available today is going to come from areas that have been forested for years, where all the lumber is “new-growth” and less dense. When building deck frames with this lumber, builders often use joist tape on new wood to protect the top of the joist. The sides and bottom of each joist is less crucial to protect, because moisture tends to run off and doesn’t have time to penetrate the wood.

Why Use Joist Tape On New-Growth Wood?

Because decking nowadays can last anywhere from 15-50+ years, keeping the joists from rotting is especially important, because it’s likely that the decking will outlast the framing. Getting your money’s worth out of your decking only works if your framing is built well and protected as much as possible from the elements. Replacing only the framing with the hopes that you can reuse your composite decking is not easy to do, since putting the decking and railing back on in good condition is nearly impossible.

How Does It Work?

Joist tape is laid down across the entire length of the joists, beam, and any blocking, and decking is laid and fastened over the top of the tape and framing. When water falls between the decking gaps, it runs off and down the sides of the joists, rather than sitting on the top of the joist surface and soaking in and potentially rotting the wood. When a thicker tape is used, any water that tries to run between the decking and the tape is kept out of the screw holes by the thick tape that has sealed around the screw, and squished into all the gaps and air spaces. Instead of getting into that screw hole and running deeper into the body of the joist, it runs off the top of the joist and either evaporates or drips off the bottom of the deck frame.

Being that joist tape only costs 15-30 cents per square foot (a small percentage of your overall deck cost), it’s probably a small percentage of the investment on your deck. The point of low-maintenance decking is to give your deck the longest life possible, but it will only hold up as long as the framing it’s attached to.

Joist Tape brands available at Pro Deck Supply:

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2020 Holiday Shipping

Our showroom and our shipping department will be closed Dec. 24th, 25th, 31st, and Jan 1st.

Orders placed on any of these days will begin processing on the next business day after the order is placed.

“Processing” an order does not necessarily mean it will ship out that day, because not all products may be in stock.

After an order has shipped out, you should receive a shipping confirmation email with a tracking link to give you an estimate of when your order will arrive.

Feel free to email us with any questions about your order’s progress. Happy holidays!

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Pro Deck’s Top Picks

Budget Pick

Looking for an inexpensive deck with practically no maintenance, but want the luxury of hidden fasteners?

Decking: Fiberon Good Life

Good Life is an entry-level, solid-color, woodgrain-textured top-capped deck board with a solid track record.

Decking fasteners: Use Pro Plugs on your border and stair decking, and Camo clips for an easy-install, screw-free main deck area.

Fascia: Azek Frontier PVC, woodgrain texture

PVC is a step up from standard composite fascia, weighing almost half the weight of composite, being completely waterproof, and has a simpler installation process. (no predrilling needed). When fastened properly, PVC resists warping in dramatic tempurature swings, unlike composite. Available in white, primed for painting your own, or painted to match solid-color decking.

Fasteners for PVC fascia:

Pros: minimal maintenance especially compared to wood decking, cost-effective, fairly easy installation, hidden fastening option, relatively fast order time, stable fascia material, customizable fascia colors to match your decking or house color

Cons: limited solid color selection, deck board has a scalloped back and is not capped on the underside (theoretically less resistant to the elements), fascia option isn’t as cheap as other entry level fascia options.

Best Bang-For-Your-Buck

TimberTech Terrain has a solid track record, a 30 year warranty, with non-slip texture and woodgrain pattern

The Terrain collection includes three solid colors and two variegated colors, and is a fully-capped composite board, which is one of the unique features of this entry-level board. Grooved and square edge boards are available for either hidden fastening or face screws.

Decking fasteners: Carbon steel or stainless steel screws can be used to face screw decking, or the Concealoc metal hidden fastening clips can be used with grooved decking for a hidden fastening option.

Fascia: Azek Frontier PVC, woodgrain texture

TimberTech Terrain fascia boards are also fully capped, but we recommend a PVC fascia in tougher climates where thermal stability is especially important.

Fasteners for PVC fascia:

Pros: Plastic cap on all four boards sides adds to the weather resistance and protection, lower-price tier given the 30-year manufacturer’s warranty, hidden fastening options, especially slip-resistant texture makes it ideal for poolside decks and steps

Cons: no Cortex plugs/screws available, scalloped back makes custom designs and steps more difficult on installation, solid colors aren’t as realistic-looking as higher end boards.

Mid-Range Pick

Azek Landmark collection

PVC decking option with realistic variegated color and texture, at a slightly higher price tag, with hidden fastening and matching fascia boards available

Azek Landmark PVC decking

Landmark is a mid-range PVC deck board with a color variation that looks and feels like genuine worn wood, but with the low to minimal maintenance .

Decking fasteners: Use Cortex on your border and stair decking, and Concealoc clips or Cortex screws/plugs for keeping your main deck area smooth and free of visible screw heads.

Fascia: matching color and texture – Landmark PVC

Like the aforementioned PVC sheet fascia, fascia in the Landmark collection is lightweight and is face-screwed with no pre-drilling required.

Fascia fasteners:

Pros: PVC fascia is completely waterproof, lighter than composite, and screwing, cutting, and drilling is much easier than composites. Slip resistant texture, and variegated colors that coordinate well with home colors.

Cons: more expensive than entry-level composites, backside of fascia not textured and not always color-matched, narrow riser boards not available so cutting risers or narrow fascia leads to more scrap material.

Premium Pick

Azek Vintage collection

PVC decking option with multiple width boards, realistic variegated color and texture, with hidden fastening and matching fascia boards available

Azek Vintage PVC decking

Azek Vintage PVC deck boards are some of the most realistic-looking boards, with a no-slip finer texture that feels similar to weathered wood, without the splinters

Decking fasteners: Use collated Cortex on your border and stair decking, and Concealoc clips or Cortex screws/plugs for keeping your main deck area smooth and free of visible screw heads.

Fascia: matching color and texture -Vintage PVC

Like the aforementioned PVC sheet fascia, fascia in the Vintage collection is also lightweight and can be face-screwed with no pre-drilling required.

Fascia fasteners:

Pros: All the benefits of PVC decking, plus the backside of the boards are colored the same as the top surface (but smooth, no texturing. 50-year warranty, very realistic variegated colors that coordinate very well with almost any home color scheme, boards come in three widths for a wide variety of design options and flexibility.

Cons: Expensive (especially fascia boards), texturing scratches more easily than other composite boards.

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Cedar and Decking Availability at Pro Deck Supply

We are experiencing some unusual times, in the building materials industry, at home, and across the globe

Many homeowners are spending time working on projects like remodeling and deck projects, combine that with the low labor availability, much of the building materials supply is being slowed down or even depleted for the forseeable future.

We at Pro Deck Supply has limited their product offerings and has increased lead times on many products, while trying to keep stock on as many products as possible.

As both popularity and availability of cedar is decreasing in our area, we at Pro Deck Supply have made the decision to discontinue offering any cedar products, including rough-sawn boards, dimensional lumber, tongue-and-groove paneling, and deck boards.

We will continue supplying our customers with alternatives to cedar, including the increasingly popular entry-level deck boards, which are price-competitive with much of the premium cedar product lines we previously offered.

Decking lines such as TimberTech Edge, Trex Enhance, Trex Select, and Trex Transcend will have increased lead times of up to 6 weeks, while the more readily-available decking lines will remain at the standard 1-15 business day lead times.

We’d encourage you to send us an email or text asking about product availability before purchasing, and we will do our best to make sure your order is set up and delivered on a reasonable timeline.

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What decking is best for my project?

It’s not always simple figuring out what’s going to work for your project. Cost, color, warranty, durability, texture, heat retention, etc. This article should help explain the different styles, price tiers, and appearance of many of the different decking lines, as well as pointing out some of the more unique features you might be looking for.

On a budget? Composites will generally cost less than PVC boards, although you can get a solid-colored PVC board at a lower cost than some of the more realistic-looking composite boards.

Collections like TimberTech Terrain and Fiberon Good Life have had a solid track record, so if you’re on a tighter budget and are okay with getting a simple texture and a solid color, the boards in those collections may be a good option for you.

Timbertech Rustic Elm
Fiberon Cabin

Want an easier installation? PVC decking is lighter, more resilient, and requires less pre-drilling when fastening.

When comparing PVC and composite boards, each with a monotone color and simple texturing, youd spend more on the PVC board, but you are also getting deck boards that will be less likely to crack or break off, easier to fasten, less work to haul to your site, and a board that is more water-resistant in the long run.

Looking for something that looks like real wood? Zuri decking is a common name when it comes to a realistic look, since they actually print on a woodgrain pattern that fools even the deck experts (maybe, from a distance).

Zuri Pecan

Other collections like TimberTech Reserve, Fiberon Promenade, and Azek Vintage achieve their realistic look by having a detailed texture, and incredibly fine texturing of natural color schemes, with some of their board colors even looking pre-worn or weathered.

TimberTech Antique Leather

Fiberon Sandy Pier

Azek English Walnut

Wolf decking is a mid-high range decking, because of their realistic appearance and high-quality PVC material. Wolf’s their color selection gets away from the traditional plain grays and browns, with more broken-up texturing, and color tones that stand out from other decking lines.

Wolf Silver Teak
Wolf Teakwood

Does your backyard get a lot of sun? Composites generally collect and hold more heat than PVC because the material they’re made of is much denser than the cellular structure of PVC boards. If your deck is more than a few feet off the ground, wind and air circulation does wonders to cool off your deck during the heat of the day.

If you think your deck won’t have much shade and it’s close to the ground, it might be a good idea to look into getting a PVC board instead, especially if you want a dark board color.

Wolf Black Walnut (PVC)
Azek Dark Hickory (PVC)

Azek American Walnut (PVC)