Five years on from building the wood deck.
I built it with “softwood (SPF) + a finish coat” and didn’t do any maintenance after that — the deck boards had visibly degraded.
So I replaced them with hardwood.
This article also serves as a real-world data point on “how durable is a deck made from softwood / SPF?”
Related article 1: original SPF wood deck DIY (Japanese; English version available — see the SPF wood deck article in this batch).
Related article 2: Western Red Cedar deck with privacy fence DIY (Japanese; English version forthcoming).
The Aged Deck
Deck boards
The deck boards after 5 years — “SPF + finish coat”, no maintenance:
Cracks in the surface.
Substructure (joists / posts)
Deck boards removed.
The substructure was actually in surprisingly good shape — the deck boards on top had shielded it from rain and sun. So I’ll just refinish the substructure.
Replacing the Boards
Refinishing the substructure
Top-coated with stain.
I used Xyladecor (water-based) — a Japan-standard exterior wood stain.
Installing the new boards
Material
For boards I bought “Tigerwood” online.
I specified pre-finished (water-based “jarrah” tone).
Size: 20 mm × 105 mm × 1,800 mm
Price: about 20,000 yen total including shipping
Tigerwood is hardwood but apparently fairly easy to work, but I still drilled pilot holes before driving screws. Pilot diameter is typically screw diameter minus 1 mm, so 3 mm here.
Note: for harder hardwoods like Ulin or Ipé (“ironwood” types), you also need to countersink the screw seat into the deck board so the screw head doesn’t sit proud. There are combination drill bits that drill the pilot + countersink in one shot.
Screws
I picked up screws specifically rated for hardwood at the home improvement store.
They’re not stainless, so durability outdoors is a slight concern — but probably fine. (If they corrode, I’ll just swap them. Optimistic.)
Done
Finished. The deck has a noticeably different feel from before.
Aside — About “Tigerwood”
“Tigerwood” is a trade nickname; the actual species is something else. It can refer to either:
- “Astronium graveolens” — a hardwood from South America in the Anacardiaceae family
- “Lovoa trichilioides” — a mahogany-related African hardwood, similar in look to walnut
What I used here is type 1, the South American Tigerwood.
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