Moderators Amy Posted May 14, 2007 Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 As long as it will be used outdoors I would just get the pressure treated. The chemicals on the surface leach out as they weather. Same with all of our decks that we walk bare footed on. Ever get sick from it? I would not worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 14, 2007 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2007 Thanks Mark! I have read that they no longer use the "bad" chemicals in the treated wood, but I do have concerns about maintenance, durability, looks, etc. I would assume the cedar is better (but not sure), and if it is, is is 300 hundred dollars worth of "better?" Will the treated wood need more "treatment" as the years go by? I've tried looking on the internet, but there doesn't seem to be a true concensus. Just looking for personal experiences at this point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 We had an expensive cedar fence. It does not require treatment, "they say", but it weathered down into an ugly gray. Some call it "a nice patina". I call it weathered ugly gray. But we never treated it. The rails eventually rotted out after about 5-7 years. Pressure treated requires maintenance. It gets weathered and dries out and requires periodic treatments. Every 2-3 years to keep it nice. But I don't see a significant difference in the required maintenance "if you want to keep them both loking nice". If you did nothing to either the pressure treated would probably look worse in the long run because it tends to dry out, warp, and get visually weathered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Personally I would get pressure treated. The chemicals used today aren't as potentially dangerous as the old arsenic pressure treated lumber. Cosmetically, I'd much rather have cedar but pressure treated doesn't look too bad and can always tint using a tinted wood sealer. Cedar might require less maintenance than pressure treated if you don't mind the weathered grey color but I suspect you'll still want to protect it from water which you really need to do with pressure treated. Pressure treated lumber will warp and split something terrible if not protected from water - Cedar might be more water resistant. You will need to add a water protectent such as Thompson's wood sealer to pressure treated lumber after it's had a chance to dry out or you'll be disappointed in a couple of years. The Thompson's wood sealer is availble with tints, such as honey, which give a nice golden brown appearance. Another option, if offered, is to use composite wood decking for the decking portion as it requires very little maintenance but you'll still need to hose it off occasionally and protect the structure. Good luck. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Amy, We had one of those 8/9ft sets that you set on top of the ground. We also got the treated lumber and it was fine. If you have a choice of accessories, we went with the rope & bar which the boys liked but wish we had spent the extra for the little back & forth seat thingy (needs two kids though). We opted for the hanging bar instead and it wasn't used very often. Make sure you get the plastic covers for the chains on the swings. Once they rust, you don't want that on your kids hands. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerolW Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 It seems like a lot of money just to change from pressure treated wood to cedar, if that's the case. Are you building it yourself or is someone doing it for you? Ask the builder why it costs $300 more just to change wood type.. True, the chemicals in treated wood is not as 'bad' as previous, but they are still chemicals. I, personally, would not submit my daughter to any chemicals, if at all possible. Cedar is naturally water resistant and it does turn silver (gray) over time. I say it ages gracefully (hee hee). Jerol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 14, 2007 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2007 Hi Jerol! I'm looking at buying a kit at Menards. I found one I liked for about $520, but to get it in cedar it's $820. There must be something great about it, but I can't tell what it is exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerolW Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Can you buy the pieces and then buy the wood separately? Jerol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch Employees Trey Cannon Posted May 14, 2007 Klipsch Employees Share Posted May 14, 2007 The Cedar ones that I have seen are SANDED. I have not see a treated set that is sanded.. Put water treatement on any of them you get, they will last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 14, 2007 Author Moderators Share Posted May 14, 2007 Can you buy the pieces and then buy the wood separately? Jerol Yes, the starter kit is $170 (slide, rockwall, screws/bolts and lumber not included). They give you a list of the lumber you need. But if you look at the cost of lumber, cedar is usually twice as much as treated pine, sometimes more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerolW Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Maybe lumber is less expensive here in Oregon than in In. The choice is yours. Jerol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Over the past 50 years I have tried cedar, doug fir, old treated, new treated, creosote treated, and redwood. Cedar becomes waterlogged and rots, doug fir just rots, old treated gets eaten up by bugs, new treated just rots, and creosote covered wood lasts a very long time (fence posts on the farm in the 1950's). I have a white picket fence that has redwood buried posts that have been in ground for 35 years and they are like brand new and they have not been coated with any kind of stuff. I was agast when I had to relocate the fence a few feet and the redwood posts (3 feet down) were just as they came from the lumber yard. Bugs ate my pressure treated barn posts after 25 years in the ground. Now it is illegal to bury pressure treated lumber as in barns, ect. The 40 year warrantee on pressure treated wood does not cover bugs. Trex is the big thing now for developers around here. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 HI!!! Your most welcome to bring the little guy over to play on ours, too, Amy. Might give you an idea as well what is involved. Most of the time you get what you pay for.. But there is a point too of how much $$ do you really need to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 There is some of the most insanely beautiful redwood stacked 12 feet high in a room at a winery I do work at. It's from old wine vats, probably milled 100 years ago. It's also under lock(s) and key. It would be PERFECT to use for a play set! That being unavailable for your purposes, I'd use the cedar. I think PT is ugly, and you certainly don't want to sand it (and breathe the dust). I wear gloves when I handle the stuff. Of course, cedar splinters ain't fun when they fester... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 How many years of use do you hope to get out of the playset? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 How many years of use do you hope to get out of the playset? That is really the key question, How Long will it be used? Treated is fine, if you don't have more kids, it should last 10 years, and by then, he'll be into GIRLS, and the swing set won't matter anyway...................Treated is Fine................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 15, 2007 Author Moderators Share Posted May 15, 2007 Thanks everyone for your input (and to Roger for the offer)! Since opinions are fairly evenly split, I decided to go with the treated--non-arsenic, of course! Although cedar would've been nice (or that redwood you know about fini---thanks for the teaser!), I sure could use that $300 for other things... I'll do my best to be diligent in keeping it looking as nice and waterproof as possible! None of it is pre-cut or drilled. My friends/family sure are going to have fun with this project! My garage looks and smells like a lumberyard. Now to explain to Steven why his playground didn't magically appear right out of Grandpa's truck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 hey, sounds like a great time for grandpa to teach Steven how to use power tools... [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted May 16, 2007 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Thanks everyone for your input (and to Roger for the offer)! Since opinions are fairly evenly split, I decided to go with the treated--non-arsenic, of course! Although cedar would've been nice (or that redwood you know about fini---thanks for the teaser!), I sure could use that $300 for other things... I'll do my best to be diligent in keeping it looking as nice and waterproof as possible! None of it is pre-cut or drilled. My friends/family sure are going to have fun with this project! My garage looks and smells like a lumberyard. Now to explain to Steven why his playground didn't magically appear right out of Grandpa's truck.... Build it quick, that stuff will start to warp big time as it dries out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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