Archives: Decks & Porches

How To Connect A Propane Grill To House Propane Supply

By Todd Fratzel on Appliances, Decks & Porches

Disclaimer: You really should consult a certified gas fitter for this type of project. Be sure to check all local building codes prior to attempting a project of this nature. Connecting Gas Grill To House Propane Supply Connecting your propane gas grill to your house propane supply is a great way to ensure you can…

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Sherwin Williams DeckScapes Clear Deck Sealer

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Painting and Finishing, Product Reviews

The other day I power washed the deck and farmers porch. Now I need to choose a sealer to protect the Cambara decking. When we built the house I used Penofin Penetrating Sealer to seal the cambara decking. Well I’ve been pretty unhappy with that sealer. I don’t think it has held up well at…

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Cleaning Decks With Power Washers

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Maintanence

Pressure Washing Decks Cleaning decks with pressure washers is a very easy home improvement project that doesn’t take much skill. The best part is you don’t have to own an expensive power washer to do the job. Almost all rental centers carry pressure washers. Today I rented a 3,100 psi gas powered pressure washer from…

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Diagonal Decking Layout

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

I recently discovered a great way of installing decking on decks to reduce waste and eliminate warping butt joints. Traditionally many decks are built by installing the decking material perpendicular to the floor joists. By using that layout method, decks that are longer than 16 feet will require butt joints over a joist. Typically those…

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Staining Pressure Treated Deck Framing

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Painting and Finishing

Our deck out back was framed with pressure treated lumber. We used cambara decking for the surface and it’s treated with Penofin sealer. In order to get the pressure treated to look more like the stained cambara decking I bought some Cabot’s deck stain in the “red wood” color. As you can see in the…

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Sealing Cambara Decking

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Painting and Finishing

Last fall we finished building the decks and porches on the new house. We used Cambara decking for both the deck and the farmers porch. At the time a co-worker suggested that I use Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish to seal the hard wood. So I went to the hardware store and picked up a few…

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Farmers Porch Design Drawing

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, House Plans

I’ve been quite surprised at the number of folks finding my blog the last couple of weeks searching for information about building a farmers porch. So, in an effort to share some of the knowledge I have about these great porches I’ve attached some of the details from my own farmers porch. As you can…

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Vinyl Posts and Railings

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, Siding & Trim

In my post yesterday about the farmers porch skirt several people asked what type of posts I used. All of the railings and posts are made by Certainteed , the Evernew Collection. The porch posts are actually structural. They have a structural aluminum post in the center. Below you can see the basic railing system.…

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