Types of Damage

Fungal Attack

Mainly caused by using material unsuitable for exterior use. Fungal attack can spread with contact to water and soil. The fungus spreads quicker in moist, shady and cool areas. Often when Fungal decay starts to occur, there is little you can do to prevent it from slowly decaying the entire structure.

Water Damage

Causes discolouration, peeling of the sealant and may cause planks to expand and contract that results lifting boards pushing against each other.

Sun Damage

UV exposure burns off the top coating of the Deck boards and allows dust and water to accumulate on the surface. In time, wood can start splitting cracking and lifting it`s grain.

Movement

Extreme cases of heat, drought and moisture cause Expansion, contraction, cracking, splitting, warping, cupping and hairline cracks. Also in cases where the wrong material was chosen for the climatic application.

Silver Aging

Left untreated from the start. A very popular technique to get the wood to have a silvergrey finish. This technique is only suitable for certain hardwood species with very dense and stable qualities. The pigmentation of the wood gets washed out and bleached by the UV exposure. Once this effect has been achieved it is advisable to start treatment to preserve the wood.

Roof Structural Defects and Failures

Some causes of these failures vary from:

The proliferation of Sub-standard Roof Erecting practices; Latent timber defects; Manufacturing errors and in limited cases, irresponsible design practice; A lack of adequate bracing - evidence is mounting that this could be a main instigator for many of the structural failures; Structural interference (mostly well intended) by third party contractors; A common timber deformation phenomenon called “Creep”, which causes highly stressed tension members to break at their weakest points (usually knots in the timber).