We have a pier that is really, really old, came with the cottage. It looks bad (even then) and is just too hard to keep looking nice. So, we are going to bite the bullet and purchase a new one. We have 9 sections, 8’ x 4’ each section.
I love the feel of real wood, the sound, feel and texture when walking on it. But I’m not the one that scrapes and paints it, either.
A couple neighbors have the new composite, and it looks nice and white all the time. But honestly, I don’t love it when I walk on it and it just doesn’t have that authentic lake appeal for me (or DH).
I was wondering how long a brand new pier lasts and looks good, with perhaps routine maintenance every few years. Also, if any of you have the new composites, how do you like it and are you glad you changed?
Have you considered aluminum?
I have a wood pier. We painted it last year. Dock Correct by Cabot The paint even has a little grit in it so you don’t slip when it gets wet. It lasts for years and years before needing any repainting. I can now walk on it barefoot without getting splinters.
What we need to get are those things you put on the pilings for the winter so the ice doesn’t damage them.
We have docks at our lake…owned by our street association. We also have docks at the beach club we are members of.
In both cases, after years of scraping and painting, the new replacements are composite. They look terrific. One set is about six years old, the others about four years old. They are nice, and easy to walk on. Truthfully, they even have a “grain” like wood if that is the feel you like.
We looked at aluminium but the cost was not favorable. Plus, we had a crew to build the docks…and this was not an option with aluminium which came ready made…and more costly. In addition, we spoke to folks who had aluminium and they said they got very hot in the sun…no walking barefoot on those.
I guess I’m just not a big fan of aluminum. @thumper1. @thumper1 , does the composite ever get hot? So, do you like it as well as wood? The feel, walking on it? Or does the low maintenance counter that preference evenly?
I honestly don’t know how long a brand new wood pier will last before needing scraping and repainting. I think if it’s covered all winter, it will last much longer. 5 years, 10 years before repainting? I know once you start doing it, it’s every 2 or 3 years if you use the correct marine paint.
@eyemamom …did you buy your pier new, or was it used?
While not a pier, a dear friend swapped the wood surround of her jacuzzi in her back yard 8 years ago (tons of So Cal sun, and when it rains it RAINS) for composite that looks like wood (it’s gray), added a small 3 step “staircase” with handrails, and honest, today it looks as brand new as it did the day it was put in. The previous surround was an every couple of years process of sanding and some kind of marine varnish, it peeled, attracted termites and bees (that was the last straw for the change out). She had a few planks left over and wondered if it would take stain, so tried a small patch, and indeed it did, so she stained it and there’s no one who unless is really scrutinizing it would know it’s not wood (the stain has maintained its looks as well). And it doesn’t get hot to the touch.
We finally replaced our old, heavy, difficult-to-put in/take out wooden pier with an aluminum pier. We love it! It has a coating & doesn’t get hot (really!), it doesn’t need to be sanded or repainted, it is easy to put in/take out … a good buy, for sure.
The pier came with the house. It’s about 15 years old now and in great shape. I just don’t see aluminum piers here, I wonder if it’s because it’s on salt water, not a lake. We thought about composite, but our dock is quite long, has 2 boat lifts, 2 jet ski lifts, and it is connected to a long flight of stairs from our patio. That’s a lot of new decking. We have it looked at each spring now by a pier guy to keep up with any maintenance. Getting a permit here is no easy task, I wouldn’t ever want it to get into disrepair and have to live through the permitting process. The paint worked for us and I haven’t gotten a splinter yet. It’s certainly hot in the direct sun, but anything would be. I’ve not seen an aluminum pier, I would think the glare off of it would be tremendous.
Around here, as long as one does not change the footprint, repairs do not need permitting. We don’t have a pier but we have a bridge that needs to be replaced. We are considering this material:
http://thruflow.com
Used by the city for foot bridges and docks.
We have steel pylons with a wood decking on our dock. The wood is over 25 years old, but it has held up. We stain it [every couple years. The pylons don’t heave like wood does when the ice goes out. I suppose if you were on a small inland lake or in an area without winter water freeze/thaw/heave it might not make as much difference and wood with wood composite would work just fine albeit a more expensive option for the decking on the dock.
We have to get permits to replace pilings, not decking. We needed two pilings for our lift and it took 8 months to get approved. It even had to go through some historic department approval. God help you if you want to change your pier in any way around here.