Help! Quick kennel decking question - Page 2

I think it depends on how often it's subjected to the hose will play a large role in how long it holds up. It should hold up for a couple of years as long as it has sufficient ventilation to dry out and you have sufficient supporting cross members.
However, keep in mind that wood is porous and will retain bacteria even after bleaching. You might consider painting it with a water based deck paint. It's non toxic and will significantly increase the life of the lumber and seal the lumber against bacteria.

I thought about sealing it...don't want it slippery and want to make sure pups don't chew it if it's painted/sealed. Haven't decided. I also thought about putting something down, like fake kennel grass or a section w/shavings for pups so they potty in one area to cut down on the power-washing. I cannot imagine my adults going to the bathroom on their decks unless I was gone for a weekend. They're all part-time house dogs and previously I've tried kenneling them, thinking they didn't have to wait on me to go potty, and they all waited, despite being outside. They're just not kennel dogs. Honestly, if I had parvo or something happen here (God forbid) I'd probably burn it down rather than take the chance that the bleach didn't take care of it. What I'm spending on this certainly isn't worth taking chances with pups...which is another reason I'm worried about cedar. I'd spend enough that I'd be angry if I had to burn it, LOL! 

I even thought about maybe using composite on ONE run and the rest untreated, and put all pups in one run. OR- like the carpenter suggested, add another run to the outside of one for pups to come in and out. Given a choice they won't potty on the deck, I'll bet. And of course they're too young to climb out, so not being under roof isn't an issue. 

I'm open to any ideas or if you think I've missed something...

I like your idea of doing a designated "puppy" pen with the addition being on real ground. As you said most pups/dogs will potty on natural ground over flooring if given the choice.

Yep the cedar fence panels are more of a rough texture than planks would be. Just putting it out there as an example in that they have held up very nicely to the weather, being sprayed off & what not :) The other bonus of cedar (even just being the fencing) there's little to no bugs in the kennel area!

Yes, bugs are another reason I'm interested in cedar.

I have a puppy pen now, 15x20, but it's not covered. I basically use it in nice weather or when the adults are outside in the open area of my fenced yard. I would really love to have them under roof so they're not stuck inside when the weather is rainy. Moving them back and forth is not as easy as it sounds to someone who has no idea what working line pups are like, so adding an extra "outside" with grass to the front of the puppy run seems like a really good idea and I bet it would cut down on hosing exponentially. 

They make composite that is meant to cover older decking, too. Much less expensive. I was thinking I'll maybe try untreated decking and then cover it w/the composite if it starts to wear and I'm still in this house???

I wish someone could tell me if cedar is really that much better at resisting moisture and easier to clean than regular decking. Seems there are as many opinions on this as there are on dog training and feeding, LOL!

 

It's a FACT not and opinion;) that Cedar is very resistant to rot. Because the wood produces its own preservatives, it is much more durable. Cedar will last for a much longer amount of time than could be achieved with pine any day! My father was a master carpenter (not one of those hack jobs either) for over 30 years so this came directly from his knowledge. 

I have never used wood for footing but then again my dogs don't live outside like yours, I think all the adult dogs would be fine on cedar 1st choice, pine second choice (pine really is crap but if you want cheap...:) I do know of a boarding kennel that's been in business for over 20+ years that uses cedar decking. It looks great and it has worked for them:) Pups most definitely will chew the flooring IMO;)) For the puppy run I would buy the rubber stall mats or by the roll from TSC and put that down with shavings on the top:) 

As you know if you leave for 8 hours and have 10 puppies in the run, there would be more poop than space!!! Shavings are a lifesaver, keep the pups clean and out of their feces! We built a roof (15 X 20) over the puppy pen and it's great for them and us! 

vtgsd, I appreciate you weighing in on the cedar as the daughter of a master carpenter!    I know it's better at resisting, and I guess I should've clarified that yes, I know it's better, but HOW MUCH better, ie, is it SO much better for short term use that I should spend twice the money on it? Like, one year, maybe two? In 5-10 years, I'm sure the difference is enormous, but in 1-2years, what do you think??

Based on your statement "....but then again my dogs don't live outside like yours,"  I'm not sure we're on the same page, so to clarify, this is for light use in that my dogs don't now and have never lived exclusively outside.  I would say they spend 50/50 inside/outside time during the day.  This building is for use in lieu of crates, for separation during heat cycles (like right now, I have my never-bred, intact APBT in the living room and Capri, in her trampy state (and she is VERY trampy! LOL), is crated. In a few hours, I will switch them around, but it would be much nicer in times like this to have an outside, secure place to hang out, as my APBT scoffs at a 6' fence) and right now, being kept so close to Capri, yet so far away...,  he's doing his damndest to hump the cat.   

If I anticipated that I'm going to be pressure-washing 1-2x daily for any considerable length of time, or I wouldn't even THINK of using regular pine.  My dogs, being house dogs, are going to be loathe to potty on a deck in a 3 sided building with a roof, I think. I bet they will still see it as "inside." Cleaning it should be a 5x month thing, not a 30x per month thing. Don't get me wrong- if there's a dog I acquire who needs to "live" in there except for loose free time, then I want it to support that, hence the fully-insulated boxes. I just want to be clear that someone housing dogs used to eliminating in a kennel or someone running a boarding facility is going to have FAR more wear and tear on the decking from cleaning than I anticipate at this point. 

My pups are whelped in my living room and kept so clean by their mothers that by the time they head outside to stay for longer periods (4wks), they already all poop in one side of their run. I'm not worried about puppies pooping all over the place when they have an inside area, a deck area, and a small yard of their very own for the times they're unsupervised.  I'll have some messes, sure, but I'd be surprised if it's all day, poop everywhere, based on how they're kept early on and my experience with my litters over the past 5 years. My current pups are in a run inside my house when they're not loose outside and I only clean up on average, one pile and one puddle every morning. The vast majority are peeing and pooping outside 100% at this point. 

I need to get an exact total building cost with cedar and one with untreated decking and I guess the bottom line will make the decision. <sigh> I really would like cedar but just not sure I can justify it for the length of time I'll live here. I could buy a lot of dog food with the savings. 

I've used just about every type of flooring out there. Right now we have most of our outdoor kennels on a raised deck made out of 2x6 untreated pine and love it. 3yrs of tough use through very harsh weather, and I've only replaced a board, and need to replace two more this spring, and that's only due to dogs chewing, nothing to do with elements or rotting. I've had no problems with bugs, and actually less flies than any other foor as the runs stay dry and clean, and the air flows nicely all around. I pressure wash pretty much everyday in the summer with a WSYWSH in line with the pressure washer and the boards still look new. Soft on the dogs legs, just make sure your spacing is right so they don't get toes/nails caught and you should be good to go for years.

Ang

Just thinking out loud...lol
Is there a reason why you would not want to take this with you when you move.
I could be built to easily come apart, either as 2 sections (front kennel area 1 & inside house area 2) or even 3 movable sections by maiking the whole roof the 3rd. You could also build the walls so they come apart into seperate pieces.
You mentioned building it on skids, if this is done then you would be able to move the unit as a whole also. The lean-to's we have at the barn came already built & they range in size from 12x16 up to 14x24. If you know anyone with a larger flatbed trailer it would be easy to haul to your new place.

Of course bear in mind I know nothing of the logistics of where, how, when, your moving so it might not be a feesable idea from the get go...lol

Jenni:  I don't think wood is going to hold up well enough especially with the money you are going to have to spend on it.  You are not talking chi's;  we are talking dogs running, spinning, pooping, peeing and chewing on this surface plus the wash downs and bleach.  Do you plan in replacing this wood or??  Just curious.  Nan

"Instead of big, open rooms in back that will never hold body heat, they're going to have NICE, fully-insulated boxes with hinged tops so I can use the rest of that room for storage."

I would really love to see a photo when this area is built. We're (well, Martin is, not me) building a three dog kennel that attaches directly onto the face of one of our barns. Alberta is really cold so Martin is thinking about what he's going to build inside the barn for the dogs.