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Why Real Wood for Decks?
John Paulin, owner of Tailored-Wood describes the benefits of using real wood for decks.
NADRA 2011 Deck Competion
Tailor Decks won the Best Overall Deck Award.
Interested in an Open Air Porch?
Read a recent article that John Paulin of Tailored Wood wrote for the Hanley Wood Remodeling Magazine:
"The Case for Open Air Porches"
Introducing Tailored-Wood
Over the past 20 years Tailor Decks, has had the opportunity to build hundreds of decks and screened porches nail by nail…and during that time, we’ve used several different types of products consisting of pressure treated pine, cedar, redwood, exotic hardwoods, composites and PVC’s.
At Tailor Decks we were tired of the problems with decking materials and decided to produce a product for decks and screened porches with both the homeowners and contractors in mind. Tailored-Wood is that finished product.
We continue to be underwhelmed by the lack of great products. It seems these large manufacturing companies don’t have the answer, or they only care about the bottom line.
Like most deck builders, we continue to experience a long array of issues with these products including (but not limited to): checking, cupping, discoloration, extreme temperatures, rotting, scratching, separation, splintering, stability, staining, twisting, and warping. Now let’s don’t leave out our favorite, trying to match a product and find out it has been discontinued. At Tailor Decks we were tired of these ongoing problems and decided to produce a product for decks and screened porches with both the homeowners and contractors in mind. Tailored-Wood is that finished product.
Application of our Tailored-Wood line means a beautiful deck of highest of quality, low maintenance, and at a reasonable price. Take a look at all of our products…you’ll be quite pleased.
Wood is not just Wood.
It’s amazing to us how many decks we see with sub-standard lumber. The old adage, “You get what you pay for.” is never more true when it comes to building a better deck. Wood is not just wood, it is after all the largest part of any deck. Most people don’t know what’s really
involved in buying higher quality wood. In reality the vast majority of people don’t even know what there many grades of lumber.
We start with the best grade available, (Sapwood). Sap grade is a 4 face clear board with no knots, wane and heartwood, which allows for treatment to penetrate throughout the board’s wood cells. We then add a couple of our Tailored Wood secrets giving us Tailored Wood.
Tailored Wood Milling Makes a Big Difference
Anyone can just slap the right sized board down and call it a deck, but that’s not what we do.
1. Crowning: Our wood is milled so the top surface has a small 1/8 inch crown that
sheds water and prevents cupping.

2. Beveling: We then add a slight bevel, or inward slant to both sides making the bottom surface slightly narrower than the top. Doing this helps allow water and debris to pass freely when it falls down between the two boards. Have you ever notice sticks and twigs stuck in between the boards on the deck of a friend or neighbor? The bevel on our decking wood keeps that from happening.

3. Relief Cuts: After crowning and beveling we mill two vertical cuts into the entire
bottom surface of each board. These “relief cuts” allow the board to expand and
contract as temperatures chance and help to prevent checking and cupping.

4. Treatment: Tailored Wood’s treatment content is higher than industry standards, this allows for ground contact. After treatment Tailored Wood is then kiln dried for three day at 140 degrees allowing for immediate sealing/staining if you choose. We then have
our decking milled to our patented Tailored Wood profile.
Tailored Wood Porch Flooring

1. Crowning: our porch flooring with a 1/16″ crown to prevent cupping and for stability.
2. Shiplap: Our ship lap design eliminates the need for screening between your floor joist and your standard deck board. This design prevents debris forming between deck boards and piling up on your screen which is almost impossible to get up.
3. Hidden Fastener: The 9 small grooves are designed to conceal 2 1/2″ staples which secure the porch flooring. The groove also provides a natural, clean look without the appearance of fasteners, and providing a comfortable feeling.
4. Relief Cuts: The bottom 1/8” and 1/16” step ups help prevent the flooring from cupping and allow for the wood adhesive to securely bond the porch flooring.
Tailored Wood Railing Posts
The railing post is the most important component of your deck’s handrail. Our railing post is designed to withstand the test of time, as well as be aesthetically pleasing and complementary to your deck.
Our railing post consists of two laminated pieces with a special slot milled in the center to allow the electrical feed to be run through its core are so no wiring much be attached externally. This means no exposed wire and no need for trim covering that may come apart as time goes on. The final effect is a strong and attractive post that simplifies easy installation for deck wiring and lighting.

Tailored Wood Railcaps
The railcap is the most touched item on a deck so we added a 1/2” round over edge giving you a smooth finish without the worry of splinters. The top surface of our railcaps is specially milled with a slight crown designed to shed water and prevent cupping. The bottom face is milled to allow for easy wiring installation without having to run your wire up and down each rail post. The cap’s bottom runner gives extra stability to your railcap and handrail and seals the wiring and wire nuts in the runner’s and railcap’s slot. The
railcap is designed to fit together with the railing post and shorten installation time (both
structure and electrical wiring) considerably.

Tailored Wood, Deck Spacers
Another little thing that makes a big difference are our deck spacers. If you’ve ever seen a deck with gaps that are not equally spaced, it’s very noticeable. We’ve actually seen decks that appeared to be well made except that gaps were all off and unequally spaced. This makes for a terrible looking job, no matter how well the job was done other wise. We use specially designed spacers to ensure spacing is uniform and exact.

Tailored Wood, Deck Screws, Holding it All Together
Unlike other deck builders we use deck screws that are engineered expressly for decks and screened porches. These copper coated screws are manufactured to withstand all kinds of weather over an extended period of time (except near salt water, where stainless steel screws are recommended). With their holding strength and special design, you will never have to worry about your decking or the screws themselves coming up. Finally, they’re designed as attractive elements of a high-quality deck, compatible with the wood as well as wide range of wood stains No pre-drilling or countersinking is necessary, so the job is done quickly, efficiently and it looks great.

So, if you’re looking for a high quality Deck or Screened In Porch look no further, or better yet ask to talk to some of our customers. We have hundreds of satisfied homeowners for you to speak with. Feel free to call us at 770 725 4646 or email us at info@tailordecks.com.
We’re a very low key company with no high pressure salesmen and no gimmicks, just good old fashion craftsmanship. We hope to hear from you soon.
Yours Truly,
John Paulin
Owner and Founder




