Lumber and Siding - should I use Eastern Hemlock for decking?

Hello all,

I am in the process of clearing my land and I have mostly hemlocks to work with. I am planning to build a deck and yurt and I would like to use as much of my own lumber as possible. I have heard conflicting reviews about using hemlock to build with. Some say that if you saw it and age it (for a year), it becomes too hard to get a nail through will be very heavy. I've also heard that if I build with it still green I run the risk of it twisting.

For the deck I plan to use pressure treated lumber for the posts, but was hoping to use the hemlock for the flooring of the deck.

Does anyone have advice about when it is best use hemlock? And will it last for a considerable length of time if I use it for decking?

Thanks

With the exception of cedar, cyprus and redwood, I'd be leary of using any wood that isn't treated for the decking. It might be ok for a covered porch floor although it would probably be best to paint it instead of using a stain.

A good portion of my barn is sided with hemlock. I've also heard it said that hemlock gets extra hard with age although one section was sided with hemlock that had been cut and milled a year earlier and it nailed the same as the fresh cut - just didn't shrink as much.

Most lumber will warp if it's just laid out in the sun to dry. Proper stacking [so it can air dry] will limit the warping.

Here's a Forest Service abstract that details some of the problems related to Eastern Hemlock lumber.

Where's it at Wayne? :confused: