Common deck building mistake: having exposed timber end grain at a pool edge.
Timber is largely constructed of longitudinally aligned cells that convey water up the stem. These vessels or tracheids, become exposed when the timber is cross cut: eg at the end of a decking plank. If this exposed end grain is butted up against a pool edge then it can absorb a lot of water just like a bundle of straws in a glass of water. This can result in the piece of timber rotting from the end at the pool edge..... see pictures.
Good practice is to seal the cross cut with a bituminous paint prior to fitting the decking plank thus protecting from water ingress and rotting....see picture.
