June is here, and, with it, weather perfect for celebrating the home’s connection to Hawaii’s greatest resource: nature. Whether you call the link between indoors and outdoors a porch, patio, piazza, veranda, stoop, deck or good old-fashioned lanai, the time is ripe for maintaining, renewing or adding those glorious square feet of unadulterated leisure space nestled beside your home. Here’s how to make the most of the time outdoors.

Eon, an alternative decking system composed of 100-percent plastic, dramatically reduces the need for wood. Available in six rich, natural colors, with a wood grain finish, from Wayne’s Lumber. Photo courtesy of Eon.

Revolutionary Plastics & Creative Concrete

If you want the look of perpetually new wood without having to resort to staining, then synthetic decking products are for you. “Plastic is more expensive initially to put down, but you save money in the long term,” says Wayne Rapoza, of Wayne’s Lumber. For outdoor projects, he recommends the 100-percent plastic Eon product. Backed up by a 25-year warranty, Eon offers the look of wood with the convenience of a surface that is nonporous as well as heat and slip resistant. “It looks smooth, but if you look closely at the Eon, you can see that it has grooves. I’ve had a scientist with a meter come out and tell me it’s one of the best nonslip surfaces he’s seen,” says Rapoza. With plenty of traction, heat resistance and no splinters, synthetics are likely the most barefoot-friendly deck material on the market. Eon is available in cedar, redwood and grey tones, and, by virtue of its clip fastener system, no screws are driven through, resulting in a clean, smooth surface appearance.

Lava-rock veneers, from Big Rock Manufacturing, set into the ground are the perfect landing space for chaise lounges. Big Rock is one of Oahu’s premier suppliers of rock veneers and faux-rock outdoor accents. Photo courtesy of Brooks & Brooks Construction, which completed this project. Photo by David Franzen.

Though concrete has always been the foundation of choice for lanai, new advanced technologies and techniques have made it one of the most versatile outdoor materials. Russ Inouye, of Inouye Designs, combines stamping techniques for texture and acid staining for color to turn a half-inch overlay of concrete into, well, anything you can imagine. “Almost everywhere in Vegas—the resorts like Caesar’s and the Venetian—are all stamped concrete,” says Inouye. “You can really do what you want to do with it.”

According to Randall Chung, of Super-Krete of Hawaii, if you want low-maintenance and durability at an affordable price, concrete is hard to beat. Chung credits the tolerance of Super-Krete’s decorative stone overlay to the involved process of chemicals and sealants applied to the substrate. These treatments deter vapor emissions that eventually cause damaging delamination. The result? A stone-looking concrete with greater longevity and less demand for care. “It looks like real stone, for a fraction of the cost of actually putting in and maintaining stone,” Chung says.

Jamie McGuire, CEO of Lokahi Stone, points out the convenience of imprinting concrete instead of topping it with expensive materials. “For a new lanai, you’re pouring concrete anyway to put a material, such as tile, on top. With us, you’re gaining schedule, because we’re already there—we print as it’s poured.” While native flora and fauna are popular imprint patterns, the possibilities are limitless. Says McGuire, “Our motto is ‘solidify the shape of your imagination with concrete.’”

Futura Stone’s interlocking pavers are available in a range of colors, including red and gray (inset).

Futura Stone’s interlocking pavers are another innovative product, and are specified to meet 8,000 pounds per square inch (PSI)—denser than brick and harder than traditional concrete. Available in different sizes and natural colors, the pavers are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. Next, the mortarless, dual-direction, compaction installation system locks them into place and ensures durability. “Once you put it in, you never have to worry about it again, short of an earthquake,” says Lorene Mitsunaga. Unlike other concrete applications, with pavers you only have to break a single piece to unlock the system and lift it out for easy access to underlying utilities. Replace a single paver and your deck or lanai is as good as new.

Climatrol Hawaii’s screen enclosures are perfect for any outdoor area, including second-story lanai, as shown.

And once your deck or lanai material is chosen, there’s always the option of adding screens to protect against the elements and pests. Tom Bellman, of Climatrol Hawaii, offers the next generation of aluminum screen enclosures. Unlike other deck projects, there’s no delay to your outdoor gratification. “All jobs are in and out in one day—no deposits, no hassles,” assures Bellman.

A big reason for Climatrol’s success is the quality of its product, which features waterproof screens and an innovative flat spline, the black piping that is put into the frame to keep the screen secure, developed in Florida to combat hurricane winds. “With a flat spline, the screen is locked in and doesn’t come loose. We haven’t replaced a single screen in five years,” Bellman says. With Climatrol screens, he adds, “You can literally live on your patio.”

Now that summer is here, that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.

No Gripe with Ipe

Ironwood, or ipe, from Pacific American Lumber.

Wood is the material for your deck if there are weight-bearing issues with heavier materials, or if you want a softer, natural element. “Wood is a lot more forgiving than stone, which can become really slippery when wet,” says Keahi Meyers, of Pacific American Lumber.

While yesteryear’s woods of choice for decks in Hawaii, such as redwood and cedar, diminish in popularity, the South American ironwood, or ipe, is approaching supremacy. Other woods face pest- and climate-based assaults on their longevity in Hawaii, but ipe is known for its ability to endure.

“It’s durable, it weathers really well, and termites don’t like it, because it’s very hard,” says Meyers. Unless protected every 12 to 18 months to preserve its natural, dark-chocolate-brown color, unfinished ironwood will age to a silver-grey color reminiscent of aged teak.

Stone Age or Seal?

Travertine in golden hues named Dorado, Yurac and Crater Piano Oro, courtesy of Andean Stone.

Proponents of stone lanai are divided on the necessity of maintenance, with some emphasizing the characteristic signs of aging as part of stone’s natural beauty. In an Old-World location like Europe, aged stone is the norm. “Why not enhance your deck with the decorative beauty of Mother Earth’s prehistoric mud or rock?” asks Marc Haine, of The Floor Store.

But many American consumers prefer their piece of Mother Earth to retain its brand-new look. The combination of proper installation and the sealant maximizes the life of a natural stone lanai by controlling the penetration of moisture and chemicals. “You can’t just put stone over a crack. In fact, lots of companies put down chemical membranes that keep the crack from coming through,” points out Edward Lewis, of Integrity Tile & Stone. Adds Brian O’Shea, of Andean Stone, “I’m a big advocate of sealant, because I’ve never had a failure and I’ve never had a negative chemical reaction.” Pat James, of Hawaii Granite, sums it up best: “Installed and maintained properly, natural stone will outlast the life of the customer.”

That’s certainly true of travertine, a durable, worldwide favorite that is gaining popularity in high-end Island homes. “It’s what you see in courtyards in Paris or in Spain that have been there for 500 years,” says Layla Dedrick, of Bella Pietra, A Natural Stone Design Center. Travertine’s resilience is due to its hardness; “Peruvian travertine generally has an 11,000 to 15,000 PSI rating,” points out Lewis. “Slate or quartzite have the ability to fail; travertine will not fail,” adds O’Shea.

Integrity Tile & Stone’s mosaic pattern creeps from the lanai like lava.

According to Dedrick, outdoor settings call for travertine to be brushed with aluminum bristles to increase slip resistance. Plus, texture adds a worn, rustic look.

Granite is another hard stone famous for aging well, although, similarly, “in outdoor settings you’ll want to use flamed or sand-blasted granite,” recommends James. And don’t forget the all-important granite and travertine details, says Kevin Nip, of Marblehaus Hawaii: “These stones are also offered in smaller-size, tumbled mosaics for complementary borders, accents and trims.”

Futura Stone’s namesake product deftly creates a poolside deck.

According to the experts, quartzite is one of the most popular stones for outdoor use, thanks to its low cost, variety of earthy colors and suitability for lanai conditions. “Quartzite is naturally rough, not slippery,” says Vini Freitas, of Marmol HI Natural Stones. While quartzite doesn’t measure up against the durability of costly travertine or granite, “it’s twice as hard as slate,” says James, and much less slippery when wet, “due to its natural roughness,” adds Lorene Mitsunaga, of Futura Stone.

In addition, there are a number of quartzite products that are gauged and mesh-mounted, a feature noted by James for easing transitions from one building material to the next by normalizing thickness. Gauged stone products also take the headache out of installation, says Nip: “the grout joints have been established for the do-it-yourself homeowner. And because of the consistent thickness, the quartzite can be applied with a thin set cement,” designed to adhere well in a thin layer applied to the substrate. The simplicity of application, according to Nip, makes this method “great for retrofit and renovation projects.”

Flagstone, the familiar layout of quartz or slate pieces in random sizes, is used to provide a more natural look. “[The installation] has to be hard and tight, otherwise, when you have a party of 20 people on your lanai, your grout will crack,” advises Haine. Combining products helps to alleviate some of the difficulties with flagging. Haine says, “You can do random slate inside a picture frame of square slate tiles; it’s nice to go with the rectangle or square, because you’re running into a lot of posts—you’ll see a lot of grout in those areas if you stick with randoms.”

Left: Floral stone mosaic from Marblehaus Hawaii. Center: Pink, rainbow and sage green quartzite from Marmol HI. Right: Slate, broken to be used in flagstone designs, from The Floor Store.

Another versatile material is Futura Stone’s namesake product. Composed of river rock mixed with epoxy that is troweled by hand over an existing hard surface, Futura Stone lends itself to custom designs and colors. Porous by design, the surface must be re-glazed every three to five years. “Water goes through it, then drains away according to the drainage underneath,” says Mitsunaga. “It was originally designed for pool decks, because it eliminates puddling.” Its affordability and long lifespan—20 to 30 years—has made Futura Stone popular for virtually every other outdoor surface, too.

deck & lanai suppliers

All Weather Surfaces 99-890 Iwaena St. 487-3043 www.allweatherhawaii.com Andean Stone 1808 Republican St. 847-0870 Bella Pietra, A Natural Stone Design Center 701 N. Nimitz Hwy. 587-7779 www.bellapietra.com Climatrol Hawaii 99-048 Koaha Way, Bay No. 4 488-9738 www.hawaiiscreenenclosures.com Futura Stone of Hawaii 2895 Ualena St. 833-7433 www.futurastonehawaii.com Hawaii Granite 1035 Makepono St. 330-3300 www.hawaiigranite.com Inouye Designs 371-7900 www.inouyedesigns.com Integrity Tile & Stone Inc. 225-6158

Lokahi Stone 518 Kamani St. 596-8833 www.lokahistone.com Marblehaus Hawaii 2933 Koapaka St. 836-3449 www.marblehaus.com Marmol HI Natural Stones Ltd. 759 Puuloa Road 842-0842 www.marmolhi.com Pacific American Lumber 142 Mokauea St. 845-8700 www.pacamlumber.com Super-Krete of Hawaii 148-F Mokauea St. 848-8700 www.super-krete.com The Floor Store 1711 Homerule St. 848-7771 Wayne’s Lumber 45-552 C Kamehameha Hwy. 247-5999