fbpx

Laying a Deck

In an abridged extract from Decks, David Toht looks at laying decking

Wooden deck construction with tools and materials visible.

Decking is the most dramatic stage of building a deck. After the heavy lifting of installing footings, posts, beams, and joists, you’ll at last have something you can stand on, something that really looks like a deck. And, if your deck calls for fascia and skirting, you are going to end up with a truly finished project. When ordering decking, allow for about 10% waste and error – 15% if you are installing the planks at a 45-degree angle. Have the material delivered well before you need it so you have recourse in case of a mistake in colour or type. Store your decking level and supported every couple of feet if you are using synthetic decking. Cover the decking with a tarp.

Plan your layout before installation. Give thought to the most visible areas of the deck. For example, decking near the main access should be free of unsightly gaps or butt joints. With wood, the main access area is the place to be the most selective about grain and any imperfections that wouldn’t be noticed elsewhere. Avoid having to end with a thin strip of decking somewhere.

Installing the planks is repetitious and a little mind numbing. Stand up every few courses and take in the big picture. Measure often to confirm you are parallel with the outer edge of the deck, and stretch a line to be sure bends in the planks are not being compounded as you work.

Culling your wood

Number 2 grade 5/4 x 6 cedar decking will inevitably have flaws you’ll want to hide, cut off, or in rare cases, reject.

Wood board marked with a carpenter square tool.
A split end is the most common flaw and why it is smart to order lengths longer than you need. Trim a couple of inches beyond the split so it doesn’t reappear
Close-up of wooden planks with knot.
A loose, or open, knot leaves a hole on the edge of the plank, not all the way through. By flipping it over in an out-of-the-way area, you can put the plank to good use
Wooden planks on sawhorse for carpentry work.
If an area of your deck calls for a ripped piece, a plank with a rough edge may be the candidate. Or, trim off the worst of the rough edge and flip the piece over

Installing wood decking

Cedar and pressure-treated wood remain popular choices for decking. They are affordable, easy to work with, and offer the warm good looks of something that came from a real tree. Wood is easy to handle and shape and takes stain and other finishes well. While a circular saw is more than up to the job, a sliding power miter saw on a stand with long supports will yield the most precise cuts. If you opt for using a circular saw, arrange planks and scraps on sawhorses to fully support your work.

Unless you are lucky enough to plan your deck around full lengths of decking – the best approach for a sleek-looking deck – leave at least 32 in. between adjacent butt joints and stagger any joints by at least two planks. Don’t get your hopes set on doing any miter joints to try to achieve a snazzy look at the corners. Wood moves too much over its life for it to hold a tight miter.

Carpentry square measuring wooden board edge.
1. Check ends. Never assume the planks will arrive with ends cut perfectly square. More often than not, they’ll need to be cut square
Two people measuring timber for deck construction
2. Square up a starter plank. Choose a wall to run your decking parallel to. Here, two sliders and a door provide access to the deck. It made sense to use the wall with the sliding door that gives access to the kitchen – the spot where appearances count the most. By squaring up the starter plank 6 ft. or 8 ft. out, you can be assured that small errors won’t be compounded into a big problem by the time you reach the other end of the deck. Measure and calculate the distance so you’ll end with a whole plank at the entry area
Person using power drill on wooden planks.
3. Snug the board to the spacer. If you find a slight bend in a board, enlist an assistant to use a pry bar to snug it up against the spacer. At the same time, install the fastener, keeping it nicely perpendicular to the deck
Wood deck construction in progress with tools.
4. Set up a workstation. Once you’ve gotten an area done, ease your workload by setting up sawhorses on the deck so you can comfortably check the boards and trim ends
Wooden planks being aligned for outdoor deck construction.
5. Mark a cutline. Strike a chalkline so your deck will extend about an inch from the rim joist or fascia
Person cutting wooden planks with circular saw
6. Trim the deck. With the blade set about 1⁄4 in. below the decking, trim the edge with a circular saw. As you work, before you reposition yourself as you make the long cut, always pull the blade backward and let the blade come to a full stop. When you restart, let the saw get up to full speed before pushing it into the wood

Mind the gap

Time was when decks were gapped 1⁄8 in., mainly because spiky high heels would get caught in anything larger. The downside of such a small gap is that it readily clogs with debris. A 3⁄8-in. gap drains well, carrying away most leaves and dirt. It’s up to you to anticipate the dress code for your deck entertaining and gap accordingly. Using a 1⁄4-in. gap is a nice compromise.

For pressure-treated decking, the boards can be secured with no gap. Given their high moisture content—you’ll notice as you heft one—the gap will open as the wood dries to yield a 1⁄8-in. gap. Use a spacer if you want a larger gap. Here’s how to make your own spacers out of 1⁄4-in. hardboard and 1x4s. Select a scrap of hardboard equal in thickness to the gap between planks you want. Cut a dozen orso pieces about 2 in. by 3 1⁄2 in. Drill two 1⁄8-in. holes for nailing. Cut an equal number of approximately 4-in.-long pieces of 1×4. To eliminate any wiggle, apply woodworker’s glue to the 1×4 piece before nailing. Complete the spacer by using 4d nails to nail the hardboard onto the 1×4 pieces.

Person applying wood glue during carpentry project.
Prep hardboard spacer and add glue
Person using a clamp on wooden planks.
Complete the spacer

Using a guide

Person cutting wood with a circular saw.

A straight 1×4 attached to the deck mcan be a helpful sawing guide, but it is not fail-safe. Lose your concentration for a moment and the blade can wander or bind. If possible, try cutting with and without a guide to see which you are most comfortable with.

Fastening ipe and other hardwoods

The installation of ipe and other exotics differs from softwood decking only in that exotics are notoriously hard to cut and drill. Carbide tips help, as does buying sawblades with thin kerfs. Be prepared for slow work and burning through a lot of blades. Given the high cost of these woods, you probably don’t want your deck marred by fastener heads. Here’s a method for making them disappear.

Drill making hole in wooden plank.
1. Bore a hole. Using a sharp bit, bore a hole slightly larger than your fastener head and equal to the size plug you are using. A 1⁄4-in. or 3⁄8-in. hole works well. Bore 1⁄4 in. deep
Drilling screw into wooden deck plank
2. Drill a hole for the fastener. In the center of the hole, drill a pilot hole the same width as the shaft, not the thread, of your fastener
Screw being driven into wooden surface.
3. Insert the fastener. Drive the fastener into the decking until the head snugs into the hole 1⁄4 in. below the surface
Glue bottle nozzle dispensing onto wood surface.
4. Add glue. Add a touch of exterior glue to the hole, being careful to keep it from the deck surface
Inserting wooden dowel into furniture hole.
5. Insert a plug. Lining up the grain with the decking, push a plug into the hole. Tap it down with a hammer
Electric sander on wooden decking
6. Sand the plug. Give the glue time to dry and then sand the plug flush with a random orbital sander

Tip

Ipe plugs are available for purchase online by the bag. Available diameters include 1⁄4 in., 3⁄8 in., and 1⁄2 in.

Stagger your joints

For a seamless look, leave minimum of 32 in. between nearby butt joints. Never stack joints. Instead, stagger them by at least two planks.

Diagram showing staggered planks layout instructions.

Installing synthetic decking

As manufactured products, PVC and composite decking have more precise installation requirements than wood. For example, the flex in the materials lets it conform to any irregularities in the framing – good reason to sweat the details in getting your frame perfectly smooth. Recommended fasteners must be used according to the manufacturer’s specified method. Where the decking abuts the house, leave a gap to allow for expansion and contraction as temperature changes.

The following steps show the installation of PVC decking, a process similar to that of composite decking. The only significant difference is the handling of miter joints. PVC decking joints can be glued with PVC adhesive for very strong joints. Composite decking typically requires a biscuit joint and exterior glue.

Person installing siding on house exterior.
1. Stage the decking. If you are dealing with any height at all, single pieces of synthetic decking will sag and could be damaged. As you stage the decking, stack multiple pieces of decking for mutual support
Carpenters measuring wooden deck for construction.
2. Set a starter plant. Not every wall is straight. In this instance, the ledger wall had a distinct bulge that would have been magnified as additional pieces of decking were installed. A starter strip set parallel to the outside edge of the deck establishes a beginning point that doesn’t echo the bulge. Position the starter strip at just the right spot so you can later work back to the wall and rip an area of the final piece to accommodate the bulge
Person using drill to install decking boards.
3. Fasten the starter plank. With additional decking ready to be slid into place, you can install clips on the starter plank. Each clip installs with a standard drill/driver. To speed things up, you can buy an adapter for a pneumatic nailer to shoot the screw into the clip
Brown screw fixing wooden panel to frame
4. Check the clip. Check your technique by confirming that the screw is fully installed and the clip ready for the next plank
Person installing wooden decking with hammer and nail gun.
5. Set each plan on the clips. Use a rubber mallet to push the plank onto the clips. The clips automatically space the decking, though it is wise to use a spacer as shown to check that you’ve snugged the plank into the clip enough
Worker laying decking boards on wooden frame.
6. Fill in behind the starter plank. Once you’ve installed the bulk of the decking, fill in between the starter plank and the house

Stair-Step the Joints

Worker installing wooden decking boards outdoors.
The maximum length for synthetic decking boards is 20 ft. If your deck is too long to be covered by pieces without resorting to butt joints, make the joints in a consistent fashion. As you work across the deck, you’ll find that some of the cutoffs can be used to start new courses, minimising waste
Drilling screw into composite decking board
7. Fasten the edge pieces. Use the type of surface-installed fasteners specified by the decking manufacturer along the edges. This plank will be trimmed to allow for the picture-frame border. The fastening system used bores a hole for a plug as it sets the screw. Cortex offers all-in-one kits with bit, fasteners, and plugs that match the colors of the major synthetic decking manufacturers
Hand installing decking board with screws.
8. Plug the edge pieces. Orienting the grain on the plug with that of the decking, set the plugs. A couple of taps with a hammer makes them all but invisible
Carpenter using circular saw on wooden decking
9. Trim decking for the picture frame. When the decking is completely installed, trim out space for the picture-frame pieces. Set the blade of the saw 1⁄8 in. deeper than the decking
Person using tool on wooden deck
10. Clean out the corners. Use an oscillating saw (shown) or a sharpened chisel to clean out the corners so the picture-frame decking will set in neatly

Tip

Store synthetic decking on a clean, level area. Support the stack every few feet. Avoid introducing bends you may have to wrestle later by stacking the planks neatly and evenly. Dew and rain won’t harm synthetics, but for ease of handling, cover them with a tarp at night.

Person handling wooden boards on grass lawn.

Making joints

With wood decks, it is possible to drill pilot holes and toenail fasteners into the joists. However, with time, cracks may show at the edge. A better approach for butt joints, and one required by some synthetic decking manufacturers, is to attach 2×4 cleats and install fasteners perpendicular to the surface.

Deck board joist installation illustration guide.
Wood router smoothing wooden deck surface
11. Round out the edge. To match the rounded factory edge of a picture-frame piece, use a router (shown) or other shaper to ease the cut edge of the decking
Person using a power saw outside in garden.
12. Cut miters. A sliding miter saw with a long stand makes it easy to cut synthetic decking exactly
Person constructing wooden outdoor furniture piece.
13. Test-fit. Cut scraps at precise 45-degree angles to test corners. If you spot a gap, make a slight adjustment in the cut for the final piece. The scraps also help position the mitered piece
Person drilling nails into decking boards outside
14. Fasten one side. To have a stable point of departure, fasten the first side of a miter completely before cutting and placing its mate
Person installing decking plank with screws.
15. Glue the miter join. Because synthetics are much more stable than wood, you can glue a miter joint so it doesn’t come apart later. Use glue sold or recommended by the decking manufacturer
Person building a deck with wooden boards.
16. Add the second piece. This picture-frame approach calls for two pieces of decking. Work your way around the deck, adding the second course

Tips

  • If for some reason you need to detach a piece of decking you’ve already fastened and plugged, don’t give up hope. Remove the plug by drilling a fastener into it and prying it upward and out.
  • A double course of decking in a contrasting colour gives your deck an elegant picture-frame effect.

Graphic Insets

Because synthetics come in a wide range of colours, won’t split even when cut into small pieces, and can be shaped and smoothed easily, they are ideal for graphic insets. This orca design was made with PVC decking on a fiberglass grid.

Man installing wood flooring on balcony deck.
Hot tub on a deck with orca design.

For best results with synthetic decking

  • Mix lots of synthetic decking to avoid any color shifts in the surface.
  • Flop every other board to vary the look of the grain.
  • Drill pilot holes for fasteners when close to the edge or at plank ends.
  • To prevent immediate or eventual splitting at the ends of boards, don’t overtighten fasteners.

Further reading

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *