scewing decking

Please excuse my rather simple question, it's my first time laying decking...

How far apart should you position the two screws when fixing the deck boards, how far from the edges, and do you screw into the channels or ridges on the boards?

Many Thanks

Convention is that you put screws into the 'channels' so that the heads are less visible.

Also don't go too close to the edge otherwise you may split the wood especially towards the deck board ends. Generally speaking I put the screws 2 'channels' in which equates to about 25mm from the edge. The tendency for the wood to split also depends to an extent on the shank of the screw and the thickness of the deck boards.

When screwing down the ends of the deck boards (which should land central to the joist) you can angle the screw so it gets hold of a bit more 'meat' on the joist. In other words, you can start 25mm from the end of the deck board (outside edge of the joist assuming 50mm joists)and angle it towards the joist so it gets a good grip.

Hope this helps...

it is also good practice to pre drill where you are using screws near the edge of the timber.to stop it from splitting.