Decking

[Wallicio]

Hi,

I have never erected decking before but am told its fairly simple, Joists and Decks. Joists on the floor, Decks on top.

I have different advice about how to erect it, 1 person says Flatten ground, lay weed matting down, then concrete slabs, then joists then the deck.

Another bit of advice was to make a frame just on top of the weed matting then decks on top.

Another was to put matting down then work the joists out from the house and deck on top.

As you can imagine I am a novice and unsure of what advice to take. whether to screw the deck in or nail it? whether softwood is better than hard?

not a scooby.

I have a fair amount to deck from the house outwards in a kind of L shape up to 3 sides fence and two sides house.

Can anybody tell me what the tradesmans solution is to decking as I am fairly confused.com

Thanks

 

[mattylad]

kill all weeds, use the weed prevention liners, ensure ALL wood used is treated, leave 1/4" gaps between each deck piece to ensure adequate airflow under decking (stops it rotting) and search online for further instructions, there must be some.

Use a spirit level & a tape measure, measure everything 3 times

If you just put wood into the ground it will eventually rot, will also sink.
Some good foundation stones may bee needed.

 

[Wallicio]

quality cheers, would it be better to make a frame or just work from one end to the other?

 

[breezer]

when tommy walsh does it he makes the frame with nogins first
then fits it, be that with or without legs

 

[megawatt]

Be careful about the 1/4" gap ... If the wood is still moist following treatment and you fit it with 1/4" gaps the gap will be so big in the height of summer that you'll be losing your kids

I prefer 1/8" with newly treated timber as the gap never get's smaller but can grow some when the wood dries out and it still looks neat ... There's nothing that looks worse than decking with large gaps between boards ugh!

MW