Hardwood Decking attachment to brick?

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Hi everyone. I've had a small retaining wall built my garden (U shape) that's going to incorporate a hardwood deck in the middle. I'm just about to build the base but the problem I have is that the first two boards span a course of bricks that is acting as a step up onto the decking platform. As such I can't add any deck joists underneath as the step would look ridiculous, and to complicate matters even further I'd like to use a hidden deck fastening system

Any advice would be much appreciated
 
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Hi,

Ok here is the area where the deck will be

The deck boards will run parallel to, and on top of, the step at the bottom of the first image. They need to be secured as in the second image (for some reason this forum keeps inverting my image so you'll have to turn your eyes upside down!)
View media item 52218
 
Are you intending to have that one course wall along the front visible, or will it either become you finished ground level on the outside or be faced with the hardwood? If it won't be visible then either raise the deck height by 25mm and use some timber to support the front edge or drill and fix into the top of the wall and cut timber plugs to fill the holes so they are not visible. My preference would be the drill-screw-plug method as the edge boards often wobble after a while if not secured down.
 
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That picture is much clearer. It will need to be drilled, screwed and plugged. What wood is that - it looks like Ipe? Most hardwoods are pretty easy to cut cores from - just select an offcut that has similar colouring to the piece you are drilling and cut a series of plugs from it and sink your screws in about 25% below the surface. You'll need a plug cutter set and some wood glue but they are easy to install.

Check out http://www.hiddendeckfasteners.com/install.html for a walkthrough. They are using the EB.TY fixing system which is my favourite so I would recommend them if you haven't already bought something else. Packs of fixings will come with aboout half a dozen Ipe plugs pre-cut to save you time. Fitting instructions for them are here: http://www.silvatimber.co.uk/media/pdfs/ebty-instructions.pdf
 
Thanks for the reply, it's just what I'm looking for. Would you add any spacers underneath the wood to stop it getting damp? The deck is Cumaru and I'm really happy with the batch I've been sent. There's no pre-drilled grooves on the side of the boards so I'm leaning towards the CAMO hidden deck fastening system at the moment.
 
Cumaru is a beautiful wood - it looks a lot like cedar when untreated but with the benefits a hardwood gives you. Please come back with some photos when you've finished. :)

I would sit them on 3mm double glazing spacers every 300mm or so to stop them being permanently damp and screw each side of the first board every 1200mm or so (work out the spacing based on your run width).

I've never used CAMO but it looks like you just screw through the boards at an angle? When I lay Ipe decks I never use the pre-grooved boards as they can't be used where the edged will be visible so I just use a biscuit jointer where the joists are.

With biscuit fixings you only need to screw and plug your first and last row of boards but if you are using diagonal screws and can accurately drill holes in the wall then you will only need to drill and plug the outermost edges of the first and last row.
 

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