Laying down new boards on my deck

[wahoowad]

I'm planning on putting down new decking boards to replace my existing cracked, cupped and worn decking. My deck is 25 years old and it has lasted a pretty long time. The foundation boards/joists seem solid so my plan is to pop up a few boards at a time and nail down new replacement boards.

A couple questions...

What's the trick to nailing boards at the end without splitting? I always split boards when I nail or screw them down at the end. Predrilling would help but I don't see other folks needing to do this.

I considered some of the modern decking boards made of various plastics but have decided against it due to cost. This is just a facelift top decking job and not a total deck rebuild (I would use them for a total redesign). These top decking boards won't be in contact with soil so is it Ok to use non-treated boards? I think my Lowes has kiln dried deck boards that are not treated.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Jack Straw]

I place the end screws as far back as I can and I angle them out toward the end. If you are going to use untreated lumber, I would seal both sides of the boards. I would like to upgrade to Trex or similar, but it is expensive and can be slippery in the winter.

 

[PapaDave]

You could do as Jack says. I've used a nail gun with success, but I don't like the look.
Screws after predrilling is time consuming.
I've heard Trex and similar get hot in the sun.....anyone have experience with that?
I think the untreated would be ok for a couple years, then start degrading unless at least sealed all around. End cuts too.

 

[wahoowad]

If you are going to use untreated lumber, I would seal both sides of the boards.

You mean with a waterproofing like Thompsons?

 

[jebatty]

Untreated boards, such as pine, can work well, provided that they are not in ground contact and have good air circulation so that they don't stay wet but easily and quickly dry. I have 1" pine boards on our dock, fully exposed to the weather, which gets wet from the weather and when the dock is used for swimming, fishing, etc. It has been installed for about 10 years now and still is in good condition. The only boards failing are those that were of poor original quality (large knots and other big defects).

Treated lumber is fairly new. For a long time porches, stoops, etc. all were made of pine or fir, fully exposed to the weather, These have lasted for many, many years.

I also used pine boards, 1.25" thick, one coat all sides of a weather seal, for a sidewalk. These were nailed to a treated lumber frame. Some of these pine boards were in ground contact, none had good air circulation underneath, although they were not in ground contact. They lasted 5 years before needing replacement.

 

[Jack Straw]

Yes, but do some research (ie consumer reports) to find the best sealer. Are the treated boards that more than the untreated ones? I've never used untreated on a deck. My deck boards are treated and I use a sealer/stain on it. I just cleaned it and resealed it this weekend.

 

[greg13]

I always pre drill, but Kreg has a jig out to use hidden fasteners.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25067&site=ROCKLER

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Predrilling here too. I use 2 drills. That way I never have to switch bits. Some bits have flutes cut into them so maybe they do the predrilling for you.

Matt

 

[midwestcoast]

I pre-drilled & screwed the same way Matt says when I built my deck last fall. Screws hold the decking against cupping better than nails. Kiln dried will split much easier than pressure treated which is usually sopping wet when sold. You could also only pre-drill at the board ends.
+1 on pricing treated decking vs kiln-dried pine. It's pretty cheap & you may not save as much as you think.
Lay the decking bark-side up (end-grain makes a frowny face) so the edges curly down & don't trap water.
Lay PT boards tight to each other & they will space themselves as they dry. Kiln dried you'll want 1/8 or 1/4 inch between boards.

 

[Jags]

Watch out for the Trex type decking. I have a 12x14 and 20x16 deck of that stuff. It either needs a roof or direct sunlight to keep it from growing stuff on the surface. A wash down with a bleach and soap mix will help. The smaller deck is a screened in porch and the trex boards look new. The larger part of the deck has the sun blocked by very large pine trees and is constantly a pain (and I am not talking about pine needles/cones, just the decking itself).

Full disclosure: My company used to be a distributor of Trex. The stuff I am using is the first gen of the product. Rumor has it that a few things have changed about it, but we don't deal with it anymore, so I can't speak of the new product.

For the splitting of the ends...pre-drill and don't sink the bugle heads in any further than necessary. Try and lay the decking down when wet (green).

 

[woodgeek]

Just redid my deck planks with PT and also did the two drill thing to put down screws fast. My joist tops were getting a little soft in places, so I filled with penetrating epoxy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00081FVZK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

and covered them with:

http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Vycor-Plus-1Roll-75/dp/B000WWN2NI/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

before I put the new planks back down. Basically Grace Ice and Water shield in a 4" width tape to lay across the joist tops. Might add some life to your old joists if you are worried about that or see any deterioration starting that worries you.

 

[stee6043]

I have a 650 sq. ft deck that I built with Trex 6 years ago. I am as pleased with it today as I was the day I finished building it. I do get a little bit of green mold growth under the railings where it never gets sunlight. The rest of my deck basically gets direct sun for several hours each day and that is more than enough to keep it clean.

The ONLY maintainence my deck needs is a light powerwashing every two years and it looks brand new. The boards have a simulated grain in them and they are no more slippery when wet/frozen than any other board. It is not the lowest cost material but I'm confident I'm already past break-even vs treated lumber based on how frequently my neighbors are cleaning, staining and resealing their decks.

I highly recommend this stuff. Or any composite for that matter. I just liked the look and feel of the Trex vs some of the others out there. Especially the Trex railing system. They have a very nice looking setup, in my opinion...

 

[semipro]

We're in the process of flipping the 2x6 PT deck boards on our deck. After 20 years the boards are getting checks and splinters but are still sound and the bottoms look good. They weren't all installed bark side up so that flipping shouldn't cause problems there.

Can anyone here tell me why I shouldn't increase the space between our boards to about 3/8" or even 1/2"? The spacing now is about 3/16" to 1/4" and the gaps are constantly filled with tree detritus that is very hard to remove even with a pressure washer or hand tools. This gunk keeps the water from draining well and obviously contributes to the deterioration of the boards.

 

[Jack Straw]

Can anyone here tell me why I shouldn't increase the space between our boards to about 3/8" or even 1/2"? The spacing now is about 3/16" to 1/4" and the gaps are constantly filled with tree detritus that is very hard to remove even with a pressure washer or hand tools. This gunk keeps the water from draining well and obviously contributes to the deterioration of the boards.[/quote]

As long as you don't have women in high heels walking around on it I don't see a problem and if you do have that good for you!

 

[midwestcoast]

High heels, maybe tripping hazard for very small kids, aesthetics, losing your fork when it drops off the table...
Those are about the only probs I could see.
Check codes if you haven't already.

 

[semipro]

High heels...wouldn't have thought of that. I doubt our deck has ever seen a set of high heels and I kind of hope it never does. That would be way too formal for our lifestyle.

 

[Jack Straw]

I like to run a string or snap a chalk line so the screws all line up!

 

[Crane Stoves]

I like to run a string or snap a chalk line so the screws all line up!

LOL....now thats a fine eye for detail that ive never seen before!

I assume your using PT (i dont think many people use KD for exterior decks anymore since there really is no cost savings). On my own decks i use mahogany and i do NOT touch anything with thompsons or any other sealer/oil because the second you do it...you will have maintenance every year forevermore (and i prefer maintenance free) it will turn a nice silver grey in time.

as far as not splitting the ends of the boards you really need to simply predrill and screw them (its easy, its time tested and its cheap)!

 

[wahoowad]

So nailing down is not as good as screwing down?

I guess I could screw the middle of the boards down first, get them all locked down, then come back at the end and do all the end boards (predrill, screw down)..???!!

 

[Jack Straw]

I nailed mine 16 years ago and it's been fine.

 

[midwestcoast]

Nails pull-out easier than screws so if the boards want to cup & warp the screws will hold them better. Go ahead with nails if you want to. No big deal. There are plenty of decks still being laid down with nails, even by pros. They wouldn't be using them if all their customers were calling them back to fix problems.
+1 on lining-up your screw/nail lines. Wandering nail/screw lines look shoddy IMO.

 

[ironpony]

I like to run a string or snap a chalk line so the screws all line up!

make sure you do not use red chalk it will never come off..............................................

 

[Jack Straw]

make sure you do not use red chalk it will never come off..............................................

Yes, I have snapped a few lines on different jobs that were a problem getting the line off....great point!

 

[lukem]

So nailing down is not as good as screwing down?

I guess I could screw the middle of the boards down first, get them all locked down, then come back at the end and do all the end boards (predrill, screw down)..???!!

If you are using wet PT lumber, you're going to want to fasten the ends down as you go. You want to pull them tight against each other working from one end of the board to the other, fastening as you go. Most boards have some bow to them are you can pull that bow out and keep it straight if you start from one end and work to the other, moving the board as necessary to take the bow out. When the lumber dries, you'll have adequate spacing...so don't worry about making them too tight against each other.

Ideally you want your decking to have some overhang on your joists, about 1/2" - 3/4"...and considering you want to fasten in the center of the joist, that should mean you are screwing 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" from the end of the board. They shouldn't crack too bad if you avoid fastening where a crack is already trying to develop...pre-drill those...

 

[begreen]

I always pre drill, but Kreg has a jig out to use hidden fasteners.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25067&site=ROCKLER

+1 I predrilled every hole then screwed them down with stainless screws. That was 3 years ago and so far not a single split.