A few questions about deck flooring construction best practices
JohnEnglish
| Posted in General Discussion on
I have a few questions regarding best practices when laying the flooring boards on a deck.
– I’d like to do a 45 degree layout for the floor boards with picture framing around the edges. Should I install the floor boards first, trim them with a track saw, and then install the picture framing?
– With the picture framing, do people usually just use one or two 6″ wide boards for the frame? I was thinking of using a 8″ or 10″ wide board just to emphasize the framing (I was planning on using 2″ x 6″ boards, not 5/4″ x 6″)
– For the stair runs, is there any advantage to using a single 2″ x 12″ as opposed to using two 2″ x 6″? I realize the step will be 11-1/2″ deep with the single 2″ x 12″ as opposed to 11″ with the two 2″ x 6″ boards.
Replies
For the frame and stair treads I’d stay away from wider boards. They hold more water and are more likely to cup. I think a 2x12 is not a good stair tread, I’d go with two 6” boards so you have that nice drainage slot in the middle. Just my 2 cents
I agree. Also, wider boards will result in a greater gap between boards due to wood's cross-grain shrinkage.
That shrinkage is real. I used a speed square to space the boards on my deck and a year later some of the gaps were around 1/2" wide. I've heard some people say not to leave any space at all, and when all is said and done you will end up with a 1/4" or so gap. I'm curious as to what other people do.
I bring in my lumber, put stickers between layers and cover it with corrugated roofing for 2-3 weeks just to allow a bit of air drying. Most folks think it takes too much time but then I think it’s faster in the end. I also make my cuts to square the ends and then seal all six sides before I fasten them
OK, thank you very much. Two 2” x 6”s it is.