Was watching an episode of hometime this weekend and saw them installing Ipe decking.
The method they used was a plastic biscuit with a hole in the middle for screws the bottom had a thick ridge to provide a spacer and also raise the biscuit off the deck and support it. Each board was slotted with a biscuit cutter, larger then the actual plastic biscuit.
The board was laid in place, then the biscuits were installed, predrilled using SS screws into the joists. Looked like they extended into the wood about 1/2 in or so. Then the next board matched up to it and so on and so forth.
No face nailing or other means of attaching it were show, I only caught a small portion of the show and I don’t know how they attached the first and last boards, I assume either face nailed or from underneath.
I was thinking it was a pretty snazzy little system, no face nailing or the hastle of trying to attach from below and the boards would be able to expand/contract with no fasteners in them at all.
So… Anyone used or seen it before, opinions, experience?
Replies
The most popular brand name is Eb-Ty, but there are others. The first step is to biscuit the board that is already laid, insert the plastic biscuit and then predrill and screw through the biscuit and board. The system takes a lot of time to work with, but the results are nice.
You should be able to find some threads by Pro-Dek where he used this. If I remember correctly, he used it on a Ipe deck. His pictures, thoughts, and finished product should still be out there somewhere.
The demos at the shows by the salesmen from EB-TY make it look fast and easy but most of the guys here who have used them don't seem too happy about the time involved.
Excellence is its own reward!
I have seen the system advertised somewhere, not too fond of the idea of water collecting in those slots.
Tom
The first and last boards of the EB-TY Hidden Deck Fastening System are fastened using a simple screw and plug method. The plugs, EB-TY's, and stainless steel screws are provided in each deck pack. The deck packs are broken down into the square footage size of the deck your building, both 3 1/2" and 5 1/2" width decking is calculated in the deck pack estimate. EB-TY's are used in 2x, 5/4", and 3/4" decking. By adjusting the hieght of the router or plate joiner, you will find the necessary placement of the EB-TY. Check out http://www.EBTY.com or http://www.swansecure.com
We've used the EB-Ty plastic bisquit fasteners numerous times, but we use them in conjunction with construction adhesive. Overkill maybe, but haven't had a single problem as a result. (Yes, we checked back on each of these jobs after a year and/or more)
I guess we were/are a bit skeptical about the inherent flexibility of the plastic bisquit alone being able to restrain the tendency of a plain sawn board desiring to cup. We were also concerned about the very trim headed screw that's provided with them perhaps pulling through the plastic if cupping forces were significant.
The look is great and we'll continue to use them in the future so long as we don't discover a reason not to. The extra time it took to install these wasn't a problem for us or the client because we work time-plus.
I'd suggest wiping Ipe with acetone or lacquer thinner before applying adhesive to insure a good bond.