Hi All,
I’m about to attach the decking to our new ground-level 16×20 outdoor deck that butts to our house. It will be 1×6 PT decking. The only info I’ve been able to glean about how to install decking from the outside in so that it meets the house squarely was from a H. Depot How To Deck Book. It recommends that you measure in from the outside of the deck to the ledger attached to the house at several points. Then snap a line one board width in from the outside and begin laying decking in towards the house.
My question is, how do you know how wide that last board butting the house is going to be given the differences in decking board widths? I just don’t want to screw all this decking in that have it come out wrong at the house. Any suggestions, guidance, or additions to my “booklearning” are greatly appreciated….
Dave
Replies
I don't think you should use 1x6, 5/4 or 2x is a much sounder decision. I'm a carpenter but by no means build decks everyday. I've tried several ways of predicting a full board measurment for a deck without much success. Maybe I'm missing something too. Why did I reply then? I think you should run you decking on a 45 degree diagonal. I think it looks better. It also increases the amount that the deck board bears on the joist.
Running boards on a diagonal also increases the span considerably. Enough so that it might prevent the use of 5/4 boards.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
May be too late as 45 also increases the open span on the decking material, I get the impression this is completely framed.
Probably be OK with 2x, not with 5/4 by my "local authority"'s standards.
Jim
Never unerestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
See Quicksilver's post re: 5/4 or 2x thickness on decking -- 1x6 is not legal here, 5/4 is minimum and must be on 16" centers.
Q: "...how do I know .. last plank.... against house...."
A: You don't when you start fastening. Lay 3 or 4 courses, measure, adjust gradually if needed. Example: if after 4 courses the left side is 1/8" shorter than the right, correct by laying the next few courses with a little wider gap on the left. Keep measuring as you go. We call it "humoring it up".
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Good advice.
Guys, sorry I misspoke: it is 5/4 decking, not 1x6. My main concern was that you'd get up to the house with the decking, then have to install a piece and inch and a half wide or so. Or is that acceptable? I guess it is what it is though...Dave
It is not acceptable to end up with a small piece at the house. I usually rip the last two boards to split the difference. For instance, in the worst case, you would have 6" left. You would need to rip the last two boards to 3". If you don't like the looks of these narrower boards you can spread this narrowness out over more courses.
One great advantage of doing this is that you can also lose any uneveness that occurs as you lay the decking down. If one end has a 7" gap and the other an 8" gap this can be lost in the last two courses without it being noticeable.
" rip the last two boards to 3 inches"
I see a lot of problem with that...if the 5/4 is on 16's center..I still see a foot breaking that 3" spike knot, right offa the kitchen door.
Don't ask me how I know that...
shins bleed more than a hog recently disemboweled. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Time, time, time look what's become of us..Time is all we have, spend it wisely with fervor..dance for no reason, love with out plans and live without worries..we all can.
Don't use 1x6 PT. You will be wasting your money. The slivers and infections will cost a bundle in medical bills. And you have to use Stainless tsteel fasteners so it doesn't fall apart in a couple of years from the reactions of normal nails and the new copper treated ACQ PT lumber.
Get Ipe` instead. Ten years from now, you will still be thanking me instead of cursing HD for selling you that crap.
BTW, did that book also tell you that decks should be built 18" off the ground so airflow can prevent molds and such?
and did it hint that you need to leave spaces between the deck boards?
Ther reason that you are reporting uneven widths in the lumber is that it has unequal amts of moiisture. once it stabilizes and drys, it will all be within a sixteenth inch of true to one another. IOW, The size of the gaps will change if the boards sizes vary now.
The answer to this is to calc what you need to have, say 5-5/8" with board and gap together. Then do a layout, snap lines, and lay to the lines, ignoring the gap sizes now.
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Where's Snort so we can argue over spacing it *G*
When I do a deck the way your doing it I always start from the house with a full board and always wind up with a full board at the end. What I do is with a dropped girder is keep it in about 2' and I leave the joists long, I don't cut the joist to a specific measurement and add the box on first because now your stuck with that measurement.
I run the decking out just about to the end and measure from the last piece of decking 4" because the 5/4 x 6 measures 5-1/2". That 4" mark is where I cut the joists and then I add my 2x box which will give me 5-1/2" which allows me to have a full board all the time at the end. Doing it that way you can't make a mistake and you'll always have a full board no matter what size decking you use and there's no trying to figure anything out.
Framer,
What a great solution! Thanks for taking the guesswork out of this part of the project - no ripped down decking!And thanks all for your help here.Dave
Any time Dave. Next deck you do try it that way.Joe Carola
Joe,That's exactly how we do it. Saves a lot of time and makes for a sharp looking installation with no ripped boards.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
"That's exactly how we do it. Saves a lot of time and makes for a sharp looking installation with no ripped boards"I agree with you. I always snap a line for the first board and then go from there and checking with a line as I go and making sure the last board before I cut the joist is straight with my line so it even with the box once I've cut the joists and nail the box on.Joe Carola
I've never thought of that. Probably 'cause most of our decks runn the decks perpendicular to the house to lead warter away, but I'll remeber that one.
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I just added a small porch off the west side for the grill to live on. I have advantech slapped on for the time being..LOL
Anyway, my current cost for Ipe is 2.85 a LF for S4S RE 3/4" 100% clear.
Is that close to what yours may cost?
I was thinking it is the "supply/demand" factor, or shipping costs that may make it a rollie coaster of an investment. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Time, time, time look what's become of us..Time is all we have, spend it wisely with fervor..dance for no reason, love with out plans and live without worries..we all can.
Wowser!I have been paying 1.15/LF on 1x4s for three or four years now
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I didn't see any 1x4....is that a T&G?
That might be cool..
dang it now I gotta do some math..drive to the Alantic ocean for Ipe at a good cost? Or just bite the bullet...(G) Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Square stock
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah, I love the stuff. I saw in your pic tho' that the edges were radiused..you router the decking too?
I often have re -radiuoused ( huh?) the edges of PTSYP, to try for a "good" appearance..I failed miserably.
Once I got into the swing of things with installing and dealing with Ipe..I can't see why it is not even more exploited.. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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It comes wiht that eased edgeI see yours is 3/4" too. is it 1x6? or something else? Is it generic Ipe` or marketed under the name ironwoods. That could account for extra cost of marketing and branding. Also, milling is hard and expensive, so addinga T&G edge would definitely run the cost up, but I think I had it priced once at about $1.45/LF for 1x4. Of course that would also reduce coverage rates
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I see yours is 3/4" too. is it 1x6? or something else?
Wait, ya lost me..isn't 3/4 still 3/4? Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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you said you never see 1x4, so it it 1x6, 1 x 8, 1x10?????
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Actual dim. is 3/4 x 5 and 1/2...I'd die to see a 1x10 or so... Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Last one I did was 1x6 Ipe at $1.60/ft. I live in Mass and Piffin lives in ME and a big distributor of Ipe, Coastal something is right between us, in NH. That might keep the prices lower for us.
The supplier I use also has Ipe railing, balusters, 2x8, 2x10, 4x4, 6x6, etc. They told me one time that a few decking crews will do the whole deck, framing, rails, surface, with Ipe. Waste of money and weighs a bloody ton, but whatever.
Edited 6/12/2005 2:27 pm ET by DDay
Ben,
You'll like it once you've done it. Just make sure you keep checking the rows with a chalk line so when you get to the end and cut your beams and add the box your last piece of decking is nice and straight with the box.