How-To
How to Install Hardwood Decking and Skirtboards
Learn tips for cutting and fastening dense exotic hardwoods like Brazilian Teak, Cumaru, or Ipe.
Installing Cumaru Skirtboards and Decking: Brazilian teak, commonly referred to as Cumaru, is a dense, beautiful, tropical hardwood. On this deck, we’ll be using Cumaru for the skirt that hides the framing and underside of the deck, as well as for the picture frame deck border and main field of the deck. We’ll cover the techniques for cutting, drilling, and fastening the decking, with a special focus on working with hidden fasteners that work with our grooved planks, as well as a method for concealing surface holes with matching wood plugs.Read the related articles:
The Complete Guide to Building a Deck: Woodbury Conn.
Videos in the Series
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Ultimate Deck Build -
Ultimate Deck Build: Fastening a Ledger to Concrete -
Ultimate Deck Build: Pouring Accurate Concrete Piers -
Ultimate Deck Build: Building and Leveling a Beam -
Ultimate Deck Build: Framing the Deck -
Ultimate Deck Build: Pouring and Finishing Concrete Slabs -
How to Install Railing Posts for Cable Rails -
Ultimate Deck Build: Cutting and Installing Stair Stringers -
How to Install Hardwood Decking and Skirtboards -
Installing Cable Railings
View Comments
I have read that a wood deck boards can cup when installed this close to grade, compounded by lack of ventilation when the deck is enclosed. Apparently caused by the underside being exposed to moist air while the top side can dry. I am building a similar deck 24" above grade, enclosed on all sides in Vancouver BC. Would you recommend wood or composite in my case?
fpeters151, A solution is to stain both faces (and edges) of your deck boards before installation. (I was told by a craftsman of fine furniture that in fact both the top and bottom of tables, head and foot boards, etc are sprayed with lacquer to prevent cupping.) Install some decorative vents in the skirt boards as well. You can also read about the ring (grain) orientation of boards and how they cup.
After cutting the deck boards, I stained the ends and then rubbed paraffin wax onto those ends and melted it in with an old iron to prevent splitting.
At 24", you have room and I would strongly recommend that you fasten the boards from below using angle bracket channels, specifically for the purpose, which you can buy at your Orange box store.
Used 5/4 cedar over 12" joists, myself, and ended up with a beautiful surface free of the screws or nails that lead to surface finish failure, that I can sand with a large plate sander at some point in the future if I wish. In the fall I sand and touch up where chair legs have damaged the deck and each spring I wet mop it and apply another coat. Use a quality hybrid stain and haven't had a problem.--coming up 4 years old now.
A bit surprised that a self adhesive membrane wasn't laid over each of the joists to repel water, especially after the edges were planed of their protective P.T. surface. P.T. will rot and I fear that the Cumaru will outlast the P.T. structure. (I used roofing material that I cut into strips-which was quite a bit cheaper than a product (by Grace) that one can purchase specifically for this purpose.)
Interesting to see the differing deck building codes (regs) in various parts of the U.S.A. and here in Canada.