Laying Deckboards

Hey all
Im at the stage where I am laying my deckboards.
We have chosen to go for twist nails instead of screws...I think this may be a descion I will regret as Im worried i"ll bend nails and dent my deckboards...no confidence LoL.

What is the key to laying deckboards?
I have noticed not all boards get nailed into the same joist, and you must drill a pilot hole, but how do you do it?

ie.
do you stagger them, so 1 board is, lets say 2 meters, and the next one is 1 meter...

Advice would be greatley appreciated.

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Originally Posted by oohsam

Im at the stage where I am laying my deckboards.
We have chosen to go for twist nails instead of screws...I think this may be a descion I will regret as Im worried i"ll bend nails and dent my deckboards...no confidence LoL.

What is the key to laying deckboards?

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If you haven't done it before, invest in a copy of Alan Staines book "The
Australian Decks & Pergolas Construction Manual". (This is probably
the single most important piece of advice you can get.)

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I have noticed not all boards get nailed into the same joist, and you must drill a pilot hole, but how do you do it? ie. do you stagger them, so 1 board is,
lets say 2 meters, and the next one is 1 meter...

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If you're talking about joining two decking boards on a joist, yes the join
positions should be staggered so they don't all line up along the same joist.
Also, fasteners should be offset on each board.

As for pilot holes, just put some tape around a drill bit so that you only
drill through the decking board itself. (This assumes HW decking over
TP joists. For HW joists, you need a pilot hole all the way down.) Screws
are probably a more-controllable choice of fastener if you're not using
a nail gun. They also have far more reliable holding power.

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Advice would be greatley appreciated.

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Get Staines' book.

If you're using a 2.80mm gauge titadeck twist shank galv nail, then you shouldn't have to pre drill them, except for at the ends. I just tried it out on a piece of 90x19mm merbau that I had left over from my deck, and there were no problems.
I didn't pre drill mine, but I used a thinner gauge straight shank bullet head galv nail. I don't like the look of the big dome heads so I punch and puttied mine and it's a very neat small hole. My joists are second hand (almost petrified) hardwood though, not TP like yours. I did have to drill a couple of the harder joists though.

You don't need to buy a book to lay a bit of decking. I'd use a 3.15mm gauge nail as a spacer, and I'd start with a nice straight piece, 3.15mm away from your house. Run it past your house, the full length of your deck, and nail it home, then put your head down and sight along it to check that it's straight.
Check it for parallel with the outer ends of your joists, then away you go nailing down a half dozen boards just using your nail as a spacer.
Stick your head down again at the end and sight along it checking it for any bows that may be developing, and check that you're still running parallel with your joist ends. You shouldn't be too far out, but lets say that it's bowing inwards about 5mm, and the measurement at one end is 2000mm, and at the other it's 2005mm. With the next board, at the narrow end, before you nail it right home lift the spacer nail out and squeeze the board in half a mickey hair. In the middle, lean the spacer nail slightly so the gap is a mickey hair bigger. At the wide end leave the spacer as standard. With a half millimetre adjustment on each board, you'll take out a ten millimetre discrepancy in twenty boards. You could even go a full millimetre on each board and it would never be noticed. Of course if you check each board from the start, then you'll never be that far out.

If you're fanatical then you can set out your boards dimensionally so you get a full board at the outer edge, or you can plane down a bit off the last few boards (or stretch the gaps a tiny bit) to ensure that you don't have a narrow rip at the end, or you can nail a 4x2 on the end of your joists to support a full board at the end if that's what's needed. It can always overhang a little bit as well. I generally work it out somehow so I don't have a narrow rip along an edge or against the house.

I think you're better off starting away from your house and working back in - that way if you need a part board, it isn't right at the end, it is pressed hard against your house. This is the way that tilers work and (I think) what Staines recommends in his book.

I suggest pre-drilling for nails - otherwise it is hard going and you bend lots of nails. I did use very hard decking though.

I recommend a jig for the pre drilling - that takes the guess work out of where to drill the pilot holes. There is nothing worse than nail holes wandering all over the place. It looks good when you look down the line of the nails and they are all dead straight.

I posted a thread a few years ago with a jig deisgn. Let me know if you can't find it and I will try to dig it up.

Trav

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Originally Posted by Trav

I think you're better off starting away from your house and working back in - that way if you need a part board, it isn't right at the end, it is pressed hard against your house. This is the way that tilers work and (I think) what Staines recommends in his book.

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That's how I'd usually start as well, but with his deck it runs past the house in line with it so I'd definitely put a full board there, and I'd check before I laid the last ten boards then plane them down, up to 5mm each board, or adjust the gaps to get a full board at the outer end as well. Even if I had to overhang it a bit, or attach a 4x2 to the end to support it.

Geez pawn head, lots of great info in detail there...that all makes perfect sense.

and you're right pawn head, I will be starting at my house as I want a full board to sit at the front when you open the door and then when I get to the end I'll plane down the boards to fit..who knows I might get lucky and it would just all fit in nicely! LOL...as if thats happend!

When butting up two boards together, do I mitre cut them they sit flush ?
I dont think I'll be bying that book.....So if you know the ansers to my quesiton, save me a few quid!

Cheeers so far guys, you've all been great.
I'll probably be getting 140x19mm boards in merbu anyway, which Means i"ll need to screw them in with deck screws..

Lookin up that jig thing now.

Just butt them square in the middle of a joist. If you're not getting razor tight joints, then it helps to undercut them a tad. If you're using a square/protractor and a power saw, then set it tilted at a couple of degrees, and remember to cut from the right side. If you're using a drop saw then don't use chocks to get the boards level with the base plate. Just let them lean up at a slight angle and cut from the top of the board. You might want to put a thin scrap between the base plate and the board, just near the blade, if you're worried about it hanging in the air where you're cutting it. That way you don't need to keep flipping your saw from one side to the other. You can set it up in the middle, and cut boards in both directions, either end.

Run the boards past at the end, and cut them off afterwards.

That jig might be a good idea. I just use my eye, but I'm pretty careful. I've seen some crooked looking nail lines in the past (by others :wink:), and they don't look good. It would be more apparent with screws as well. A pencil line down the centre of your joists before you start helps if you need it, but it would be best to make a simple jig that you hold against the joist and the board. It would give you the exact location of each screw, the correct distances from the edge of the board. :2tsup:

Thanks Pawnhead. Great tips there.
I cant find your post about a jig but I found another where a guy was making one for a door he was cutting. I have made one already. I have Drilled the holes through it to so all I need to do is put the jig, and then put the drill bit in the holes and drill away!!
Then the screws go in easily!

Such a great Idea...so simple but the results would be great.

if u emd up with the 140 board, and thus screwing, measure your distances off at the start, and space to finish at the end - I've always chosen to either face the joist end with a perpendicular board cladding or an overlap top board with perpendicular cladding - this gives alittle lee way for whether the end board overhangs a bit or finishes flush.

Merbaus is fine for nailing without pre drill except at ends - belian usually needs pre drill, Balau can be nailed

As strangerep has mentioned, it's best not to drill into the joists if they're soft TP. If you set up your jig at the right thickness, and your drill bit protruded the right distance, then it should stop just through the board.
Depending on the screws, and the hardness of the boards, you may need to countersink them, especially to prevent them splitting at the ends. But be careful not to go too deep. Best to be a little bit short and rely on the screws biting in and pulling down your required distance. If you want them flush with the surface, and not below, then you may find it difficult. It helps if you stop the driver just short of flush, then use hand pressure on the chuck to get them dead flush at the end.
With time and shrinkage you may find that they start protruding after a while and you have to go around re tightening them.