Stronger Decks
Bolt railing posts to the frame with 3/8-in. minimum-size carriage or hex bolts with nuts and washers. Don’t rely on deck screws or nails. In addition, you can easily retighten the bolts later if the post or framing lumber shrinks.
Install ledger flashing along the house to keep water from soaking into the siding and framing and causing rot. Skip this step and you’ll soon face premature deck failure and expensive repair bills on the house itself. The bent metal flange ($2 per 10-ft. strip at Home centers and lumberyards) routes water to the outside of the ledger, where it drips away or dries. It’s a few bucks well spent.
Increase joist depth one size above the minimum (for example, 2x10 instead of 2x8). Decks built to the minimum requirements often feel like a trampoline. Wider joists are stronger and stiffer, so they’ll eliminate that bounce. This will add $50 to $100 to your lumber costs, but the solid feel underfoot is worth it.
Apply a
deck
sealer,water repellent or semi-transparent stain every year or two
to keep deck boards and railings from cracking, splitting and warping. Keep in
mind that all unstained wood soon weathers to a silvery gray. Use cleaning and
brightening products only if you prefer the freshly milled
look.
Click image to enlarge.
Drive screws to
keep your deckboards solidly fastened. Nails will pop up from periodic wood
expansion and contraction. Screws won’t. The downside? Screws take about twice
as long to drive and cost more.
Buy special coated deck screws (5¢ each) for most applications. Buy stainless steel deck screws (10¢ each) for highly corrosive environments such as you’d find around saltwater. If you can find them, buy self-tapping deck screws so you don’t have to predrill board ends.
Tip
If the deck boards you’re installing are wet, drive the
screws surface so the heads slightly below the won’t stick up when the boards
dry out.
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Make sure overhanging roofs have gutters so water from the roof doesn’t dump down on the deck.
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Clean leaves and other debris from between deck boards annually to prevent rot.
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When using nails, choose double-dipped galvanized nails rather than other types of galvanized nails for greatest durability. Ask for them at your local lumberyard. (One source is Maze Nails, 800-435-5949, www.mazenails.com.)
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Consider composite decking (a combination of wood fiber and plastic) in damp climates, because it won’t rot, warp or split.
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Slope entire deck away from the house slightly (1/8 in. per foot) to help drain water away.
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