Timber Deck Construction

When building or constructing a timber deck its’ important to plan your deck correctly. Their are four main areas that make a great deck:

1. Deck Design
2. Deck Construction techniques
3. Decking Timber Selection
4. Deck Finishes

Deck Design

When designing your deck it is really important to plan your deck with the purpose in mind. For example: you may want to expand the living area or your home, or a BBQ area, or a place to have family dinners at a large table. So designing your deck with your purpose in mind always helps to get it right. The next part of designing a timber deck is to consider the deck construction.

• How will it fit the house?
• Do you need steps?
• Do you want to have the deck at the same level as the house floor or step down?

Asking these type of questions will help you define the design and construction of your timber deck. Make a plan drawing of your deck with exact measurements checking the design with the house to make sure it fits. For more on Deck design check out our deck pages.

Construction techniques

Over the years I have constructed many timber decks of all shapes and sizes with many different design elements, however all the deck have the same construction components.

• Posts or footings
• Bearers
• Joists
• Timber decking boards

No matter the design you will need these parts of make a deck.

Step one: Set out the Deck

The first step in timber deck construction is to measure and mark out your deck using builders string or marking spray paint. Make sure it is square to the house (double check) and then dig out your foundations and concrete in your galvanised stirrups ready for your posts. Make sure you use deck span tables to get the correct spacing and timber sizing.

The second step is to install your posts and bearers using galvanised bolts to secure the bearers to the posts and coach bolts to fix the bearer to the house. This bearer is also known as the whaler beam and connects the deck to the house.

Step Three: Install Your decking Joists

Step three is to layout and install all of your joists. The spacing should be 500mm or 20 inches apart as this is the correct span for the decking boards. Fix the timber joists to the bearers using galvanised brackets or by skew nailing them in place. Skew nailing is the easiest method and is the simple term for nailing the joist to the bearer at about a 45 degree angle.

Step Four: Install the Decking Boards

Nailing down your decking boards is the last step in the construction of a timber deck and it is important of leave a 3mm or o.118 inches gap between the boards when you install them. This allows for expansion and for water to pass through which will help keep the boards in good condition. Make sure you use galvanised or stainless steel nails so they don’t rust.

For more details and step by step deck construction check out our decking pages.

Timber Selection

Many people build a deck with just the price in mind and it is the largest consideration. However timber selection also has a large influence on the look and beauty of the deck. There are many beautiful timber colours from reds, yellows, pinks, and browns or a combination of these colours. Treated pine is the cheapest decking boards available and can be stained to look like some of the more beautiful timbers and this is a great option if you are on a tight budget. However if you can afford to pay the extra there are many beautiful hardwoods with natural rich colours that will out last and will always look better than treated pine.

Decking Finish

To finish your deck off and protect it from the elements you will need to coat it with decking oil or with acrylic decking coating. The decking oil is the cheapest and will last about 6 months to a year on a fully exposed deck before the need to re-coat. Acrylic decking coating can last up to four years but will last at least two years and will also bring out the colours in the timber better then decking oil.

For more of deck construction and decking tips check out our deck section.

 

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