DIY Deck Part 9 - Fastening Deck Boards 

Thank you for your kind comment.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Just tore up a deck that collapsed and did it the right and safe way. So in other words, some of you old guys need to pay attention to this too.

Thank you for your question. It depends on your taste. I like board-&-batten or clapboard siding.

Thank You for the nice comment.

Thank you for the nice comment.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Thank you for your nice comment.

Thank You.

Thank you for the nice comment.

Thank you for your kind comment.

Thanks, I'm glad I could help.

Thank You.

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Thanks b I

Thank you for your nice comment.

Thank You.

Yea, I've experienced cracking when I don't predrill.

Thank You.

Thank you for your nice comment. My deck boards dried out and left a gap of 1/8" to 3/16", too.

Glad this video was helpful.

Thank you, Yogi. Pic-a-nic basket or a 12 pack?

@@BasaPete 😂 The 12 pack is in the basket! Lol

Thank You.

Thank you for your comment. And thanks for joining the debate on cup up or cup down.

Thank you for your nice comment.

Thank you.

Thank you for your kind comment.

I once spent an enjoyable week hiking in the Swiss Mountains with a bunch of Irish guys. Does that count? Thank you for the nice comment.

It only counts if you drank Guinness.. even then I’d say you were a bit of a Paddy.. Stay Safe ✌️

@@BasaPete 8

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thank you for your comment.

Thank you for your comment. Good luck with your project.

Thank you for your nice comment. The old siding was replaced after I finished the deck.

Thank You. Glad It was helpful.

Thanks for your comment. It's not so much about honesty as it is about mill settings. Variations seem to occur between different batches of lumber, especially if they're done different mills.

That table saw came off an old fishing trawler, and it still works great.

Thank you for your nice comment and question. I use Cut-N-Seal. It comes in two colours, cedar, and light brown.

Old dogs and new tricks. Sometimes the new tricks aren't near as good as the old ones. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks.

Thank you for the nice comment.

You're Welcome.

Thank you. I take that as a compliment.

@@BasaPete you bet .

Thank you for your comment. I usually don't block joists that are under ten feet in length unless the joists are weak. Example 2"x4" or maybe 2"x6".

Thank you for the comment. Question #1: yes, I screw the decking to each joist. Question #2: yes, you should go back and do every joist. Question #3: #10 decking screws will be fine. Actually, they hold much stronger than #8s.

Thank you for your comment. Bark-side-up or bark-side-down is a very debatable topic. Several years ago I took two 1"x8" boards, one with bark-side-up and the other bark-side-down, and believe or not, both boards cupped toward the bark. Weird!

Basa Pete yup..... maybe if it’s kiln dried it doesn’t matter..... I paid extra for kiln dried 5.7m lengths to avoid butt joints so fingers crossed.....

For those who have one straight wall to measure off of, it is a piece of cake. My wall is very compound. Needed to use 7 different ledger boards. It is quite impossible to measure for square. I just eyeballed everything.

Thank you for the comment. You're correct about the splinters, but also when the center of the tree is in the board there's very little cupping.

Thank You.

Yes, I'm sure. I've had boards that cupped and buckled so bad that they popped off the screw heads.

absolutlely, smile down, unless you want to walk across and trip every other step

I do it the opposite way myself, I was always taught that it was always crown down. Thats what I remember on a deck I don't like crown up myself. Yes the screws will pop on occasion, with crown up they snap to though. The difference is it won't stick up as bad with the crown down. Boards stick up and you trip on them. I showed a friend recently how to do it because of that exact reason. I wouldn't recommend not leaving any gap either, the water will not be able to drain when it does swell up. If you do it with dry wood and it swells up, there's a good chance that boards may bow because they have no where to swell up. If the wood is new and freshly cut it won't be as bad, when they swell up the water will have no where to go over time though. Dirt and stuff like that will get in between the spaces, if it swells in the rain the dirt and grime acts like a gasket over time. The water will follow the least path of resistance, if it's towards the house it will eventually get into the house over time from rot that is caused by the standing water till it finds a way to drain. The reason there's a good chance it goes towards the house is from settling of the house on new conduction especially. Old construction not as much but the gap is good to have. In any climate the water can drain through every piece and won't build up in one spot. Me personally i like to use a piece of wood thats bowed bad for a cut piece. I will try to prevent having to put it in so it dosent twist up in time thats me though. He did do a really good job on the whole deck and gives a lot of good tips to people on a lot of the processes. Always pay attention to an older person when they are talking or teaching you something. Sometimes it may sound like rambling but a person that has been on this planet for 60 or 80 years will know and have seen a lot in that time. I've always respected my elders as I come closer and closer myself they will talk a lot and if you listen in between what people think is rambling on there will be a lot of very good knowledge. This man took his time to film it and give his knowledge to us I'm thankful that people still do that. Nice job if you read this and thank you for the videos, people like him help save the average person good hard earned money thank you. May you be blessed with the time you have on this earth👍👍

@@thecollector5316 Thank you for the nice comment and building tips. Rings facing up or rings facing down seems to always start a good debate. As for spacing between deck boards, what you said is correct. Also, climate plays a role in spacing. My deck boards were butted up close during installation, but now there's a 1/8 - 1/4-inch gap.

@@BasaPetethe reason that I say it's good to leave a space cause if the wood gets to saturated it will swell. The only way that it wouldn't is if the wood didn't suck the water back in at all. They butted the joints on the house that I'm in and I have to take it all apart for that reason. The water dosent go between the decking and pools up towards the house to the point where there's moss growing along the whole side of the house. I'm gonna try to get it done somehow this year but I gotta defiantly get it done after winter. When we get long rain storms or flash flood conditions the water comes in every time right into the basement. That was the only reason I said anything at all because of what I'm going through. If they had spaced it the water would run right through no matter how much it swells up. That deck is gonna be there for a long time you braced and built that like a pro. I've seen some hack jobs in my life and yours was NOT one of them. You braced that bad boy real good and gave good advice. I've seen decks on the 3rd floor no where near as well built and sturdy as yours. For anyone who is looking to build a deck and don't know how, you just watched part of how to do it right. If you go to the first parts of this series and watch it from the beginning you'll know how to build one sturdy deck. He pretty much shows You what you'll need to know to build a good deck. You may need to tweak a few things depending on climate and code thats it. If your are going to leave a gap you have to factor it in on each piece for the ripper at the house. The reason I say that is cause it looks like you fastened it down at the edge (outside) of the deck. Close to the house where you cut the ripper also looked fastened down. At that point if you don't have the right measurements the ripper will be off. At that point you'll have to rip another ripper and put it in or take the ripper you have already thats the wrong size and recut it. I used to leave about a 1/8th of an inch for each board and factor it into the measurement. I would tack the ripper so if it feel perfect it was in place. If it needed to be tweaked at all you could take it right out and do whatever you need to do. I always made my adjustment a few boards to the end so everything isn't nailed. Then cause you have to rip the piece close to the house it's only tacked you make your adjustment now nail the ripper. Then put the last 2 pieces in and it would fit perfect.

Thank you. The sealer is Cut-N-Seal.

I was going to paint the flashing the colour of the house (brown), but then changed my mind and stayed with white the colour of the trim.

Thanks for the tip.

they add a lot of work and cost but make a great finished look.

@@BasaPete You wouldn't like them as they are spaced and will shrink more.

I always do to get a nice edge . Factory edges are not always strait . End cut preservative from any lumber or big box store ( Home Depot )

Thanks for the question. I didn't use Phillips head screws. I used Robertson square-head screws. I've never seen anyone use hex type screws for decking.

Thank you for your question. I used strips of Ice and Water Shield. You can watch this video to see how it's done. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q5K-dfcku5s.html

An old chalk line, I've had for years and years.

Thank you for your comment. Yes, the hardware store knows about flashing.

Thank you for your question. The corner boards meet in a weave or step pattern. Looks nice.

Thank you for your comment. Using Cut N Seal should prolong the life of my deck by 10 - 20 years. Of course, it depends on the climate in your area.

Thank you for your question. We used nails long before the deck screws came along. The problem with nails, they have a tendency to back out a little. But, that's only a problem if you have to shovel snow off your deck.

Thabk you for your comment.

Thank you for your commrnt.

Thanks for your comment. She's also a great mouser. Ha!Ha!

Thanks, I'll have to try that on my next project. Pre-drilling takes a lot of extra time.

Are you using an impact or a drill to set screws?

Thank you for your question. I used ice and water shield. Check out this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q5K-dfcku5s.html

@@BasaPete thanks!

Thank you for your comment. Wood grains up or down? Take a wide board (1x6 or 1x8) with wood grains curving to one side and lay it out in the weather. Then, in a week or two check which way the cup is facing. I did this same experiment with three different boards and they all cupped against the grains. Strange. Deck board ends? As long as each board meets in the middle of the joist you should have no problem. The only problem I've ever had is the ends of the deck boards rotting. A good sealer should help to prevent that. Flashing? Yes, I caulked the end of the flashing. I should have included that in the video.

Ice and water shield cut into strips to protect the joists. I don't recommend using ice and water shield. It is very dangerous to cut into strips. I recommend using the proper self-adhesive joist guard.

74 and you're still at it. Well done. I hope I'm able to still build things at that age, power tools or not. 10 more years to go.

Thank You. I'd like to have one, but I'm waiting for a cordless to go on sale at an affordable price.

@@BasaPete They do, all the time.

Thanks for your comment. I've never experienced that before with aluminum.

Green treated eats aluminum, the new brown stuff does not.

@@curtisst.pierre99 I'm going to talk with experts at the building supplies. If this is true there should be a warning label. Thanks.

@@BasaPete There is a warning on the trim coil box stating never to be used with treated lumber. There are times I had to and was told, paint the bottom side with a prime paint you must use stainless steel screws.

Thank you for your comment. No corrode-oxidize as of yet. However, there is a little oxidized discoloration on some of the zinc-plated fasteners. Nothing to worry about, though.

Thank you for your question. To understand the cupping of wood, take a new board and let it dry. Surprisingly, the smile (as you call it) won't turn into a frown, but the board will cup opposite to the smile.

Thank you for your question. If your foundation is made of concrete, no worries. If it is made of wood and has good ventilation, no worries.

@@BasaPete I meant to say if the floor joists were soaking wet

@@Eastbaypisces If you have good ventilation it shouldn't be a problem. A closed-in deck with no ventilation will prematurely rot your joists.

@@BasaPete do i need to make sure my boards run all the way across to other side or could i split one, so say its 9' but i only have 8' long board, can i do that??

@@Eastbaypisces Yes, as long as the split lands on the centre of a joist. Be sure to seal the ends of the boards after you make your cut.

Cut and Seal is a waterproofing sealer for pressure-treated wood. You can get it most building supplies.

@@BasaPete I order mine from Amazon. It comes in different sizes.

Thank you for your nice comment. Here in my neck of the woods, wood always shrinks, especially in direct sunlight.

Ahhhhhh, I've seen dry wood put in tight and when it gets humid or wet, it swells and buckles at the joints. So its not true that it always shrinks. Depends how dry or wet the lumber is when its put in place.

Sure if the wood is super dry but it's never like that at the store .

@@AnonYmous-qg4ph Thanks for weighing in. True, it depends on the moisture content of the boards. However, in my experience in my neck of the wood even kiln dry wood will shrink a little. Mind you, if I lived in a humid climate shrinkage may not be the norm and I'd have to adjust the gap between the boards.

Thanks for the comment. South Shore of Nova Scotia. And, yes, we have our dry-spells, usually in July, August, and September.

Thank you for your comment. I used to spray untreated joists and deck boards with wood preservatives and sometimes I used stain. It worked good.

Thank You. You can mail that cordless impact driver anytime. Ha!Ha!

@@BasaPete , Priceless reply! I find this is the best way to deal with these idiots who attack youtube content... They did not pay a dollar for the content you uploaded and yet, they feel it is okay to harass the content makers... Perhaps, he will send you that drill after all... I don't think this person would, seems to cheap, asking others to do his bidding... Chump.

@@EngineerPEretired Thanks, I took this comment humorously as I believe Jay Boley intended. Always liked a good joke, but I'd like a new cordless impact driver evermore. Ha!Ha!

I've always said "it's paid for." How many uses have you gotten from your still functioning corded tools compared to the amount of battery's that would have been replaced

@@Krummin I've gone through dozens of cordless drills from all makes. None of them stand up to a good Craftsman corded drill.

Thank you for your comment. I use Cut-N-Seal by Advanced Technology.

Southeastern Canada. Thank You.

I’m a carpenter in Nova Scotia 🔨 👍🏻

@@lyleconway6795 I'm on the Southshore. Hope you're keeping busy.

I knew the accent sounded familiar! 👍🏻 I live outside Halifax in Fall River. We work all around. Keep up the nice videos bud

Yes, the cupping debate continues. I tested my cupping theory on several wide boards and when they dried out they all cupped against the wood grain.

The debate continues...

It depends how wet the wood is . I have done 3 decks and have used boards for fencing and have never spaced anything out . The wood always shrinks but never swells back . Put fence boards tight together and I end up with a gap . Grrrr . That's not what I wanted . Depends on how big a gap one wants . Water will flow better with a bigger gap and dirt will not collect like it would in a smaller gap . I don't like a big gap so I put the boards tight together . OK I'm weird . LOL .

Thanks for your comment. Your environment (wet or dry) determines the gap between deck boards. It's usually dry here in the northeast so there's no need to gap deck boards. Here, they always shrink a little after sitting in the sun, a 1/8th" gab will shrink to 1/4" or even 3/8" gap.

If you buy decking from a place like Home Depot or Lowe’s where the wood is indoors you need a space. But if it’s kept outside under a tarp it’s likely as expanded as it will ever get. So I always put them tight and still end up with gaps of roughly 1/4”

@@curtisst.pierre99 Thank you. My building supply company (Buck's Home Hardware), the one I have a contract with, keeps their wood outdoors under tarps.

The debate continues... Some say up and some say down.

Ha!Ha! Thanks for the offer. Maybe at a later date.

Thank you for your comment. Wood grains up or down? Take a wide board (1x6 or 1x8) with wood grains curving to one side and lay it out in the weather. Then, in a week or two check which way the cup is facing. I did this same experiment with three different boards and they all cupped against the grains. Strange.

@@BasaPete well some people say that the side facing the wheater will cup no matter what. I always put the best looking side up

@@meandnature6452 I've done several decks with the tree rings facing up (Previously, I didn't care which way the tree rings faced) and so far only a few boards have severe cupping. And those cupped boards were bad enough to replace. They cupped and twisted so bad that they snapped off some of the screw heads.

@@BasaPete oh wow! well there is some force in wood

Me and Nature ... I still don’t understand which direction you guys are talking about , “...grain/cup up or down...” Every Carpenter I know lays every plank with the “Cup” of the end-grain upside down ie; with the bottom of the “Cup” facing UP sooo the rainwater follows “the wood grain” off the top of the planks so to increase the life of the deck, Instead of water laying inside the “Cup”

#8 x 3" green deck screws.

Thanks for the comment. After several inspections, I'm happy to say there are no signs of settling or sagging. Checkout 10:29 for deck flashing installation.

I was thinking the same thing, however we all do things differently and get the same results. Basa Pete's design may work perfectly, but I would have cut out the corner posts of the house so that I could run my ledgers to the outside corner and then tie them together. Then I would have doubled up the joists that were fastened into the corner since those ultimately carry the weight of the inside corner of the deck. That might be overkill on my part but I would never have to worry about it sagging or bouncing.

@@bradeley6409 Thank you for your comment and sound advice.

Thank You. FYI siding and trim are attached and freshly painted. I still need to replace the door and door frame.

He's a great mouser.

Thank you for your comment.

Thanks, 5/4 is how they mark it on the label.

5/4" is based on the rough sawn dimension of lumber. Lumber that has been surfaced down to 1" is still called 5/4" being that is was milled from the 5/4" rough sawn

@@dmert6698 Thank you. You're correct, the actual measurement of a 5/4" deck board is 1".

I've never seen torque screws used on wood. I prefer Robertson screws. They're quick and easy to install.

GRK has the Torx style fasteners.

@@troyqueen9503 Thank You.

@@BasaPete no criticism as you already know your stuff but a impact driver would improve your mood and efficient workload

@@jimdoherty5010 Thank you for your comment. The drill I'm using with the electrical cord is an impact driver. And you're correct, it makes life a lot easier than a regular drill.

Thank you for your comment.

Thanks for weighing in on the crowning debate. Try this experiment: Take a wide board (1x6 or 1x8) with wood grains curving to one side and lay it out in the weather. Then, in a week or two check which way the cupping is facing. I did this same experiment with three different boards and they all cupped against the curved grains. Strange.

That would be a mistake. Water would collect between the flashing and deck board. You want the water to run down the outside wall, hit the flashing and run between the deck boards to the ground. Less chance of rot.

Thank you. The old deck and house were built 30 years ago and both needed repairs. Sorry, no video of house repairs. It looks good, though.