How to Fasten Deck Flooring

Getting the deck flooring down is one of the most rewarding parts of the deck-building process. It's also one of the most crucial, since you don't want all of your hard work to look like a haphazard mess. Learning to fasten deck flooring properly will not only allow you to enjoy your deck to the fullest, but it will also ensure that the deck is safe, sturdy and will last for years to come.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Drill
• Drill bit
• Deck flooring boards
• Nails or screws
• Tape measure
• Hammer or screwdriver
• Circular saw

1. Decide whether you will be using nails or screws to fasten your deck flooring. Either is perfectly acceptable and is really dependent on personal taste, but Nails will be easier to remove if you ever need to replace any flooring or if you simply decide to disassemble the deck entirely.
2. Drill pilot holes in each piece of flooring whether you use screws or nails. Pilot holes help prevent the wood from splitting. The holes should be drilled toward the ends of the deck board, directly over the center of the joist.
3. Choose the straightest board you can find to be the first board you attach. This board should be pushed all the way up against the house and nailed into place.
4. Leave a 1/8-inch gap between each board as you lay them down and secure them.
5. Allow each board on the edge of the deck to stick out a few inches off the last joist. There is no need for these boards to be even at this point.
6. Stop every few boards and measure the distance between the last board that was fastened to the joists and the far end of the deck. If the distance is the same, then you're doing great. If it isn't, adjust the next few boards with a slightly larger gap to even up the boards.
7. End your deck with a full board if at all possible. You can help make sure this happens by stopping about 5 feet from the end of the decking and measuring the exact distance left to cover. Now divide this distance by the width of your deck flooring boards plus an addition 1/8 inch to cover the gap distance. Adjust the gaps between the remaining boards to even out the distance and provide you with a perfect fit.
8. Use a circular saw to cut off the edges of your nearly attached deck flooring. This will give your deck perfectly even edges without sweating over that measurement while you fasten the boards.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a shim or small length of dowel to help you keep a consistent distance between the boards without having to pull out your tape measure every single time.
• If your boards are warped, fasten the boards onto the first joist, and then measure the distance at the second joist. If the distance is too large, then push the board to the proper place and fasten. If the distance is too close, then pull the board to the correct distance and secure.

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