How to Lay Deck Boards Diagnolly
Constructing your own deck allows you to put in a deck for significantly lower costs than hiring a professional contractor. Instead of having the boards run parallel and perpendicular to the respective borders of the deck, lay your deck boards at an angle to spruce up the look of your deck. While this requires slightly more work, and slightly more lumber, it can make for a particularly attractive final product. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
-
1
Set the circular saw to cut at the desired angle of your diagonal boards. Forty-five degrees and 30 degrees are popular settings.
-
2
Cut both ends of each board. The two cuts should run perpendicular to each other. If you are left with a board in which both cuts face the same direction, you have turned your wood in the wrong direction before your second cut.
-
-
3
Lay your first board by laying one of the cut edges along an outer edge of the deck frame and nail it down. Nail the board to the frame by driving two nails through the board and into each cross beam that it crosses over.
-
4
Offset the boards on either side of the first board by one half the length of the board and nail them down. The boards should run parallel to the first board but will extend half a length beyond the first board. This offset pattern prevents your deck from having long horizontal seams.
-
5
Continue laying boards in this offset pattern to fill in the deck.
-
6
Use the circular saw to cut any boards which need to be cut short to finish the deck. You will likely need shorter beams to start and end most rows of the deck.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Maintain a small, consistent gap of about 1/8 inch between any adjacent boards. This gap is important in allowing your deck to drain.
