How Much Space Between Deck Boards

The moisture content of the decking boards how long they have had time to acclimate to your environment.

How much space between deck boards. The easy answer is 14. The one that i butted together now has reasonable spaces for water. Measure to the house at both ends and in the center when you get within about 5 ft. Capped polymer and capped composite.

Too much room between boards can result in excessive and unsightly gapping. Getting the board spacing right the first time can save you the hassle of having to pull the boards up later or live with gaps that are too narrow or large in the long run. This question may be asked more than any other when it comes to installing a deck. A 18 gap can easily be accomplished through the use of an 8d nail.

Many deck builders overhand the decking over the frame by about 14. How much space to leave between deck boards. Whether to leave a gap between pressure treated wood deck boards depends on how dry the wood youre using is. If the pressure treated wood has been kiln dried after treatment kdat leave a 18 gap the thickness of an 8 penny nail between the boards when attaching since the wood will expand slightly over time.

While pushing the board flush against the spacers secure the board into place with your choice of fastener. If your deck is slightly out of square different widths calculate results for both widths and set out each end to suit. Before nailing or screwing boards down lay out a section putting spacers between each board. Start installing deck boards at the outside of the deck and work towards the house wall.

The ones with the spaces now have clearly larger gaps from the boards shrinking. How much sun the deck. Deck and floor board spacing diagram. Adjust spacing between deck boards.

The third deck i butted them together. You may want to predrill the screw holes at the ends of the boards to prevent the wood from splitting. But that answer doesnt take into account a lot of factors and can pose problems further down the road. Too little room in between deck board spacing and your deck boards could buckle when they expand.

Stagger butt joints as much as possible for a nicer appearance. The tips above will make spacing a snap on your new deck. You can use a chalk line and circular saw to trim the edges of the decking. Whether you choose 18 or 14 spacing there are a variety of ways to achieve uniform spacing between your deck boards.

Hidden deck fasteners are also an option to create a fastener free decking surface. Ive built 3 decks with cedar the first two i left a small gap between the board i built a small jig to space them and align the screws on each board. How to space deck boards. These materials require different considerations for.

If you have poor ventilation wider is always better. Cumaru deck board gapping allow a minimum of 18 gap between board widths on 4 wide decking and 316 gap between board widths on 6 wide decking for drainage airflow and expansion. Adjust the spacing between deck boards gradually over the next 10 rows of decking until the distance to the house is equal.