Need deck board layout help

[VINMAN]

On a side note, that was the "deck from hell" lol. That's the one where I swore I'd quit the contracting business when I was done with it. Everything went wrong from day one. What should have been a 2-3 week job, turned into almost 2 1/2 months.. It was a nightmare. Thankfully I had a semi- patient customer and they were beyond happy with it when it was done.

[rfuerst911sc]

Question for you pro's when installing 5/4 PT deck boards do you pre drill/countersink the screw holes ? Or are the deck screws designed to just drive them in ? I will be using a cordless torque driver and do my best to just get the head of the screw below the surface . I plan on using 2 1/2 " long deck screws . I think all these screws are now Torx bit which I feel is superior to Phillips .

[KFC911]

I'm no pro, but I predrill...decks, fencing, hardiboard siding, etc. but don't countersink and set the torque so they're flush.

I used two drills...electric one for drilling, battery one fer screwing....but I ain't quite right either

[VINMAN]

Really no need to predrill PT. I only predrill if if I have to screw close to the board edge or end to keep it from splitting.

[Bugsinrugs]

I’m partial to redwood.

[Rusty Heap]

best material I've ever used.


hard wood,


https://tigerdeck.com/gallery/


looks new after 12-15 years wear. zero cracks or checking.......45 degree herringbone , yeah you get 10-15% waste. so? Love it. who wants to sit on a boring square box of a deck

[mepstein]

Originally Posted by KC911

I'm no pro, but I predrill...decks, fencing, hardiboard siding, etc. but don't countersink and set the torque so they're flush.

I used two drills...electric one for drilling, battery one fer screwing....but I ain't quite right either

Exactly what I did when my dad and I redid his deck. The screws drive in easy so there’s no stripped heads or real effort needed. We just had standard tools and skills so the two step install made it easy and fast. My dad is 84 and would have done it all himself but this let us cut down on a bit off effort for him.
Deck boards were angled and go around 2 corners. Probably 20x100 all together. Some special hardwood that probably is shocking in cost.

[Baz]

These are what I would use. I use them for all my outdoor projects. Really helps with wood fencing!

[URY914]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Really no need to predrill PT. I only predrill if if I have to screw close to the board edge or end to keep it from splitting.

Agree

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Baz

These are what I would use. I use them for all my outdoor projects. Really helps with wood fencing!

Yep, but I predrill....just because I can

[rfuerst911sc]

OK I will predrill any that are near an end hopefully I can keep them back about an inch from the end . Today I picked up enough material to get the blocking started . I completed one out of the four main runs with blocking . Tomorrow I hope to get another run done . My cheap Harbor Freight framing air nailer is chugging right along I can't imagine driving nails by hand anymore Here are three pics of the mess I am replacing . The pics don't do the decay and damage justice the top boards are a wreck Just a little maintenance by the previous owner would have gone a long way . But I will end up with a much nicer top surface .

[john70t]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

My cheap Harbor Freight framing air nailer is chugging right along I can't imagine driving nails by hand anymore

A little spritz of machine oil (every once in a while) keeps the parts moving.

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^ Yep every air tool I have/use gets a few drops of light machine oil in them before plugging in the air line . Been doing that for a loooooooooong time now

[dad911]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

..... Here are three pics of the mess I am replacing . The pics don't do the decay and damage justice the top boards are a wreck Just a little maintenance by the previous owner would have gone a long way . .....

Plenty of life left.

Believe it or not, this is a deck:

[rfuerst911sc]

That deck needs to be mowed 😁

[Crowbob]

It's a real mower deck, not some stamped metal garbage from China.

[rfuerst911sc]

Today I almost finished the blocking on the master bedroom portion of the deck . Will finish that tomorrow and start tearing up that side . I am hoping that by the end of next week that side of the deck will be done .

[Bugsinrugs]

The deck I replaced, it was framing that failed. The deck was still in good shape. Pleas cover the top of your joists with the proper material.

[rfuerst911sc]

Today I finished the blocking on the deck in front of our master bedroom . I used my circular saw to cut about 2 ' off the ends of the existing boards . This will allow me to stand on the existing boards when I install the picture frame boards . It was near 90 degrees here today I put in a solid 7 hours and I am beat 🤤

I am going to power wash the joists from below that is the next step . Let it dry for a day or two and then the joist tape goes down . Then the picture frame boards . Very slow going I am feeling my 61 years 😁 But I am hoping in the next few weeks the deck will be complete on the master bedroom side . Then I will switch to the other side and last will be the joining walkway . Not pic worthy at the moment .

[rfuerst911sc]

Question about deck screws . The nails that were used on this deck are 3 1/2 " long spiral shank galvanized and I am guessing about a # 6 or 8 in diameter . Looks like a lot of the Deckmate brand screws are a # 9 diameter . So is the # 9 a good diameter to use ? And would you use 2 1/2 " or 3 " long with 5/4 deck boards ?