Laying decking boards do it yourself

Nowadays innovative technologies allow creating analogs of various natural materials. The quality of the finished product is so good that it can easily replace the original. For example, decades ago, natural wood was used to decorate cottages and dachas, terraces, and landscaping areas around the pool. But, as you know, wood does not tolerate temperature drops, humidity and various atmospheric influences very well. Moreover, the tree is rotting. However, modern technology has allowed to create a material that is similar to natural wood, but has much more advantages. This decking or decking is a natural covering that is designed for outdoor use. Thanks to the terrace board, you can create a smooth and beautiful coating of wood, which is characterized by increased resistance to external factors. We will tell you more about this material and how the decking of the terrace board is done by yourself. But It is worth noting that every home master can perform such work.

Terrace board and its features

Composite decking

Due to its composition , decking has a great advantage over plain wood. The material combines all the advantages of wood and plastic. What is the advantage and what does such a board consist of? Its composition, like properties, is unique. It includes the following elements:

• Wood flour is the main component that is included. Such flour consists of a tree of valuable breeds crushed in flour. To make it, you must thoroughly grind the wood and dry it. In quality products, the percentage of wood flour is 80%.
• An equally important component is thermoplastic polymer composites. It is thanks to them that the surface of the board has its own unique qualities. It does not need to be varnished, painted or treated with various materials.
• The last component that is part of the decking is technical modifiers that are necessarily added for the interaction of polymers with wood.

The production process of a terrace board

Such a composition makes the material ideal for outdoor use. After all, natural wood is short-lived, as it is constantly amenable to negative impacts. Due to different temperatures, moisture, wood pests, as well as external factors, wood loses its shape, aesthetic appearance, strength and color during operation. But the terrace board is not threatened. It will serve you for a long time, without losing its original appearance and qualities. Let's look at some of the benefits of this material.

1. The flexibility of the boards. This flexibility is provided by molecules of polymer composites, between which there is a physical connection. As the material heats up, the bond disappears, and when it cools, the bond returns. All this allows the board to bend and take the desired shape during installation. Therefore, you have the opportunity to trim not only the terrace, floors and walls, but also to decorate the ledges, steps, corners and various decorative elements with different reliefs.
2. Not afraid of frost Durability and strength. The presence of modifiers in the composition provides the material with good reliability. If you make a floor from decking, he will be able to withstand a huge weight. For example, on 1 m of coverage you can put 1 ton of weight, which it can easily stand. Moreover, frosts up to -70˚C and heat up to + 120˚C terraced boards are not terrible. Agree, it is impressive!
3. Resistance to mechanical damage. The polymer coating gives the surface increased resistance to chips, scratches, household stains, etc. You can drop something on the coating and it will remain in its original form.
4. Easy care Easy care of the coating. This is elementary - you can clean the boards with a simple microfiber, a damp cloth using simple detergents. This ends care. You do not have to constantly paint the floor, clean it and eliminate various defects.
5. High moisture resistance. Unlike simple wood, moisture is not terrible for the product, so it can be used for bathing from the inside, as well as for finishing river moorings or pools. Especially this property will be useful to those who live in a region with high humidity and frequent precipitation. Despite this, your terrace will be constantly protected.
6. Easy installation. Due to the design features, even a simple amateur in the construction business will be able to install a decking board. You do not need specific tools and materials, everything you need can be found in your workshop or bought in a store.
7. Impeccable noble look. Such a composite coating can be any according to your desire.There is a huge palette of drawings and shades of products that you can purchase according to your preferences and desires. And thanks to the composition of the board, the initial appearance of the coating will remain so for a long time.
8. Ecological purity of the product. If you are an adherent of natural materials, then decking is for you.
9. Retains heat well. On the cover, which is made of decking, you can walk barefoot (especially useful for those who have children).

Rich color palette

The only disadvantage of a decking board is its high cost. In stores you can buy this material within 2-4 thousand rubles for 1 m ² , but wooden products are 4-6 times cheaper. But It is worth noting that the quality in our case is higher than the price. Everything is justified by the fact that composite materials will last you much longer, they are of higher quality, and their functionality is so much higher than wood materials that the high price is not even considered as a minus. Everyone knows that you have to pay for quality. But having done this once, you will forget about the remaining problems that will arise with a wooden coating.

Natural decking

Video: recommendations for choosing the decking

Installation Guide

As stated in the instructions, before installing the decking, it should be placed for two days in the place where it will be installed. This is done to adapt the material so that it acquires the temperature of the future environment. It is also not recommended to perform installation work during the winter period of time when the temperature drops below zero. And in order to increase the operational life of the coating, you need to ensure good ventilation. Between the base and the future coating you need to make a recess at the level of 20-30 mm.

The board must acclimatize

If you plan to lay the boards in contaminated areas where there is sand, earth or grass, it must be thoroughly cleaned. For a composite board, it is better to prepare a concrete base, smooth and reliable. And during installation, we recommend using quality connection elements.

To successfully complete the installation of decking boards, you need to stock up on such materials:

1. Support logs 40 * 27 mm in size.
2. Decking in the required quantity.
3. Initial and intermediate braces.
4. End strips.
5. A self-tapping screw for fixation.
6. Stubs.
7. Corners.

Assembly elements of the terrace board

Also for work you need to have such tools:

1. Saw.
2. Kiyanka.
3. Drill.
4. Construction level.
5. Pencil and tape measure.
6. Screwdriver.
7. Drills.

Mounting clips

With all the necessary tools ready, you can begin the basic installation work decking

Stage 1: preparation of the foundation

Preparation of a quality foundation

Set the decking to unprepared surface, it's like playing football without a ball - it's useless. Therefore, in order for the work to take place comfortably and correctly, it is necessary to provide a solid foundation. The main requirements for the base on which the boards will be laid are strength, perfect evenness and smoothness. As a base, you can choose a cement screed, wooden beams, plates or metal logs. When in the place where the decking is laid, grass grows, the soil should be covered with a special material or treated with herbicides.

An important point is the arrangement of drainage, which is also extremely necessary so that water does not stagnate. Your base should be made with a slight bias, which is 1.5-2˚. If you want the water in the form of precipitation to flow over the surface without obstacles, the bars must be installed parallel to the descent.

Stage 2: setting the lag

Mounting lag for decking

On concrete base need to install support logs and fix them with anchor bolts. The maximum distance between the lags should be 40 cm. In places that will be subject to increased load, the distance can be reduced to 20-25 cm. It is also important to observe a 20 mm clearance gap between various obstacles, such as walls, thresholds, curbs, etc. Thanks to the gap, in the hot season, the boards will be able to expand freely.

Mounting option lag

If you want to install the decking diagonally, the logs should be fixed in steps 25 cm. Check the installation log with a building level. Even if your base is quite level, you should not neglect the horizontal check, because all future coverage depends on the correct installation of the support lag.In order for it to be even and not to “walk” under your feet, the logs must be perfectly aligned.

Stage 3: installation of the decking

Installation of the first decking

How only you have installed the logs in their places, leveled them and fixed, you can proceed directly to the installation of a terrace board. As mentioned above, it is very easy and simple to do this:

1. The board should be fixed perpendicular to the lags. First you need to cut the board so that after its laying the protrusion of its edge above the base is 7-10 cm on each side.
2. The launch board must be mounted from a fixed structure. In her role can serve as a wall. First you need to fix the starting brackets (clips) on each lag. To arrange them exactly, use a simple rope stretched over a level. While sticking to the markup, fix the clips in their places with screws.
3. Install the first board into the groove of the initial bracket. For convenience, you can use a mallet, tap the board from the end so that it sits in each slot.
4. Now make holes in the board and fix it with 8 mm self-tapping screws to the support logs. Measure everything by construction level.
5. Assembling the next boards When the first board is fixed, take the intermediate brackets and install them into the groove of the board and reattach it to each support lag with self-tapping screws. Thanks to the intermediate brackets, a gap will be formed between the decking boards, necessary for the water to flow down from the surface to the base.
6. Once the intermediate brackets are fixed, continue to mount subsequent boards in the same way. Do not forget to check the flatness of the masonry level.
   If the length of the composite board is less than 80 cm, you need to use at least 3 support logs.
7. When building a long terrace when the boards need to be laid end to end, it is important that both ends rest on the same lag and are fastened together with clips.
8. At the end, if necessary, the edges of the board protruding above the base more than 5 cm should be cut. This is the main work completed, you can go to some details.

Stage 4: Completion of work

When everything is ready, the boards are firmly fixed and ready for operation, you can smooth out all the “jambs” and give the structure a complete and attractive look. To get started, take the end caps and close all the gaps around them. Just snap it all the way into each board from the end. Then the boards will look harmonious, and water will not penetrate into them.

End Caps

If you do not want to buy end caps, you can use the cheaper option - end the strap. It consists of the same material and has the same color as that of the decking. The plank is attached to the floorboards with self-tapping screws.

End plate

The third way to hide the gaps in the ends of the boards is composite corners. They are attached to the boards like a plinth.

At the end, when the plugs are already installed, the surface needs to be cleaned: wipe it with a damp cloth to remove dust, chips, and other contaminants. At this work on the installation of decking boards finished. The installation process is slightly reminiscent of the installation technology of the wall paneling, only in our case it is necessary to provide gaps for ventilation.

Make no mistakes!

You need gaps

It is worth noting that Incorrectly assemble the entire structure, it is possible to significantly reduce the service life of the material. In order not to throw money away, it is important to avoid some common mistakes.

1. Clearances between the boards are simply necessary. This small nuance will significantly extend the operational life of the coating. Thanks to them, the boards can "breathe" as ventilation occurs. Moreover, this gap allows the product to expand with temperature fluctuations without loss of integrity.
2. Self-tapping screws or other fasteners should not be tightened much up to the stop, since they will contribute to the deformation of the boards.
3. When the concrete base is ready, and it is impossible to make a slope for running off of water, make several gates in it, along which water will flow down.
4. Be sure to take care of drainage holes.

Proper care is needed

If you do everything properly and properly care for the terrace board , it will serve you for more than 25 years. This care includes:

• wash the surface from time to time with a damp cloth;
• when there are serious stains on the boards that cannot be washed with a cloth, use detergents without bleach;
• in order not to damage the surface, use a soft pile brush when cleaning;
• small scratches or irregularities can be removed with fine emery paper.

To summarize

Ideal for finishing the terrace

How You see, installation of a terrace board can be mastered by every person who is able to hold tools in his hands. If you follow the instructions and strictly adhere to the rules, the work will not seem too difficult. Qualitatively laid decking will last you a very long time. It is resistant to the sun, increased moisture, insects and mechanical stress. Moreover, the coating is able to withstand heavy loads. This is an ideal option for finishing the terrace in your home.

If you have questions related to the technology of laying decking, write them in the comments. They will be reviewed by our experts, who will be able to give you a comprehensive answer in the shortest time possible! We hope that the information from this article was useful for you, and thanks to it you will be able to self-lay the decking board.

Video

See how the installation of decking board on piles is carried out:

And here you can see how to install the MultiDeck decking: