plank decking boards?

Question

If I was to put decking boards with no space between them. What will happen afterwords in time?
And what is the correct way to put down outdoor planking boards?

Answer 1

Junk will gather in the small cracks, and moister. The deck will rot out. It will also possibly warp when the deck gets wet. You need space for seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood.
There are a few ways, some newer methods use little plast biscuts. Simple way is to lay out the decking on the joist. Use deck mate or treated screws. pop in two screws where it crosses the joist. Space the deck boards about the width of a screw. 1/8" spacing or 3/16" is o.k.
Some boards with bends may have to be straightened as you secure the plank up the deck. Just use your common sense and your tape and pay attention so your lines stay clean.
Green treated wood will shrink some. Composites will not. kiln dried cedar is my top choice, but is not cheap.

Answer 2

The correct way to put down deck boards is to use deck lumber. It is a mixture of wood fiber and plastic. It can be sawed and nailed, It won't rot, or warp, it will last longer than you will. It comes in several colors that are integral and will last a life time, but can be painted if you don't like the stock colors.

If you use deck lumber, you can put the boards next to each other and they will not swell and buckle, however they will collect dirt and rain water since they will be tight together.

If you want to have spaces between the deck boards, Rain will run through, and since you have an open crack, dirt will fall through. You can cut strips of plywood to use as spacers between the boards to keep the cracks a uniform width. Having cracks also cuts down on the amount of deck lumber you have to buy. Just make sure the cracks aren't wide enough to cause problems with deck chairs.

Answer 3

I build lots of decks. When we're using Pressure treated lumber we always try to space the boards tight because the treatment causes the wood to be very high in moisture content when we get it from the lumber yard and it will shrink significantly and will then allow for proper spacing. If the wood has been around for a while and had a chance to dry then we space it at 1/8 to 3/32 of an inch to allow for water drainage and expansion. When we are using tropical hardwoods such as IPE we use the hidden fastener systems and they will determine the spacing to allow for some expansion and contraction. When we use the newer composite decking we have to be conscious of the ambient temperature as most of the composites have a significant amount of expansion and contraction. When it's hot we space close, when it's cold we space farther apart. I have seen composite decks and pressure treated decks rip themselves apart due to improper spacing.

Answer 4

Since you state "Boards" one should assume WOOD/LUMBER as opposed to composite? Without knowing at all your notion of Butting the "boards" I'll ask WHY?

I'll assume there is framework that "Boards" will attach to? I'll further assume; YOU assume that installing the "Boards" should be perpendicular to the framing/joist/beans/ yada yada.

I want to assume you'll use galvanized decking screws.

"Scenarios"...... Cracking/cupping/crowning/warping/splintering/chipping/twisting...No matter if you BUTT them or space them. Spacing allows drain off; for one thing; even if only the thickness of a piece of LUAN as a spacer. Certainly you might drop a DIME and lose it in the space??????

Then there is the issue, Again, of WHAT material you are using. 2 x material? 5/8 ~ 7/8 decking? etc.

Steven Wolf
AKA "The Deck Doc"

Answer 5

Consider the wood you are using. If it is soaking wet, put the boards tight together. After a short while (couple of months) you'll have a gap between the boards as they dry.

If the wood is fairly dry, keep some spacing between them 1/2 inch would work. The wood may dry a little more after putting them down.

Answer 6

They'll work but may be annoying when it comes time to sweep the floor and won't be as flat to walk on as plywood. I'd prefer a totally flat floor in a shed. Those gaps would drive me nuts, and bugs or mice will get in through them. I see no advantage to using them, especially if they're more expensive. They'll take a lot longer to install, too. And I think if you put wall panelling on a floor, it might not last so well. It was never meant to be walked on.

Answer 7

You really do need to leave a gap between the decking boards to allow for expanding and shrinking of the timber. You can get cool little hidden fasteners that go between the gaps and will help you to leave the right amount of room http://www.avsfencing.co.uk/decking/framework/fittings-fixtures/25mm-strongtie-hidden-deck-fasteners/