9 tips from professionals for professionals
The 9 most important professional tips for building a deck
What is the best way to get to a new deck? We put this question to several very experienced carpenters who have built hundreds of decks. Here are their most important tips on choosing materials, making the work easier and preventing the most common mistakes.
1. Plan your deck digitally
Put the calculator away and save yourself the hassle! Many builders' merchants offer digital tools that easily calculate how much wood and how many screws you will need. You save time and get a complete shopping list.
2. Do not skimp on screw quality
Choose the right quality and corrosion protection of the screws according to where the deck stands and what wood you are building it from. The contractors we asked always reach for stainless steel screws – they have the longest service life and are flexible enough to withstand the movements of the deck structure.
3. Be careful when choosing wood
When choosing decking boards, never go by a low price alone. Deviations from the stated dimensions, lots of knots on the surface or warped and twisted boards can quickly spoil the joy of your new deck. Choose straight boards with few knots from proven and recommended suppliers.
4. Faster installation of the structure
Contractors are constantly looking for products that make their work easier. If you use construction screws when building the deck structure, you need neither timber engineering connectors nor pre-drilling.
Choose between the WAF construction screw with a large flat head and the ET-T screw, which allows hidden fixing.
Construction screw = no timber engineering connectors and no pre-drilling.
Construction screws
ESSVE construction screws are designed for joining timber components, structural timber and glued laminated timber.
5. Laying the boards correctly
To help water run off the deck, it is important to lay the boards the right side up. If possible, lay the board heart side up. A correctly installed board will become slightly convex over time, so water runs off the deck surface more easily. The growth rings on the end of a correctly laid board look like a smile with the corners of the mouth turned up.
6. Do not install boards without gaps
If the boards are laid without the correct spacing, they start to lift off the deck substructure. It is an expensive mistake that is easy to avoid. Always follow Svenskt Trä's recommendations – lay the boards with the correct expansion gaps, which depend on the width of the board and the type of wood. If you stick to the recommendations, the spacing between the boards will be right no matter how dry or damp the wood is.
7. Installation in straight lines
Decking boards are usually not perfectly straight, so Svenskt Trä recommends using string lines to achieve the result you want.
8. No splinters, with a hidden screw
Lots of bare feet will be running around a deck by a pool. With hidden fixing, the board is fixed with a fastener driven in at an angle from the side, so it is practically invisible. With traditional fixing, splinters can form around the screw heads as they are driven in, making it impossible to walk barefoot on the deck.
With the Hidden Decking System (HDS) you get hidden fixing without visible screw heads – you can walk barefoot on the deck without worrying about hurting your feet, and the surface looks truly luxurious. The system is also easy to use, and you will quickly learn the installation.
Components of the HDS system
With the Hidden Decking System (HDS) you can easily build a deck without visible screws.
ESSVE HDS Pro screwdriver for decking boards
ESSVE Decking screw HDS Pro with drill point, hidden fixing 4.8 x 60 mm A4, pack of 250
ESSVE Decking screw HDS Pro with drill point, hidden fixing 5.0 x 75 mm A2, pack of 250
ESSVE Decking screw HDS 4.8 x 60 mm A2, pack of 250
ESSVE Decking screw HDS, hidden fixing 4.8 x 60 mm A4, pack of 250
ESSVE Tool bit TX15 X100 Extended /2/109. Tools and accessories
- Quality branded tools and accessories for installing the deck structure make the work much easier and faster. The work will go more smoothly and you will save time.
- Cordless screwdrivers
- Universal saws
- Laser spirit level
- ESSBOX Mini
Tip: hire your tools!
For small and one-off projects, consider whether it is worth buying the tools.
The right accessories make building easier
Good organisation, easy transport and small tools always in their place.
Recommended articles
Buy the right screw!
An A4 stainless steel screw is always a safe choice, but it is worth knowing which factors affect the choice of screws when building a deck. Are you about to build a high deck? A deck by a pool?
More recommendations
Besides turning the board the right side up and keeping the correct spacing, there are several other recommendations for installing decking boards with the best possible result.
Building a deck yourself?
We have put together a list of 7 problems that often arise when building a deck, and how best to avoid or solve them.
The contractors' favourite screw
Read how the ESSDECK Max decking screw quickly became a bestseller. Perhaps you should choose it for your project too.
Everything for your deck at Zrubko.sk
Here you will find everything you need to build a deck – screws, hardware and wood.