Left: To begin demolition of the decking, I cross-cut the first board with a recip saw. www.boschtools.com
Right: Once it was cut, the board pulled up easily with a small pry bar.
De-Decking
Ordinarily I would take a beefy pry bar and tear through all the deck boards like a wolf in a hen house, being that tearing stuff down can be a lot more exhilarating than building it up. However, I was working 10 feet from the ground, and decided to take it easy, alternatively tearing up and replacing the decking as I worked my way across to leave myself some sturdy flooring on which to work.
A heavy-duty demolition bar called the Gutster mad an easy chore of ripping up the old decking. www.thegutster.com
I started demolition at the far corner of the deck by plunge-cutting the end plank with a reciprocating saw. Once the board was cross-cut it pulled up easily with a pry bar, and that got things going. I could then use my favorite deck-destroying tool, the Gutster, to pry up the boards from the joists. The Gutster is a monster of a pry bar—at 48 inches long, it has all-steel construction but weighs less than 10 pounds. The Gutster gives you great reach, great leverage, and its huge demolition head has enough bite to tear up all the heavy framing you can throw at it.
A lot of nails were left in the framing, which were duly pulled out and collected in a disposable Christmas tree cup. www.nailextractor.com
And although the Gutster has built-in nail-pullers, much to my dismay the previous deck builder had used headless, smooth-shank nails—hundreds of which failed to pull up with the deck boards. This meant I was stuck pulling nails with pliers—one at a time, up close and personal.
The first new composite board was installed flush with the outside edge of the deck. Drill pilot holes for the screws. www.milwaukeetool.com
Then, the first board was fastened to the framing with square-drive composite decking screws.
Re-Decking
Once all the old deck boards were out of the way, I had the green light for the composites. The first new board went down beneath the hand rail and flush with the outside edge of the deck. I used a drill/driver to fasten it down with composite decking screws in pilot holes, driven no closer than 1 inch from the edge of the deck board. When pre-drilling composite boards, you'll notice that some shavings of composite material will probably pull out of the hole. I used those composite shavings to cover the countersunk heads of the deck screws—softly tap in the shavings with a hammer; it works like a wood plug.
On the inside edge of the board, metal hangers were installed inside the channel at every joist location. Screws were driven at 45 degrees through the center of each hanger, which tightens the hanger to hold the board securely.
The rest of the boards required no pre-drilling. Instead, each deck board has a 3/16-inch channel along both edges in which to install hidden metal fasteners. Timbertech's ConceaLoc fastener system uses two-sided metal hangers that operate similarly to wood biscuits. However, instead of using glue, a decking screw is driven through the center of the metal hanger at a 45-degree angle and into the joist. The screw applies pressure to the hanger to tighten the board against the joist. Move to the next joist and repeat along the length of the deck board. The opposite sides of the fasteners will insert into the groove of the following board. Just line up the next board, slide its groove against the hangers, and tap the board until the joint closes in a tongue-and-groove fashion—I used a hammer and scrap deck board to do this. (It may help to tilt the boards so the groove easily slips over the hangers. However, my boards were each 18 feet long to avoid end joints and were too flexible for me to tilt by myself.)
The TimberTech conceaLoc fasterners extend into the opposite channel of the following deck board. This system ensures consistent spacing and a hidden, "fastener-free" appearance. www.timbertech.com
It may help to use a hammer and a scrap of decking to tap the boards together when closing the joints.
Basically, I just repeated the installation pattern from one end of the deck to the other; install a new deck board, fasten all the hangers in place, install a new deck board, etc. Once I got on a roll, I made some serious progress. (And here's a tip on keeping up that progress: Invest in some quality knee pads.) When I got to the house-side of the deck, I had to rip some boards to width, including having to notch one board with a jigsaw to fit around a chimney.
On the "house" side of the deck, a few boards had to be ripped to width, and one board had to be notched to fit around a chimney.
Overall, the Timbertech fasteners proved to be a fairly easy and straightforward method for deck installation. And when the joints closed with no more than about 1/8 inch from board to board, the deck really did achieve a completely “nail-free” appearance with a clean, classy look.
Extra, Extra
Naturally, I ran into a couple of unexpected snags on this project. First, there was no flashing against the house. As a result, there was already evidence of wood rot at the deck intersection. So, I bent some aluminum flashing on a sheet-metal break and installed a channel beneath the siding along the top of the ledger board, to minimize further water damage. You won't see photos of this step because I bent the flashing off site, and I was frustrated with the extra work so I didn't fool with the camera. Sue me.
The trim was mitered as necessary and fastened along the edge of the deck with decking screws in countersunk pilot holes.
Another hang-up came with the discrepancy between the thickness of the deck boards. The old lumber decking was 1-1/2 inches thick. The new composites were only 1 inch thick. When I installed the new boards, they revealed 1/2 inch of unpainted siding along the bottom of the three walls surrounding the deck. To hide this I needed to add trim, and settled on a kind of makeshift base moulding for the deck. Here, I should interject that the homeowner decided to keep the existing wood handrail system (except the cap rail), with the intention to stain the wood to match the color of the deck. To match the base trim to the railing, I ripped some 2-by-2 trim pieces from 2-by-4's on my table saw, which would also be stained. I then ripped a bevel along one edge to ease the profile a bit. I used a miter saw to cut them to length and to cut all the 45-degree corners. Granted, base trim for interior applications isn't typically this bulky, but this was a deck, and I was trying to keep the wood thick and strong to resist warping from exposure. I was also relying on the protection of a high-quality wood preservative.
The base moulding of the deck was created by ripping a beveled profile along one side of a 2x2. The trim pieces were then stained with Armstrong-Clark's semi-transparent Sierra Redwood stain. www.armclark.com
The homeowner chose to keep the wood handrail system and stain it to complement the new composite decking. However, the cap rail was in very bad shape, so it was replaced with composite. Some heavy-duty Irwin clamps helped to keep everything in position. www.irwin.com
For the wood coating, the homeowner selected a semi-transparent Sierra Redwood stain from Armstrong-Clark. The EHT staff has used Armstrong-Clark's oil-based preservatives in the past, and they hold up well against water and UV-rays. The wood stain complemented the new composites very nicely, and I predrilled the base trim and screwed it in place along the edges of the walls. We then added a Timbertech fascia board to the outside edge of the deck and stained the handrail.
The finished project was a dramatic upgrade to the old, weathered lumber of the previously damaged deck. The new deck surface boasted a fresh, warm color and an uninterrupted, blemish-free surface thanks to the hidden fastener system. And just in time for summer.
Tools & Materials
Armstrong-Clark, www.armclark.com
Bosch Power Tools, www.bischtools.com
Irwin, www.irwin.com
Little Giant Ladder, www.littlegiantladder.com
Mayhew Tools, www.mayher.com
Milwaukee Electric Tool, www.milwaukeetool.com
Skil Power tools, www.skiltools.com
The Gutster, www.thegutster.com
TimberTech, www.timbertech.com
Key Advantages of Composite Decking
There are a few key advantages of composite decking versus pressure-treated wood decking, but none more important than low maintenance. Low maintenance is a big reason many consumers choose composite decking over wood decking. With composite decking, homeowners don't need to worry about splinters, staining and annual upkeep. Maintaining a composite deck is simple—just wash the deck with a mild detergent once or twice a year or as needed, and that's it.
One major reason composite decking is low maintenance is that it does not take in or give off moisture, therefore it does not shrink or swell like wood. As a result, composites do not crack, warp or separate due to varying weather cycles. Composite decking resists insects, does not need water repellant or stain and can hold up to extreme weather conditions for decades. In addition, builders like to use composite decking because it cuts and installs like real wood.
Many composite decking products, like the Latitudes brand, offer matching decking and railing colors that complement a home's exterior siding. Latitudes also offers a reversible, woodgrain/brushed finish, which is slip-resistant. Also becoming increasingly popular is composite decking with a pre-grooved/slotted plank that helps showcase a fastener-free appearance.
—Chris Fox
Marketing Manager
Universal Forest Products
For more information, go to www.extremehowto.com.