Deck board, its types and properties, selection criteria and methods of installation. Deck planks are a material that, due to their strength and aesthetics, has received a worthy application in the construction of floors and decking, paths in parks and even for facade cladding. You will learn about the installation of a deck board today from our material.
Properties and types of deck boards
An important feature of a deck board is the rounded edge chamfers on its outer side and the absence of tongue-and-groove piles. If we add to this the nuances of installation, then the finished coating made from this material will have very small gaps between its elements. In short, you get a practical, dense and environmentally friendly flooring with excellent decorative properties.
It looks great as an outdoor platform and as a floor for the interior of the house. Deck board retains its remarkable properties for a long time, regardless of temperature changes and seasonal changes in humidity. For example, it is ideal for a steam room.
Deckboard manufacturers in the competition are constantly introducing innovations in the technology of manufacturing this material. Thanks to this, it was possible to significantly increase the endurance of wood in relation to external influences. One of these techniques is heat treatment of solid wood at temperatures above 200 ° C using steam.
After such a procedure, the properties of the wood change. It acquires resistance to sudden changes in temperature, improves its thermal insulation characteristics. A thermally treated deck board made from such wood practically does not rot. All this is achieved without the use of varnishes, impregnations and other "chemicals".
In addition to solid wood boards, its counterparts are currently being manufactured using various composite substances. Of considerable interest are products containing polymers, wood chips and various additives. The binders in such mixtures for the production of boards can be polypropylene, PVC, fiberglass and others. The composition can be immediately dyed by adding pigments, giving future products a certain color.
Outwardly, such a material from a natural board is very difficult to distinguish. However, it is characterized by extraordinary resistance to sea water, does not burn and weighs little. In the construction of ships, such a board is indispensable. It is devoid of the disadvantages that are inherent in natural wood: cracking, the appearance of fungus and stains of a different nature. At the same time, the composite board retained the warmth and natural naturalness of the wood. In places with heavy pedestrian traffic, solid products are used, in the rest - their hollow cheaper and lighter version.
But, despite the assurances of manufacturers regarding the environmental friendliness of a composite board, for home conditions, many choose a deck board made from natural materials - pine or larch. The trees of these species are durable and have a dense wood that is resistant to moisture.
In addition to them, arrays of exotic species are used for the manufacture of deck boards: sequoias, merbau, teak and many others. These trees, grown in tropical climates, have developed a natural resistance to the hot sun, parasitic insects, high humidity and decay.
In our latitudes, larch wood has similar properties. Therefore, a deck board made from it is much more affordable for ordinary consumers. When wet, this material increases its hardness, which differs from pine board, which requires treatment with water-repellent compounds. In addition, larch's durability can rival that of many other tree species.
Deck board made from its solid wood has long been used for flooring of berths and piers, which have been impervious to salt and water for centuries. With proper care, a deck-board floor made of larch and equipped in private housing, where the attractive appearance of the flooring is no less important than its service life, can be used for many years without deterioration in its quality.
Larch deck board can have both faces. Its thickness is usually 20-45 mm, width - 90-140 mm and length - 2-4 m.
After processing, the material is carefully selected and divided into varieties depending on the number of knots:
- Extra or Elite … Boards of these grades have no flaws.
- Prima, grade A … Such boards may have some live knots and slight discoloration.
- B, AB … It is allowed to have up to two knots on one running meter of the board.
- AB, C … Boards of these grades may have an unregulated number of knots, including knots falling out.
In any case, even the lowest-grade larch board is an excellent flooring material at an affordable price. This is especially true if you want to save money on it.
Features of the choice of deck boards
When choosing a deck board of one type or another, one should take into account the cost, aesthetic, functional properties of the future coating, and even the brand under which the material is released. With all of this in mind, it is possible, as a result of such research, to obtain a comfortable and attractive boardwalk on the pier, terrace or by the pool.
An important factor when buying a deck board for a terrace or other building is the geometric dimensions of the future covering. Due to the fact that it can have different lengths, the structural features should be taken into account. If the deck is to be laid on a veranda, a wide and long deck board is the best buy. For pier and paths, which are usually small, thin bars of short length are suitable. The longest planks correspond to their intended purpose - the device of the ship's deck flooring.
When choosing composite deck boards, you should initially know the ratio of the components of the material of their manufacture. It can be different. The best material is considered to be 30% polymers and 70% wood fibers. Outwardly, these deck boards are quite similar to ordinary ones, but they are significantly superior in terms of service life and strength. It should be borne in mind that with an increase in the amount of chips of more than 70%, the positive properties of the board may be lost. In this case, it will be more reasonable to buy a solid wood board.
If the appearance of the deck board does not really matter, you can select products with a 50/50 ratio of polymers and chips. In the appearance of such a material, a woody structure is still visible. The cheapest are boards with a predominance of polymers in their composition. This is an economy class coating, in appearance it looks like ordinary plastic.
Of no small importance when choosing composite products is the form of a binder polymer. It can be polypropylene, polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride. Polyethylene belongs to low quality composites, it burns and wears out very quickly. Polypropylene is durable and practical. It belongs to the middle class of composites. Deck board containing this polymer is non-slip. The most stable and expensive is polyvinyl chloride. It is strong and durable. Deck board made with his "participation" can be used even in the most unfavorable conditions.
In addition to the original deck board, counterfeit products sometimes come across on the market. This should be taken into account in the process of finding the right material. Counterfeits are usually distinguished by a low price. Because of this, when choosing products for flooring, it is worth paying attention to the brand of its manufacturer.
The most popular brands today are Bruggan, Mirradex and Legro. Domestic manufacturers also produce similar products. Often it is not worse than foreign samples, while its price is much lower. Depending on the grade and thickness, the cost of a deck board is 550-2700 rubles / m2.
Deck board mounting technology
Before laying the deck board, a number of important tasks should be solved: determining the amount of material, choosing its type and preparing the site.
Selection of the necessary materials
Due to the simple end method of joining products in the flooring, the calculation of the required number of boards is very simple. It boils down to determining the area of the floor, which, like the boardwalk, is measured in square meters. In the presence of a significant amount of work, it is more convenient to order the material in cubic meters. To determine the value of the floor area is multiplied by the thickness of the board. The implementation of this procedure depends on the available budget and the density of the wood of one type or another. The higher the density, the better the quality of the deck board. The technology of laying the flooring provides for the preliminary arrangement of the base from the bars. The best material for them is larch, which contains the largest amount of resin, which, being an excellent preservative, significantly increases the service life of wooden products.
Spliced decking joists are better than solid joists as they are less subject to twisting or bending during loading. To protect against wood insects and water, logs should be additionally treated with water-repellent solutions and an antiseptic, which is especially important for pine lumber.
The criterion for the selection of fasteners is the method of installing the flooring. The public method is the simplest. It provides for fixing the boards on the joists with screws. The hidden method of fastening is used when arranging terraces and provides the necessary reliability of their construction. Both of these methods work using galvanized metal connectors of the appropriate grade and are shaped to firmly attach the boards to the joists.
Preparation of the site for the installation of deck boards
The design of the supporting part of the deck depends on the project and its intended purpose. The options for its execution are as follows:
- Leveling the site and filling it with a screed … In this case, a concrete or cement screed is poured onto an even pre-prepared and compacted layer of gravel or crushed stone. Most often, this method is used for internal work.
- Installation of supports made of brick or concrete … It is usually performed in an open area. The surface with the removed vegetation layer is covered with sand and gravel with intermediate compaction. Then lime-crushed stone preparation is made under each support. The installation of the racks is carried out along the perimeter of the site with a step of 0, 7-1, 0 m and depends on the distance between the base bars, which will then be attached to the ready-made supports.
- Installation of screw posts … It is also used outdoors and involves the construction of systems mounted on concrete cushions. The steel structures used in this case work according to the screw principle, which allows you to set the required level of the log and ensure an even flooring.
On the bases prepared by any of the above methods, it is imperative to lay a waterproofing layer that will prevent the lag from moistening. All ends of wooden blanks must be protected with construction wax.
Deck Board Laying Instructions
Before fixing the deck board, the joists must already be installed and secured to the foundation or supports. Only then can the flooring be laid on them. With the open method of fixing the board, the screws are screwed into pre-prepared holes to a depth of? board thickness. The holes should be slightly smaller than the screw diameter.
After that, with a large drill, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the size of the screw head, a recess is drilled under the plug, designed to mask the fasteners. It is made from wood that is identical to the material of the board.
In a hidden way, fastening the board is much easier. It is distinguished by the fact that the fasteners in this case are located under the flooring, and the coating looks more aesthetically pleasing. Hidden fasteners for mounting a deck board are called "clips". They have several types: Gvozdek-Pro, Twin, Twin mini and Classic. Such clips differ from each other in the shape and method of installation. But they are all steel plates with anti-corrosion coating. 1 m2 the area of the flooring takes about 15-20 pcs. fasteners.
When laying the deck board, you should leave gaps between the elements of the covering 3-6 mm and avoid contact of the end parts of the flooring with any objects. This is necessary for ventilation and water drainage. Upon completion of the installation work, the finished surface should be washed, dried and treated with varnish, stain or drying oil.
Advice! Tung oil is a versatile option suitable for all types of wood. It is able to penetrate deeply into the structure of the material, so the board impregnated with it will not strongly absorb water and dry out. How to lay a deck board - watch the video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = 47vneTbYKlY] The deck board is successfully used both in a city apartment and in a suburban area due to its strength and resistance to deformation. This is an excellent material at an affordable price.
