Deck Flooring Spaces Between Boards Or Not

Larger gaps such as 1 4 allow more of this material to fall through the deck.

Deck flooring spaces between boards or not. Whether to leave a gap between pressure treated wood deck boards depends on how dry the wood you re using is. Before deciding on how much space to leave between deck boards check with your local building code to see if it covers deck board spacing. Deck board and framing member spacing. The last board won t look good if it s skinny or cut at an angle.

If the pressure treated wood has been kiln dried after treatment kdat leave a 1 8 gap the thickness of an 8 penny nail between the boards when attaching since the wood will expand slightly over time. Many jurisdictions following the international building code which requires a minimum 1 8 inch spacing between boards. Spacing between deck boards provide a few critical functions. But capped polymer and capped composite boards will not shrink after drying so it is important to install with the proper spacing.

Generally an acceptable gap between deck boards is between 1 8 inch and 1 4 inch. The primary function is to drain water from the deck. We have an acquaintance that needs to close or fill in the gap between the boards on their deck floor this must be done from the topside as we can not gain access to the underneath side less than 10 of clearance they are screening the deck and want to eliminate insects from coming up through those gaps between the boards. Gaps that are narrow 1 8 can catch debris specifically on top of the joists and can be difficult to clean out.

Please submit a easy tried and proven solution. Details of deck porch construction how to build a deck that won t collapse. My deck has so many coats of paint the gaps between deck boards are completely filled in. Capped polymer and capped composite deck boards on the other hand are installed at a minimum 1 8 gap between boards because they won t shrink from drying like pressure treated decking.

How can i get the saw guide down in there to clean out the old pain. Slide the scraper straight along each gap working the material out slowly to avoid damaging the flooring. In most cases it s best to start with a full board on the outside edge of the deck and work toward the house so the odd board is less visible.