Installing composite decking

[katmat]

I have a couple of questions. I am installing a Trex composite deck & have left a message w/ the manufacturer & will call again tomorrow. The deck is approx.
37' at one end & tapers to 12' on the other end, it is 22' long. Boards will run on the 37'/12' side. My boards are 16' & 20' long so I will have some joints.

a) would you stager the joints on different joists or maybe just on 2 of the joists (so that every other one lines up).

b) where the seams are, would you just but the ends or 45 degree each board
so that if the boards shrink you won't see a gap?


Thanks,
Matt

 

[lakeroadster]

37' is a long run. I'd design in something to have a break... thermal expansion will probably dictate this.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

Yeah, that stuff grows when it gets hot. I'd stagger the joints, **** the ends, but with a little expansion space at the **** joints. Are you screwing directly thru the material, or using a clip on the side? The clips allow for some expansion.

 

[ford33]

I have an older Trex deck at it expands and contracts with the temperature. Trex does not have a grain direction so it will expand and contract in multiple directions.

You need to break up that long board and allow spacing with adjoining boards. A 45 degree cut may not be the solution if the boards are moving in all directions. Can you add a feature to the deck to make a break in the long boards so there is no splice? Think of adding another board that is 90 degrees to the long boards and adds some color or pattern. Look at the Trex brochure and you will see they put in different color boards and patterns on big decks.

One other item. Trex must be on joists that are 12" on center. It will be bend if on 16" centers.

 

[larry_g]

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When I first did the deck above I used long, 20', boards staggered joints and had problems. The deck boards were replaced under warranty and the installer convinced me that using shorter boards and the cross board works better in the long run. So that is what I did and so far it has proven to be a good solution. The longer the board the more it is going to change in length. On the joints you have to have a double joist as the boards will change in length more than 3/4" and come off a single 2x joist. On the old layout I had to put a screw in the middle of some of the longer boards because they would crawl off joist. I used some of the same material for topping the guardrail and screwed them down every foot along the length and the boards moved so much they sheared half the screws.

lg
no neat sig line