Bring the inside out, and transform your garden, by introducing decking to your outdoor living space. Decking can provide the perfect compliment to any home, it’s hardwearing, versatile and is available in a wide range of styles and finishes.
But how exactly do you lay decking? Well here’s the good news. It’s actually not that complicated. In fact, size depending, you should be able to lay your decking in just a weekend. Now there’s a challenge for you!
So follow our step-by-step guide on ‘how to lay decking’ and you could be turning your garden into an outdoor oasis in no time.
STEP 1
Right, so like all good DIY projects it’s best to start things off with a bit of planning. Start by laying out pegs and string to mark the edges for where your deck will go and then draw a plan to scale, so you have the exact measurements. When drawing your plan it’s important to ensure the deck is positioned at least 150mm below the damp proof course on your house. You should also ensure that you don’t block any air bricks or prevent access to drains.
STEP 2
Next up you’ll need to work out how much decking you’ll need. You can do this by using your scale plan to calculate the area of your deck in square metres, as well as identifying how many spindles and rails you’ll need.
STEP 3
So when you’re ready to start laying your deck, you’ll need to work from the ground up – quite literally. Clear the turf, plants and any other miscellaneous objects from within your pegged area and firm the ground beneath. To prevent weeds growing through you’ll need to lay down deck fabric and then you can either cover this with concrete or the slightly easier of option of concrete slabs (positioned in a grid pattern).
The deck should slope gently away from your house, so it’s a good idea to double-check this using a spirit level (for every 1 metre of decking there should be a 10mm drop). Once happy, you can then lay down your bitumen DPC membrane.
STEP 4
In this next step of our ‘how to lay decking’ guide you’re then ready to start building the framework. Create the frame of your deck using joists – which will rest on the concrete / concrete slabs. These joists will then need to be fixed together with one rustproof screw at the top and two rustproof screws on the sides. A bit of external wood glue wouldn’t go amiss either, if you want a really strong frame.
If you plan to attach the deck to your house, start by putting stainless steel washers in-between and then screwing the joist to the wall.
You can then place long joints within your outer frame – these will need to be spaced 400mm apart and screwed to the frame. The framework can also be strengthened by fitting short length of decking boards between the joists.
STEP 5
Right so, once everything’s in place you’re ready to start laying your decking. You’ll need to begin by pre-drilling the screw holes in your boards and then you can lay 6 boards at a time, leaving a 5mm gap in-between each. To do this you should fix the ends to each board and then screw the centre the board to the joists below. To avoid rust you should use purpose-made stainless steel or galvanized screws. You may also find that you’ll need to cut some boards to size. And if you have a deck that’s higher than 60cm then you must have some sort of balustrade for safety reasons.
So know you know how to lay decking.
STEP 6
Decking boards are usually treated with a long-lasting preservative treatment, which fades after a few months. So if you want to ensure a more permanent colour why not treat it with an external oil, which will soak into the wood.
We hope you found our guide on ‘how to lay decking’ useful, to browse our full range of decking online or by downloading a brochure. Alternatively if you require further information please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. You’ll also find additional information available via the TDCA.
