Decking Tools And Equipment You May Need
Weed Suppressing Membrane
One thing you need right from the start is a method to stop weeds from growing beneath your finished decking. If you don't, they will grow through gaps in your boards and create all kinds of problems in the long term.
Mypex is a long lasting, U.V. stabilized, extremely tough woven geomembrane fabric which allows moisture to pass through up to 6 litres per sq. metre per second, but with less than 1% light transmission it resists weed growth.
This is the ideal material to place beneath a deck. To hold this type of membrane in place you can either staple it too the support posts or use purpose made staple clips or barbs.
Cement Mixer
When you have a decking project that requires considerable area of foundation, it may be advantageous to have ready mixed concrete delivered or mixed on site for you.
Most companies work to the nearest cubic metre and it doesn’t take too many footings to use this amount. Add in a slab for a hot-tub and it really does become the most cost effective way to start construction of your deck.
If you are going to make the cement for the footing from scratch, you can use either a cement mixer or mix by hand (spade) in a large tubtrug (plastic bucket); this is a great alternative to a wheelbarrow. It is easy to carry around your site and you
Decking Screws and Fixings
The choice of fixings for decking is vast and seems to be getting larger every time I such the internet with new products seemingly appearing daily. The main categories of choices are screws, clips and biscuits and nails.
When you come to fixing your decking boards, a purpose made decking screw should be used at all times. Do not nail your boards in place, because nails often rise up, especially in wet weather, and cause a hazard as well as a loose board. You may also need to remove decking boards for some reason, and when they're screwed in place this is an easy job.
Sub-Frame & Decking Fixings
There are many types and size of galvanised iron fixings used in building timber decking projects. All these items must be hot dipped galvanised to protect them from both the timber treatments and varying weather.
Make sure that the fixings—either screws or nails that you use to fix these products in place—are also hot dipped galvanised or stainless steel.
Joist hangers are available in various sizes and you can find many types to do the job of supporting joists in the subframe structure. For a standard joist of 50mm x 150mm you can get joist hangers that will attach flush onto the front of the joist.
If you buy hangers that have excessively long metal straps these will go over the top of the joist and make the decking board not sit flush. For two joists joined together you can purchase hangers that are 100 mm wide.
When ordering the materials for your decking project, make sure that you check your requirements thoroughly; you can only build your deck in materials that are available to you.
Basic Tools You May Require
Tools in this section are items that you either own or use on a regular basis if not they are very useful tools to acquire.
- 150 mm Spirit Level - For levelling in tight spaces
- 25 mm Chisel – For removing unwanted excess material off plugs
- Carpenters Pencils – Used for marking cut lines on wood. Make sure you keep it sharp
- Club Hammer - Ideal for tapping timbers into place, clearing walls with a bolster chisel
- Combination square
- Gloves - Thick for carrying timber, thinner so you can feel items when screwing down boards
- Hammer Mallet
- Note pad and Pencil - Handy for making notes and calculations
- Safety glasses - You should wear when cutting anything
- Sandpaper - Cleaning up ragged ends of boards Scissors - for cutting membrane
- Stanley Knife - Always handy to have around
- Tape measure - Two are a must, one to measure the space the other by your saw bench
Larger tools you that you don't use very often, you may wish to hire.
Download This Great Decking Software!
All you have to do with the Decking Calculator Software is enter all your measurements, timber sizes, etc., into the various fields and press Print to get a printed copy of your material list together with all the costs.
It covers almost any decking project, from single decks to multi-decks, and will save you time and money!
Without this software, you can spend 2 or 3 hours and more calculating the number of decking boards you may need, then there's the posts, beams, joists and so on.
With this Decking Calculator software, you simply enter in the size and measurements for your deck - it caters for up to 4 decks, if you want multi-level decking or just 2 decks.
It takes minutes to enter in the sizes, and you then simply press PRINT to get a copy of your material order - complete with the prices, saving more time and mone!
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