You Can Do It! A Guide to Installing Composite Decking
You Can Do It! A Guide to Installing Composite Decking
Composite decking is quickly becoming the most popular choice in building materials, and it’s easy to see why! It’s more affordable than many other options, easier to care for, and helps keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, all while looking good year-round. Still not convinced? Check out how easy it can be to install composite decking yourself with our step-by-step guide on installing composite decking!
A Guide step by step to Installing Composite Decking
Planning your project
The first step in laying composite decking is planning your project. Laying a deck takes some time, so you’ll need to arrange for help from family and friends on some weekends. Determine which spaces need a deck and where you can place it, ensuring that it’s off or at least away from any permanent structures on your property such as a house or shed. You also need to consider how much sunlight different areas get throughout each day.
You don’t want your new deck getting too hot in summer or too cold in winter, so try and keep it out of direct sunlight whenever possible. Finally, think about how you want people walking around on your deck—you might want more space between planks if you’re going to have kids running around barefoot all day long! The next step is to draw up a plan of action based on these considerations: What material do I have? How much do I have? Where will I be placing my boards? Will they be horizontal or vertical?
Materials you’ll need
You don’t need a ton of tools to install komposittrall inspiration; any saw will work for cutting planks but make sure it cuts smoothly. When it comes time to cut precise corners or notch around obstructions like posts and stairs, you can do so with a circular saw and guide. If you don’t have one, ask at your local hardware store or home center.
Tools for this project
Four circular saws, two power miter saws and a table saw are necessary for cutting wood for deck framing. Two or three nailers will be needed for fastening boards, but you can rent them from home centers or tool rental shops if you don’t own one. You’ll also need a pneumatic stapler, which is similar to a nail gun. If you’re installing stairs with your deck, then you’ll want to buy some extra tools: an electric jigsaw, a router, and a drill/driver. Plan on spending $400 or more on these tools alone. If that’s not in your budget right now, then hire someone else to do it for you; it’s worth it.
Building your deck
Look into new composite decking materials that are available. Composite decking is a great option for decks over concrete because you can simply lay it and avoid having to build from scratch. Modern composites tend to be a little more expensive than pressure-treated pine, but they last longer and can be installed without gluing or nailing. For example, Trex’s UltraDeck boards have interlocking grooves so there’s no need for nails or screws.
You just snap them together and install them like stairs. Some modern composites even come with a pre-applied finish to eliminate painting or staining entirely. The downside of composite decking is that it’s heavier than pressure-treated wood (meaning you might need help lifting larger pieces) and installing it requires power tools like saws and drills—something most DIYers don’t have on hand. But if you’re looking for an easy way to add value to your home, lägga komposittrall could be worth checking out.
Completing the look with rails and caps
Modern composite decking does not require a rail system, but if you want one it’s worth making some quick calculations. They’ll help you determine your spacing, how many boards will be needed, and other particulars. The most common distance between balusters on handrail systems is 6 inches. Let’s say that’s what you want here. Because 12-foot boards are more common than 16-foot ones, we’ll also use that size in our example.
You’ll need two rails per section of decking: One at each end of each board plus one every 4 feet along its length. That means that for three sections of 12-foot long planks (36 feet) you’ll need six rails (two at each end plus two for every 4 feet). Now multiply that by two because there are two staircases (12 stairs total) and add another four because those rails can go above or below—you should have enough material for both staircases. If you don’t, either buy more or get creative with wood filler or use shorter lengths of wood cut from longer pieces.
