Share
Hi team, I'm building a DIY deck for the first time and have been facing difficulties for over a month without completing it yet. I started laying the deck from the end and noticed a small gap (5cm from the wall and deck, 8.5cm from the door and deck) between the house and the deck. I can't adjust the starting deck position due to the base frame, and trimming the decking board in this narrow space is challenging. What's the best solution in this case? Appreciate your advice.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @minjsiow. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about laying decking.
For the gap at the wall, I would increase the gap between your boards ever so slightly so the last board finishes at the wall. If the gap is 50mm and you have 25 boards, add 2mm to each gap to take up that extra room. Alternatively, you can take a board and cut it down to fill the entire gap. Say, you are running with a 5mm space between your boards, you'd cut a board down the length at 45mm from its edge to fill the space along the wall. Then, make a cut perpendicular to the board to remove the excess and continue to cut the board for the portion in front of the door at 80mm from its edge. When you're done, you'll have a board in a bit of an L-shape that's 80mm, and that then turns into a section of 45mm.
You might need to install packers right in front of the door to get the right height, but this L-shaped section will fill your gap.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
It would be fine to have 9mm gaps @minjsiow. However, I suggest you lay out the boards to see what you think about a gap of that size. You might not like the aesthetics of such a large gap.
Mitchell
Hi Mitchell,
That all makes sense to me, and it's very helpful, thank you.
Just one more thing: when you mentioned using packers to achieve the right height in front of the door, is there any specific brand or items that I can purchase from Bunnings? I need to raise it by around 3cm. How do I secure the board onto these tiles? Thank you!
Hello @minjsiow
For ease of assembly, I suggest having a look at the Macsim 45mm Assorted Window Packers - 100 Pack. It can be screwed on or glued onto the panel.
To test the fitting, I recommend using double sided tape to make sure the packers sit properly on the decking panel. Once you're sure of the fitting then you can permanently fix it in place.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Thanks so much Eric and Bunnings team! I finally have most of the answers that I needed and can see the finish line soon. Just one more issue I'm having: when I lay out the full board in horizontal, there is another vertical gap between breaker boards. Should I cut the board in half (2700mm) and add a breaker board in the middle, or just add one more breaker board on one side, allowing the use of one full board (5400mm) without cutting it in half? Which do you recommend for long-lasting results?
Hi @minjsiow,
That's really up to you and how you want the deck to look. Typically, you'd try to keep things symmetrical, which is pleasing to the eye. So, if you have two breaker boards running perpendicular to the decking at either end of the deck currently, then you might like to split the deck in the middle and place a breaker board there.
Would that align with the post? If so, it could look quite nice.
Mitchell
You could try glue @minjsiow, and I'd recommend a polyurethane like Sikaflex 11FC. However, it would likely be best to drill holes in the tile with a tile drillbit and insert plastic plugs. You can then attach the packers to the tiles with screws and then screw the decking board to the packers.
Mitchell
