Deck life

This is the view from the deck of my garden in Oxford.

What I love about decking is that it softens your garden and is such a practical space that you can use all year round.

Decking is also relatively easy to build and maintain. You can also use decking to terrace a garden, then store things underneath. and even create disabled access to buildings.

This hexagonal shape deck extends from an indoor swimming pool and provides a transition from inside to outside. Even in winter a little sun dries the deck and it is pleasant to use. The main mistake I made here was to stain  the deck and this has created a lot of ongoing work.

Building your deck

I designed my deck on paper and marked out the area with string to test it out for sun and wind direction. Once I was satisfied it was in the right place I employed my master chippy Darren to help me build it.

I chose the cheapest option of pressure treated softwood nailed to 6 * 2 joists held within an external frame. The whole structure sits on 4*4 posts concreted into the ground.

As this was my first deck and I was impatient I made a number of mistakes.

1 nailing the boards down

2 staining the deck

3 letting  Darren have too many T breaks

Tools for Deck Building

A circular saw on a bench has to be the most useful tool for cutting the planks but a recipricating saw for the small fiddly bits will also be helpful.

Reciprocating saws with course cut green wood blades

With the right blade a reciprocating saw can be great for deck contruction.

Making a boardwalk using decking planks

The next job was to connect the deck to another smaller deck with a long narrow boardwalk. You can see in this picture how it was constructed.

Luckily we did not stain this wood and instead treated it with decking oil which has been much better.

(The spade shown is an old Spear & Jackson neverbend tool - buy one if you see one, they don't make them like this anymore!)

As soon as the deck was down top models started to pose on it.

Che Rodriguez del Mungo (3rd) and his pinky panther

Building Decking on Balconies and using LED lights

This is the balcony of a flat overlooking a small marina on the south coast. I designed this deck with 8 blue neon LED deck lights- and it looks wicked!

The lights cost about £150 and are easy to fit - once you buy the correct bit for your drill!

LED lights are low voltage so I just ran the cable through the wall, fitted a plug to it and I turn it on and off from inside the flat.

Although these ones are not top quality and eventually went a bit rusty with the sea air they are adequate and very reliable. It was easy to connect the lights together and the cost in electricity to run these lights is minimal.

I have also tried some solar powered deck lights and whilst they did sort of light up they were useless because they would not work in the shadier parts of the deck and also sit proud of the deck and cause a trip and fall hazard.

Cheap and Nasty LED Deck Lights

After being caught a bit short of the filthy luker I was tempted to buy some cheap Led decklights from ebay-

I know I deserve what I got and within 3 months they fell apart

But! they still work and have been successfully repaired with my favourite glue!

Unibond Extreme Repair Glue?

I have bought so many tubes of super glue and the only thing it has successfully held together is my fingers! Doh.

In fact super glue is so good for this that surgeons even use it to hold cuts together!

The best and easiest to use glue I know is this Unibond "Extreme Repair PowerGlue"  from  Henkel.

I also like Araldite glue and used it for many years to hold parts of my motorbike together. As I'm still alive this is some testament to its strength

. Unlike Araldite,  Extreme Repair Glue does not need to be mixed and squeezes easily from a tube. And unlike superglue this tube has a proper cap and does not go dry or need a fiddly pin stuck in it!

Unibond Extreme Repair Glue?

This Glue is the best I have tried and uses the latest research in chemical engineering to make a strong and ready mixed adhesive that does not go off in the tube. It can be hard to find in the shops so use the link above to get your tube. If you wood to glue with large cracks or spilts then try Gorrilla glue as it expands like a foam and is also waterproof.

Best tools for decking construction

These new cordless tools from Bosch have 10.8v lithium-ion batteries which makes them light but more than powerful enough for working on wooden garden structures like garden decking. The impact drives is especially good and with the right screws you wont even need to drill holes! If you want a cheaper one with similar power and features see the Durofix one below.

Another great tool for working on decking is the Bosch GOP cordless multitool.

This incredibly versatile tool is the best for small plungecuts.

Best Deal on Cordless Multitools

 Bosch GOP10.8V-LI  Multicutter in Systainer Case with 30 accessories!

This deal includes more accessories like those pioneered by Fein. There are blades for plunge cutting, in detail or along lines and also a wider range of abrasives.

 buy Bosch GOP from a fredshed partner

More decking tips

Put permeable weed stopping fabric under the deck and weight it down with a layer of  gravel.

I am told by the real experts that grooved deck boards are not the best as they hold water and are more likely to rot - and get slippery! the dogs doo daas for decking is smooth hardwood planks, double kiln dried and pressure treated.

Leave a 3-5mm gap between boards and make a spacer to use so that all the gaps are the same.

Use screws not nails, and allow a bit of space at the ends of each board for expansion when hot and/or wet.

Treat the cut ends of any sawn boards to prevent rot developing

Decking can be used to easily create platform and ramps for disabled access. the good thing with this is that it can be removed easily should it not be required.

I would say that for ramps the ribbed deck board is better and should be laid across the direction of travel.

e-mail fred@fredshed.com

More decking tips

When cutting treated deck boards wear gloves and a mask. there are some nasty chemicals involved in the treatment and you don't want to be breathing in this crap.

Use the longest boards possible, the deck with be stronger.

Allow substantially more time for the foundations - this is the most important part and unlike the boards cannot be easily changed later.

Cuprinol Powerpad Cordless Electric Deck Staining Applicator

Brushing oil or stain onto decking is a boring and  back aching job that can be avoided by using this clever new applicator from Cuprinol.

I have to say I was not hopeful that this £25 machine would be any good as it runs off 4 tiny AA batteries. However I was pleasantly surprised at how fast it was to use and it has now been welcomed into my shed as a permanent resident.

There is a knack to suing this tool and it is to only apply the power occasionally and to move quickly up and down in the direction of the grooves.

The pads can be washed out after use and used again and also replaced. There is a wide range of colours of oil and stain available in the specially designed bottle. The downside is that you are restricted to the cuprinol products which may work out more expensive than buying big tins but the time saved is amazing. Also if you were a bit clever you could buy one bottle, use it, keep it when it is empty and refill it from a big can next time you use it.

Woodstain or oil - which is best?

Oil - for me- The deckstain I bought wore off in no time. I  hate deckstain and cant see the point of it compared to oil. *

* unless you are Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen and must have that purple and green deck  -"darling".

I will be looking more to find the best deckstain and also a faster way to apply it by testing the new Cuprinol powered deck stainer that can use oil as well.

Which Oil to Use

For many years I have used this special oil from Australia that has been developed especially for decking from natural nut oils.

Some oils have a tendency to make wood go black when exposed to wind and rain, so you cant just use any old oil.

I will be trying different oils to see which is best - watch this space! And mail me if you want a tin of Ecowood oil - approx £60 for 4 litres