DIY Decking - supplier for parts?

Kemik

Kemik

Kemik

Soldato
Joined
7 Nov 2005
Posts
4,961
Location
Widnes
Hi all,

I'm trying to price up the cost of decking a rectangular piece of grass in my garden. Can anyone recommend good suppliers for wood? I wanted to avoid places like Homebase, B&Q, etc because I wasn't sure on the price (inflated?) and quality (poor?). Happy to take recommendations for those though.

The space is 4.2m by 2.8m but might stretch to 3m if it is cheaper. I've read guides and understand all of the parts I need. Wood is the most expensive element so any way to reduce this cost while maintaining decent quality is the aim.

Thanks.
 
As above... try local timber merchants, builders merchants, etc.

Don't just discount the likes of B&Q though, they can sometimes be competitive, so it's worth checking them too.
 
We just used eDecks or eDecking - Same suppliers and same quality as the big places but selling 'factory seconds' cheap... Which just means there are things like blemishes and knots, which are mostly covered by woodstain anyway. Cost just under half the price of a B&Q kit.
 
I thought I should carry on this thread rather than start a new one. I would be grateful for any help with the questions below :)

The deck will cover 4.2m of the full width of the end of the garden (4.45m), leaving a small border on each side due to stock timber sizes, and will be 3m long. The decking will be running parallel to the house with a slight slope right to left for water run off, using 47mm x 150mm joists and 150mm boards (machined to 28mm x 140mm).

1. Suggestions for use of the gap are welcome. There will be a gap even if I built it 4.45m across because of the fence posts protruding further than the fence.

2. As I won't be able to get enough space to drill screws directly into the joists from the outside of the frame a lot of threads on the net suggest skew screwing. Is this relatively easy for a newbie? It looks like I could completely miss or not screw the nail far enough into the frame if I mis position the screw. Are mini joist hangers a good alternative? Any alternatives are also welcomed.

3. Do these screws/nails sound right for the job? 100mm screws for frame. A few people have recommended the Timberfix Hex Head Decking Screws but I think the head will stick out on the face so I wouldn't be able to mount the cover board on the front of the deck. 60mm Pozidriv Decking Screw for the boards. 100mm nails for the noggins (staggered). Any recommendations for the skew screws if I go for that option?

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
Local timber merchants all the way, higher quality and cheaper than the sheds and much cheaper.

Always shocked at the crap they have in the likes of wickes.
 
1. Notch it in round the fence posts, stagger the boards

2. Build the subframe in two smaller sections, drop into place.

Btw use screw bolts to build the frame.
 
bitslice said:
Lookup coach screws on screwfix,
Like normal wood screws but you can use 150mm without them snapping
Click to expand...

Problem is that I would be screwing those into the front facing piece of frame which would mean the surface wouldn't be flat for mounting the cover deckboard would it?
 
Drill a hole large and deep enough for the head to sit in, with a smaller hole going through for the bolt to pass through.
 
You don't need to counterbore with timberfix type bolts, just drive the head below the surface and it should pull through the timber. They are designed to not need to be pre-drilled or counterbored. Although I would pre-drill and counterbore at the ends to eliminate any chance of the timber splitting.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p32...=26798653343&gclid=CKrsqcy1lb8CFQfJtAodSBoA8g

Also get something to treat all your cut ends like the above. A lot of people assume the pressure treatment completely saturates the timber, but it's more like 1-2mm that it soaks in, so any cut ends will be mainly bare timber and allow it to rot when moisture finds it way into it.
 
Last edited:
For attaching the joists, I can't get to the back of the decking to drill in screws and therefore have two options:

One - skew screwing - do I need 100mm screws for 150mm x 47mm joists and frame or would 75mm cut it? One on one side, two on the other with pilot holes first?

Two - joist hangers. The only ones I can find that don't need hanging over the top of the frame is this one. It can take up to 2.9kN. Will that be enough for the decking? Any advice on nails used for this? I keep seeing 3.75mm x 30mm Square Twist Nails.

Thanks
 
Them joist hangers should be fine. Just make sure to use galvanised nails, which I think the square twist nails usually are, so they would be a good choice. Not a fan of skew nailing/screwing decking frames myself but it should be ok.

If it was me i'd just build the frame using the timberfix bolts then move it into place. Should work out cheaper than using hangers and will be stronger than skewing in screws.


Indian stone flags WILL be cheaper and WILL look better.
Click to expand...

I'd prefer a nice deck, they look great if done well and looked after.
 
Mark A said:
Them joist hangers should be fine. Just make sure to use galvanised nails, which I think the square twist nails usually are, so they would be a good choice. Not a fan of skew nailing/screwing decking frames myself but it should be ok.

If it was me i'd just build the frame using the timberfix bolts then move it into place. Should work out cheaper than using hangers and will be stronger than skewing in screws.
Click to expand...

Very tempted to do that. I thought it would be heavy but two/three of us should be able to lift it into place.

In regards to sealing, I've read I need to seal fresh cuts and holes as soon as they are done. Do I use a different product to decking oil to do this? I was going to use something like Ronseal Decking Oil (natural) once the whole deck was done but this suggests I need a pot of something else too to seal as I build. Any recommendations?

The treatment performed at the timber yard has left green marks on the wood. Will this go when I apply the oil?
 
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p32...=26798653343&gclid=CKrsqcy1lb8CFQfJtAodSBoA8g

This is the stuff we use when doing decking jobs. It was recommended by the place we buy the timber and is supposed to use the same preservative system that is used when they pressure treat it. It dries a similar colour to the green pressure treatment. Ronseal Decking End Grain Preserver is apparently the same stuff if that's easier to get hold of.

The green preservative they use on the decking should fade away over time. I'd let the boards fully dry before oiling them. It depends how dry they are when you get them, sometimes they are not far off dry from the yard. You can usually tell by the weight of them and if water drops bead up on the surface then they need to dry out more.
 
I screwed down the boards a week ago at 5mm spacing and they have unfortunately shrunk by around 2mm to 3mm :/ It had been dry for at least a week so I assumed they would have shrunk to their smallest. Would you recommend pulling them up and resetting? I've put down about 2/3rds of the boards. Some of them now have gaps of 8-9mm so it looks pretty big...
 
Decking is pretty much finished. However, I've hit a problem. The decking is 4.2m wide compared to a garden width of 4.4m so I was going to fill the sides with stones. Unfortunately, the price of the stones is much higher than I was expecting (~£240!). With a space of approximately 15cm x 315cm either side, what would you recommend I do with the sides?

Some suggestions have included using bricks or roof tiles to fill the bulk of the gap and then top with stones to get the originally desired look. The alternative could be to use stones but only a small layer rather than up to the level of the decking boards.

I will be using LED lights down the sides and they include stakes to root them in place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom