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Thread: Hit the deck!

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Hit the deck!

    Well, for now there will be no more hitting the deck around my house. I finished the remake of our front deck this weekend. Its been in progress for about 3 weeks now. So from now on there is no painting, power washing, sealing or staining on my front deck.

    I resurfaced the deck with Veranda composite lumber from HD. We special ordered a redwood color to go better with the house. I used the Tiger Claw fastener system which hides all the fasteners from view. I also considered a biscuit type hidden fastener system, but they were more money and I would have needed to buy a plate jointer. In hindsight I think they would have been less labor to install. I ended up drilling pilot holes for each of the tiger claws, their method of pounding them in left a lot to be desired and was frustrating on long boards as you would get one end in work your way across only to find that the end you started with had worked out of place.

    I covered all exposed surfaces with the Veranda material. They even have 1/2 X 10 material for covering the exposed joists. The steps have conventional stringers under them, but also have no exposed fasteners. The railings and lattice are 100% vinyl and all the screws I used were stainless steel. The posts are 4 X 4 treated lumber covered with vinyl jackets.

    As you can see by the third photo, there are no visible fasteners in the deck surface. We elected to use the wood grain side of the decking so it at least looked like wood. The other side has afine ribbed pattern that looked a bit industrial.

    The Veranda material worked easily with woodworking tools. I was able to rip, crosscut, route and joint pieces with no problems. It is more flexible than ordinary wood so you have to decrease the joist spacing to 12" maximum. My joists were on 16" center, but because I was running diagonally across them, I was able to put new joists in between and achieve the 12" or less span.

    So now I will have more time for fishing and cabinet making.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Wow, Lee...that looks GREAT! I also think you did a good thing with the color...very complimentary to your beautiful home.

    I am, however, trying to figure out how you resisted aquiring a new power tool (biscuit jointer) merely by selecting a different fastener! Sheesh...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
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    Excellent work Lee! I like the color scheme on your home and deck!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    Wow, Lee...that looks GREAT! I also think you did a good thing with the color...very complimentary to your beautiful home.

    I am, however, trying to figure out how you resisted aquiring a new power tool (biscuit jointer) merely by selecting a different fastener! Sheesh...
    LOL!! I was thinking the same thing! C'mon, Lee!!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio
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    Lee, That deck looks great. I started putting the trex on mine last night. I found very quickly that per your advice pre drilling is the way to go with those tiger claws. Jay

  6. #6
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    Chadds Ford, PA
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    Hi Lee, Nice job on the deck. Looks real good.
    take care,
    John

  7. #7
    That is beautiful Lee. I will definitely consider that material next year when I redo my deck!

    Corey

  8. #8
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    Looks great Lee! I don't know what the other color option was but the color you chose looks great with the house.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    I am, however, trying to figure out how you resisted aquiring a new power tool (biscuit jointer) merely by selecting a different fastener! Sheesh...
    Actually, I don't think biscuits are very useful and didn't think I would have a use for one if I did get it. The job was already pretty pricey for a deck and adding another $250 for a tool I might not use again didn't seem to make a lot of sense. The biscuit style fasteners were also nearly 4 times the cost of the tiger claws.

    LOML picked out the color for the house and the deck material so the color coordination credit is hers. We didn't care for the look of the other brands of material we saw. The other options in Veranda we had were gray (the color of weathered treated lumber) and a "cedar" color, which just about matched the color of the siding. Since we didn't want the deck to disappear into the side of the house we chsoe the redwood. We got the same price as store stock even though it was special ordered.

    The slanted railing section was left over from the short section of railing. The vinyl only comes in 65" lengths. I had also purchased a stair kit, but discovered that I could disassemble the straight section and modify the slots for the balusters the same as the stair kit with a simple router jig. I was able to return the stair kit. I ended up wasting about a foot of the railing instead of nearly 4 feet of straight and two feet of stair kit.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Schierer
    Actually, I don't think biscuits are very useful and didn't think I would have a use for one if I did get it.
    No disagreement...I rarely use mine. (A Freud JS-102 which is a very good machine for not a lot of money)

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