Today’s modern deck building methods are getting more technologically advanced and easier to perform. These are the forms of construction that your local pearland deck contractors are utilizing and so can you. Here are five of the most important tips and tricks to remember when you are planning to erect a deck on your property:
1.Selecting Your Materials
When you’re planning your deck, you want the right materials that are long-lasting, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing along all of your most important components, including boards, hardware, posts, caps, and railings. But how can you realistically select the best stuff if you’re doing it from your home?
Brochures can only be so effective, which is why there are apps available for your smartphone that allow you to recreate each part by changing colors, textures, and other facets that are imperative to your decision-making process. Not only can you visualize the parts with the app but you can save the combinations you like best for future reference.
2. Improved Resilience
As you choose your decking, one of the more popular variants is composite. This is a form of decking that is engineered and manufactured with a mix of wood fibers and various polymers. Composite is a much better choice than traditional wood for many reasons but the more modern take on this type of material comes in a shelled version that utilizes multiple forms of polymer to produce a stronger alternative.
The result is decking materials that are more resistant to all of the most common dangers that exist to mar the look of your deck, including stains, fading, and scratches.
3. Fighting Deck Rot
Many types of lumber that are exposed to long-term moisture will typically develop rot. But applying some flashing tape to the joists, whether they are brand new or a number of years old, will prevent moisture from seeping into these critical areas and reduce the risk of rot in your deck.
Black tape is best so it blends in better, you want to avoid lighter or bright alternatives that will be easier to spot upon first glance.
4. Concealing those Ugly Ends
You may have noticed the ends of your manufactured deck boards are less than attractive. Don’t leave them out there for everyone to see, you can cover them up instead with a number of different options. You can lift your fascia board so that it sits at the same level as the top of your decking or hide the ends with a border board installed along the perimeter of the deck. Either one will be an effective solution to unseemly deck board ends.
5. Finding the Best Fasteners
The modern version of the deck screw comes with special threads that are designed to draw the decking down as you twist it through the board face. These threads not only provide much tighter joists but the screws are built to prevent a mushrooming effect. You have various screws to choose from but try to steer clear of any fastener systems that are utilized by fastening from under the decking boards and not the face.
