A good repeat customer of mine wants an 800sqft deck with Trex for the decking. Anything special I should be aware of? ( special joist spacing, different screwing technique, etc.) Thanks all.
Greg
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make sure you follow all of the mfr's recommendations, especially for side and end gapping
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks Mike. I'll be sure to do that.Greg
trapeaze screws work best you see them splashed all over F.H.B. nails dimple as do regular screws there ia a blind screw system thats available also there a couple of system one looks like an angle iron attaches to the joist and the other is like a bisquit insert with a screw....... bear
Thanks for the reply. I've used the angle hidden fasteners but only when I absolutly have to. I've seen the bisquit type but never used them. Look like it would take forever to get done. thanksGreg
samehere g- the bisquit took the labor off the screen, the trapeze is a good screw i'm wonderin' how there do with mdf/primed trim....well anyhow staywell/ and warm ...... bear
Edited 12/3/2002 10:29:55 PM ET by the bear
Greg- Your Trex supplier should give you several of the new yellow Trex spacers for free. Trex says you can span 16" o.c. but I have been framing my Trex decks at 12" o.c. because you can notice some flex at 16".The 2 1/2" FasTap poly is a great fastener. It pre-drills and countersinks itself flush with a little help from a good impact driver.
Your screw pattern should look like this- : . ' . ' . ' . ' . :
The ends should be routed with a 3/8 round bit held sideways before the run is screwed down.
Have fun !!!!
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Pro-Dek,
I've noticed that you always use an impact driver for your trex decks. Have you ever tried a deck screw gun (I'm guessing you have) and why don't you use these instead? My experience is that they are much faster if you can work well with the tool.
Jon Blakemore
Jon-The reason for the impact drive is not the speed as much as the ease of installing a screw into the knot of a joist. Yes, a variable speed drill will work but I just like the steady speed, balance, and assurance that I won't break the head off of a screw, that the impact drivers give over variable speed drills.
You don't have to remove too many stripped screws to sell yourself on an impact driver. Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Do you screw one board at a time? I like using a Bo-Wrench to lay about one in ten boards (Trex is flexible enough) with the other spaced and tacked, then snap a line and screw away the field pieces. Seems much faster. A screw gun makes it like a production line- just follow the chalk.
Interested to hear your take on things.Jon Blakemore
Jon- ole buddy, I know not of what you speak, bo-wrench, speed?
Yes we do lay one board at a time, mark it, cut it, route both ends, fasten one end and work our way down the run.
You'd probably have your deck done before I unloaded all my tools.
Take time to smell the roses..........
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I may be done more quickly, but the decks that you are doing are a whole lot more enjoyable than the ones I've had to opportunity to tackle lately.
I will have to try those FasTap screws next Trex job I get. They seem pricey, but the self coutersinking could be a great feature.
Jon Blakemore
Those FasTap screws are hot dipped galvanized hardened steel, I like them because you will break a bit before you strip a head. I used to pre-drill before I found them out, they cost $189. for a box of 2500 which is enough to do most decks.Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob, Thanks for all the help. I saw that Trex suggests 16o.c. but I was worried about that. I'll frame 12o.c. I never saw a screw pattern like that but I'll give it a try. I caught your post about using an impact. I usually use my Quik-drive. Maybe I'll use my impact. Haven't had it out of the case lately.Thanks.
P.S.
I love your cartoon hammer!Greg
Hey Greg,......joist spaceing--decking perpendicular to framing-16"--decking diagonal-12".....be sure the numbers on the ends are turned up/that is so they read normal......cannot notch the posts.....Hard as rock below 40 degrees. Good luck. Charge extra Labor. You'll see why once you do one. It's not your normal decking in more ways than one.
InTheCleftOfHisHand ford
Ford, thanks for the heads-up on the labor cost, I would've never thought it'd be more than p.t. It'll probly be sometime in Jan. when I do this. Any more cold weather advice? Thanks.Greg
Just completed my first Trex deck. I attempted the impact driver (Still not sold on that toy) and switched to decking gun before my third 18' deck board. I was very happy with the decking itself, but the posts, balusters and 2x material left me a bit leary. Attaching the decking to PT framing was fine definetly use the Trapease screws), but I wasnt happy with the Trex to Trex connection of the rails.
Thats all I can offer....as I said, it was my first.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Once you get beyond the fact that it has a reoccuring mold, that shows up like splotches everywhere. It can be scrubbed off with bleach, but comes back in a month or so. Seems to grow faster on parts exposed to the sun more than the shade. Oh yeah....trex will not acknowledge a problem. Other than that it's great.
keith... show us some pics of the "reoccurring mold".... i'd like to know what to look for, we use a lot of TrexMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You left out the fact that the shaded portions of the deck will not fade at the same rate as the parts exposed to the direct sunlight (this includes under chairs, tables, ect...). Or the fact that it cannot be used for anything structural at all. Or the fact that after a couple of years in the sun on 16" centers will make your deck look like a lake on a windy day. Oh yeah, and it smells like crayons.
Trex, ick..(can you tell I don't think much of this stuff?)
bill
I like trex.
Frame at 12" O.C.
Your decking shouldn't be structural anyways.
Don't inhale.
There, 75% problems solved.
Jon Blakemore