Know your Decking Terminology…
- Baluster: One of a series of vertical supports used between posts of a railing. Also called a spindle.
- Balustrading: Vertical railing secured between newel posts as a feature or barrier.
- Banding: This is the border around the base of your deck. It’s not always required but can make your deck more durable and attractive.
- Beams: The horizontal boards that are attached to the post to help carry the weight.
- Box Sill: In a building frame it is composed of a plate resting on the basement wall and a joist or header at the outer edge of the plate, as well as a soleplate for the studs resting either directly on the joists or on the rough flooring.
- Bridging: Short pieces of lumber between joists that strengthen the framing. They are designed to prevent the joists from twisting.
- Building Codes: Regulations detailing accepted materials and methods of building, such as the size of the deck, setback distances, railing and stair construction, footing depths, fastening methods, lumber types for certain deck components and fence or screen height around the deck. Usually adopted by city, county, or state building departments; most counties have local building codes.
- Cantilever: A construction method that involves extending the joists beyond the support beam or the support beam beyond the posts.
- Cap Rail: The top horizontal piece of a railing, usually placed to give it a finished appearance.
- Concentrated Load: The application of a relatively large force on a relatively small area.
- Composite Decking: Deck boards manufactured from wood fiber and plastic to form a profile which requires less maintenance and generally has a longer lifespan than natural wood.
- Decking: The floorboards or deck/decking boards.
- Dead Load: The weight of the structure itself, which includes the plank system, support structure and any railings, built-in benches and other permanent features.
- Expansion and Contraction: Boards expand when they heat up and contract when they cool down. Must be accounted for when spacing deck boards.
- Fascia: The boards used to cover rim joists and end joists. Also called “skirt”.
- Fasteners: Generic term for nails, bolts, screws and other connecting devices.
- Footing: The below-ground support of a deck’s post, usually made from concrete.
- Foundation: Either a concrete pad or post installed on footers.
- Framing: This refers to your deck’s structure and supports. It’s important to create a solid frame so your deck is sturdy, level and safe.
- Furring Boards: Long thin strips of wood used to make existing surfaces support the finished surface, in this case the deck.
- Grade: A designation given to lumber indicating the amount of flaws and knots typically found in the wood. Example: construction common (aka con-common) is a grade of redwood containing sapwood; construction-heart (con-heart) contains virtually no knots or blemishes. Inset: An area of a deck that has been cut out to accommodate decorative and landscape elements such as trees and firepits.
- Grading: Leveling the ground underneath your deck might be necessary if your yard has hills or uneven areas.
- Handrails: The horizontal boards that provide safety.
- Joist Hanger: A pre-manufactured metal piece typically attached to a ledger or beam to support a joist. Joist hangers should be galvanized.
- Joists: Horizontal framing members that support decking; a system of sub-deck structural elements located directly beneath the deck boards.
- Ledger: A length of board, that is horizontally attached to the side of a house and holds up one edge of a deck.
- Live Load: The amount of weight a deck is designed to support. Most deck designs call for a live load of 60 pounds per square foot.
- Low-Voltage Lighting: Commercially available lighting systems that use a transformer to reduce the needed electrical current.
- Merbau (or Merboo): A tropical hardwood tree which yields valuable timber, native to Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Noggins: Short pieces of timber, fitting between joists for rigidity.
- Nominal Dimensions: The label given to a standard piece of lumber.
- On Centre: A method of measuring distance between two structural members, such as joists, where you measure from the center of one member to the center of the other.
- Oversite: Area under deck. Must be free draining or of a gradient at least 1 in 40 to allow water ‘run-off’.
- Pier Block: A masonry post. Piers often serve as above-grade footings for posts and often are made of pre-cast concrete.
- Post: The vertical structural element that rests on the footing and supports the beam.
- Post Anchor: A metal piece attached to or embedded in the footing that attaches the post to the footing and keeps the post from being exposed to moisture in the ground.
- Post Cap: A small piece of material (often wood) attached to the top of the post to cover the post’s wood grain and protect the post from the weather. Can be made of many materials including metal, Injection-molded plastics, even decorative glass tops for round and square posts.
- Pressure-Treated Wood: This process inserts preservatives into the wood to better protect against insects and mold.
- Rise: The vertical distance from one stair tread to another.
- Riser: The vertical piece between two stair steps.
- Sealant: A substance that protects wood from harmful materials such as water, mold and insects. Homeowners typically need to seal their decks at regular intervals.
- Shade Structure: A structure built above decks, usually of posts and lattice, to provide a shaded area on the deck.
- Span: The distance between supports.
- Stain: A pigment or dye applied to wood. Stains can either bring out or hide wood grain, and many also repel mold.
- Structural Integrity: A structure’s uncompromised ability to safely resist the required loads.
- Sub-Structure: The decking construction that is located below, and supports the decking boards and railing system. Components include joists and hangers, ledgers, rim joists, beams, posts, anchors and footers.
- Treads: The top boards on a stair.
- Waterproofing: A substance that protects wooden decks from standing water and rainwater.
- Weed Barrier: A rot proof fabric laid on oversite. It allows drainage while minimising weed growth. Covering it with a layer of pea shingle maximises its performance and longevity.
- Wind Load: The lateral pressure on a structure in pounds per square foot, due to wind blowing in any direction.
Many factors go into building a deck, from design to material choice to outdoor accessories. When you work with a trusted decking contractor like Timber Decking Builders and schedule regular deck maintenance, you, your family and friends can enjoy outdoor living space for years to come.