Easy DIY Backyard Deck | installing composite decking

A backyard deck can create a space out of thin air for summer barbecues, family gatherings. Or just a quiet glass of wine at sunset. Contractors’ building decks are often very expensive. But when you take on the job yourself, the cost is much lower. So, you can try DIYing your own backyard deck. Don’t worry, installing composite decking is very easy.

Build a simple deck

We should have seen some videos that show building a fully equipped deck in fast forward. It looks so simple that a group of workers magically turn an empty backyard into a multi-level deck in a matter of minutes. In reality, building a deck by yourself is a slow process. Hundreds of pounds of lumber and concrete are involved. It’s quite difficult for individuals. Therefore it is important for individuals to build decks that need to be kept simple and easy to follow.

That’s why we recommend using wood-plastic composite decking to build a backyard deck. Building a composite deck only requires clearing the ground. Then laying down the keel, and then securing the composite decking to the keel. It is easy to install and perfect for personal DIY installation.

Cheap Deck Boards

The goal of do-it-yourself deck building is to save money. Therefore, when building a deck, the same low-cost raw materials are chosen. The most common is pressure-treated lumber. Although the raw materials are low-cost, they require regular maintenance after installation. It is also a significant expense.

Building a simple pallet wood deck

Some people use pallets as decks. It works best when the pallet wood is in direct contact. Otherwise, it can cause many problems such as protruding nails, rough surfaces, wide slats, and broken pieces.

Some of the problems can be solved by buying wooden pallets from suppliers. And making sure they receive construction-quality lumber and slats spaced close enough. So that feet and chair legs don’t slip through.

They used only five major building materials, making the job super easy and sane. Most decks must have all sorts of hardware like hangers and special screws. They built a gorgeous deck using only pallet boards, concrete blocks, sand, and gravel.

Do-it-yourself diagonals

If there’s one thing deck builders love, it’s simplicity. Conversely, if there’s any way to complicate things, it’s to lay the floor of a deck on a diagonal. Decking on the diagonal is a pain in the ass, but the finished result is nice.

On balance, the least expensive decking material to purchase is pressure-treated lumber. From an individual installation standpoint, however, it is not the most suitable. It requires concrete to level the floor, fix the frame, and then install it. It also faces long-term maintenance work later on.

Although composite decking has a high purchase price, it has excellent environmental adaptability. It has good resistance and corrosion resistance and requires little maintenance. Also easy to install.

Composite decking Installation

1. Normally, the joist should be laid as vertical to the decking as possible, the gap between the joist should be no more than 14” (350mm). If the joist and the decking cannot be vertical. Please select the corresponding joist gap according to the angle between the joist and the decking.

Leave 1/4″–1/2″ (6–13 mm) gap between the end of the joist and the obstacle.

2. At the butt seam of the decking, the sister joist MUST be used. So that each individual decking board is on its own joist to ensure that the board will not slide off the joist, otherwise the warranty will be invalid. leave 1/5″ (5mm) between the two joists for ventilation and drainage.

3. Fix the joist with expansion screws. Ensure that the expansion screw is installed at the center of the joist. The distance between expansion screws should not exceed 20” (500mm).

NOTE: When fixing accessories on the WPC joist with screw, always pre-drill the pilot hole before securing the screw to avoid damage to the joist. 

4. Fix the other composite decks to the keel in the above order. Pay attention to the 8mm interval between each deck to prevent the deck from deformation caused by heat expansion.