Laying decking boards sounds easy at first. However, there are a few things to consider in order for the project to succeed.
A wooden terrace is visually particularly appealing, which is why it is now very popular in naturally designed gardens. However, this does not necessarily have to be made of real wood. If you don't want to rely on that, you can also rely on easy-care and durable planks made of WPC (Wood Plastic Composition), a wood-plastic composite material. These have a number of advantages over normal wooden floorboards.
» Recommended reading: WPC decking boards: Advantages of the boards at a glance.
But it doesn't matter which floorboards you choose - the question still remains whether you build the terrace yourself or have it built. If you are not exactly clumsy with your hands, you can do the laying of the decking yourself. It's actually not as hard as you might think.
Important information before installing decking
» Prefer decking with click system
Basically, nowadays you have two different options for attaching the decking boards to the substructure. The traditional method is to fix it with non-rusting screws. However, this creates drill holes into which moisture can penetrate and which also pose a certain risk of injury. For example, when you walk barefoot on the ground.
It's much easier with mounting clips. Laying works here in a similar way to modern click laminate. This promises a more attractive look and more security, but you also have to dig a little deeper into your pocket. If you want to use such clips, you have to make sure that you need different clips for the first row than for the rest of the covering.
» Lay the first plank correctly
It is important that you start at the edge with the first plank and lay it across the substructure. The distance from the floorboards to fixed structures must always be at least 10 mm.
» Use a single type of wood
Each type of wood has its own swellingand shrinkage behavior, so you should only ever use one type of wood. There is usually no need to saw the planks to size, because you can buy ready-made planks in hardware stores or specialist timber shops.
Instructions for laying decking boards
➙ Step 1:
Before you can lay the floorboards, you must prepare the subfloor and create a substructure. For this you need:
- Spade
- Root Fleece
- Level
- Beams
- screws
- Nuts
First, however, you must carefully remove stones and weeds.
➙ Step 2:
Flat the area. It is important that you allow for a slight gradient so that the terrace slopes slightly from the house towards the garden. To do this, you have to use a spade to dig a bed 30 cm deep and then fill it up with grit, gravel or sand. Then spread the fleece over it so that later no weeds can grow through the joints of the floorboards.
➙ Step 3:
For the foundation, it is best to use concrete slabs spaced about 60 cm apart. Then lay the support beams on it, making sure that they are flush with the concrete slabs on the outside. You can then screw the beams together.
➙ Step 4:
Once the substructure is complete, you can start laying the floorboards. You should proceed parallel to the house wall. The groove profile of the floorboards must therefore run across the direction of travel. This not only makes walking on the ground more comfortable, but also safer because you have more grip.
It is best to start right at the house and lay the floorboards row by row towards the garden. There must be a gap of at least 10 mm between the individual planks.
A little tip: With click systems you have a lot less work.
Important: If you screw the planks together, you must measure and mark the position of the screws beforehand. Then pre-drill the holes, insert the screws and make sure that they line up with the wood. This is the only way to avoid risk of injury later.
➙ Step 5:
If you have covered the surface with floorboards, you can possibly cover the side surfaces with decorative stones, palisades or floorboards.
If you have decided on real wood, you should also impregnate the floorboards with oil, wax or wood preservatives. So they are not only in front of theprotected from different weather conditions, but are also not overgrown by moss.
» Reading tip: Removing moss on the terrace and sidewalk - 4 tips.