Deck building guides
Practical guides on the parts of a deck nobody sees: foundations, joist protection, fixings, gaps and ventilation. Written for deck builders, installers and dealers.
Why the deck substructure matters more than the boards
The boards are what clients see, but the frame underneath decides how long a deck lasts. What a good substructure is made of, layer by layer, and where decks usually fail.
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Joist tape: why the cheapest layer decides how long a deck lasts
What joist tape does, butyl vs bitumen vs rubber, which width to use, and how to apply it properly on timber and aluminium frames.
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Hidden deck screws vs face screws vs clips: which to choose
A practical comparison of the three ways to fix deck boards: invisible edge screws, visible face screws and hidden clips. Looks, speed, cost, board compatibility and maintenance.
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A2, A4, C4 or SS410? Choosing decking screws by climate and timber
What the steel grades on a box of decking screws mean, and which one to use inland, near the sea, by a pool, in tannin-rich hardwood or on aluminium joists.
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Deck board gaps and ventilation: the numbers that matter
How wide the gaps between deck boards should be, why the void under the deck must breathe, and how spacers and air pads keep a deck dry.
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Pedestal decks on roofs, balconies and slabs: a planning guide
How to plan a deck on adjustable pedestals: choosing heights, correcting slope, protecting the roof membrane, drainage, support spacing and the questions to ask before you start.
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Ground screws vs concrete footings for decks
An honest comparison of screw-in foundations and concrete footings for decks and terraces: speed, cost drivers, soil, frost, removal and environmental impact.
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Anti-slip tape on decks and stairs: where it pays off
Where deck surfaces get slippery, when anti-slip tape is the right fix, how to choose width and colour, and how to apply it so it stays put.
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Deck foundations in regions without ground frost
Where the ground does not freeze, a deck foundation does not need to go deep. When short wide-head ground screws such as Trident Drive make sense, and when soil, slope or load still call for long piles.
Read the guide →How to build a deck base where you can't dig
Building a deck over buried services, on rented land, near tree roots or on protected ground: how a surface block base with an adjustable pedestal works, how to prepare the ground, and where its limits are.
Read the guide →How many pedestals do I need per m²?
How to estimate deck pedestals per square metre for single and double joist layouts, a worked example for a 20 m² deck with stated assumptions, and how tile pedestals differ.
Read the guide →Choosing ground screw length and diameter for a deck
How soil, frost depth and load decide which ground screw a deck needs: lengths from 685 to 2050 mm, diameters from 68 to 101 mm, head types M, U, N and GM, and when to add an extension or test first.
Read the guide →Fixing deck boards to aluminium joists
How to fix timber and composite deck boards to an aluminium substructure: SS410 self-drilling joist screws, tape as a separating layer, hidden screws versus clips, thermal movement and pedestal heads.
Read the guide →Test the system on your next deck
Request samples of the tapes, screws, pedestals and foundations mentioned in our guides.