More Women Carpenters!!!!!!!!!!!

PT material is going to have movement issues no matter how its fastened or what finish is used. The biger the lumber the more movement.

Be very sure the frame is secure in all ways before you reskin. J.

Don't give me too much credit, I'm a wanna be! Hey, I did help build the chicken coop last summer... I'm learning how things are supposed to work! But this deck thing is new to me, and I've learned not to take his word for gospel all the time (and yes, I've even told him that!)

Angie

Why not just use 1x6 deck boards? They're cheaper. As long as your joist spacing isn't unreasonable, they should work fine. And if your joists are pretty far apart, you could add some while you've got it torn up.

BTW, while you've got your deck de-skinned, make sure you do some bringing up of the existing structure to code so it'll be safer. If it's run down, it's old enough to have been built under previous codes that weren't as good as they are now. If you don't know what might be wrong with it, just post a couple photos here and we'll enlighten you. :-)

Too funny, John!

There are times, when we're out working on fencing, or hauling manure (I AM a farm girl after all, who CAN drive a tractor) he forgets where he is and gets treating me like one of his crew guys at work...I remind him who I am...and that he'd better get his head back on straight! LOL.... his job is tough man.... he's a foreman, but always dealing with new hires who are afraid to get their hands dirty.

1x6.... hmmmm.... I'll have to throw on a picture of the framing once we get all this stuff off. These 2x4's are crammed on together VERY tight.

Just looking forward to having a nice deck.... we live in the country on a small farmette, with woods and a natural pond in the backyard.....this place deserves having something to enjoy all of this on!

Angie

The pt decking material is 1'' thick x 5 1/2'' wide so the joists have to be on 16'' centers for that not 24'' on center. Go Get Em Girl. J.

Well...he had his mind set on 2x8...so that's what he got. I hope I (notice I said I, I, I) don't regret it down the road for some reason. We'll have the floor done tomorrow. He beefed up the framing, since we were using the existing frame that the deck sat on originally... and I cleaned up after him....hmmmm. Anyway......here's the pics. Nothing fancy.... it's a 16'x10'.

Hmmm, I would probably have added joists at the halfway point in between each pair rather than sistering, though they both help with deflection. You should also use joists that span the whole 16 feet, not stop them short or piece together the joists. They're less effective that way.

Also, put joist hangers on either end of each joist (they make some that are wide enough to hold a double joist) and hurricane ties to connect the joists to the beam(s) they rest on.

Speaking of the beams, what are they resting on? Can you take some more photos?

I was a little slow bringing up the foundation Randy.

After I saw the tool belt with the big ass framing hammer, the cinder blocks laying around, and the work stance I figured I would wait and see. J.

The deck floor is on, but I can tell you what he did. He added on to part of it (where you can see he added to the joists on "this" end, from where I took the pics) because the deck didn't go quite to the corner of the house. So, instead of throwing the wood away, we wanted to use it...which is why he added on, but did add another 16' board after the joint for stability. I thought it was overkill, but glad to see it's not (because there is already one 16' board as you can see.) The beams....the stained boards? Those are, I believe, bolted onto posts sunk into the ground. But I could look under there. I didn't pay attention to that. He was making holes, I was screwing screws! That's all the help I was.... =(

The cinder blocks are something we just had underneath the deck, being stored there (old deck). But I also used some, with pavers inside, for steps getting up to it. Now, I'm not sure what I'll do with them.... maybe make a row of planters out of them somewhere? I'll take ideas....I got all of these laying around now...and unless I come up with an idea, I'll just store them under the deck yet again.

Hubby's hammer...yeah...much too big for my liking....but that's his work hammer...and he won't use nothin' else! (he's in post frame construction...Cleary Buildings, heard of 'em? Goin on 20 years).

Anyway...next on my list of things to do is figure out how to install the lattice underneath to keep the coons/possums and things out...and decide what to build for stairs, and what to use for railing...

Hey John, just the Missus here. Mr. Weedy never posts. His spelling is too horrid. :-)

Grulla: often the best help you can be with a husband who can do anything (or is at least willing to try) is to be the researcher to ensure the new things he tries are done correctly. So don't discount your efforts by saying all you did was screw in some screws. Be the one that asks the questions and does the research so he can focus on the building that he likes to do.

Mr. Weedy and I have done near remodeled our entire house, all DIY. While he has lots of skills, most are gained from just diving in and trying from the time he was young, so he doesn't always know all the rules, like how much deflection you can have in a floor you're going to tile, or the fact that you can't drywall over a junction box. So I've been the one that hangs out on GW and googles a lot to find out exactly how we need to tile a shower, build a deck, take out a load-bearing wall, insulate a sunroom, etc. Then we both do it together...but safely and effectively.

So keep up the research, and hopefully he's like my better half, who doesn't blow me off when I tell him how things should be done, but rather thanks me for doing the "boring work" of, say, designing a deck.

Gotcha Allison

I like this thread. A lot can be learned far as the Girl's help during Construstion. Until I hired Crystal the total input that can be gained was not near as clear.

The way she keeps her eyes open and thinks ahead,knows where all the tools are and where they go when packing up the truck, proforms tasks that require doing the same thing over and over like runing in the ss screws and predrilling most guys have trouble keeping their mind on it after a while, things like that and a lot more.

She is part of the Team, We really notice when Crystal has to take a day for personal stuff, not the same at all.

J.

Thanks for that, Weedy! Sorry I haven't checked in on this post.... I had it set up to Email me when there's a response, but obviously didn't work!

That Crystal sounds like a real gem! Seriously...no pun intended, just realized what I said...ha ha ha

grullablue, this is an old thread but this came up on my google search. How is the 2x8 decking looking? I am getting my existing 2x6 deck boards replaced as. I am thinking I will use 2x8 instead of 2x6 or standard 5/4x6 deck boards. 2x8 will match the indoor flooring width, which I love. Any cupping issues? I also read that 2x8 will develop more space as shrinkage will be more. I would like to know how yours is holding up. If anyone else has any inputs, I am all ears. Thanks GW/Houzzers!

edit: I have to order lumber asap as the contractor is almost ready :( I hope to get some response soon!

2x6 cannot span 10' you have to use 2x8.

2x6 can only span 9' if you go 16" on center and 9'11 if you go 12" on center.

If you want a nice solid floor, use 2x8 and the difference between 2x8 and 2x6 is only a few dollars.

"So, 2x6 or 2x8 is our option (regular treated boards, not decking material)."

Whoever wrote the first post said NOT decking materials... Decking material is usually related to deck planking and regular boards usually address the substructure.

5/4" and 2x6" you can find in #1 select grade which means a nice smooth board with least amount of knots. 2x8 come only in #2 grade, so the board's will have lots of knots and imperfections, so it will not look so good because 2x8 is only used for framing lumber which is hidden from view.

The OP was saying they wanted to use regular 2x6 or 2x8 instead of the 5/4 decking material. They are still talking about deck flooring and not the substructure. This thread is about using PT 2x lumber for deck planks instead of the typical 5/4 boards. And my concern/question is - Is using 2x8 as deck boards OK or will "cupping" issues?

Interesting to know that 2x6 is available in #1 select. Helpful to know as I have not seen that at big box stores here. I will have to find out from local lumber yards. Thanks

Any wood has cupping issues, 2x6 and 5/4 as well... never seen 2x8 being used as decking boards. Heavy to carry, if you have a 16' I assume you would use 2x8-16' to eliminate joints each board weighs 70LB and even if you use 12' and stagger them each 2x8-12' is 50LB vs. 5/4x6- 12' weighs approximately 10-18LB depending on how wet it is...

As decking goes, I never seen or heard anyone using 2x8 as decking material. Heavy to carry, if you have a 16' deck, I assume you plan using 2x8-16' to eliminate joints, each board weighs 70LB and even if you use 12' and stagger them each 2x8-12' is 50LB vs. 5/4x6- 12' weighs approximately 10-18LB depending on how wet the board is...

Any finished product pics?

I'm looking to use 2x8s as

@Freddie Yarosz this thread is 10 years old LOL...you can use 2x8 with a .25" spacing and it would be just fine. However, with material prices as high as they are in 2021, I couldn't justify the additional cost of 2x8 over 2x6. It's a look preference and maybe a few less boards.