Building instructions for wooden decking – in six assembly steps

Betterwood offers several options for building your own wooden terrace: with wooden tiles and prefabricated decking elements the installation is quick and easy. Building a wooden deck from individual boards requires skilled craftsmanship and is more complex. We have therefore divided the construction process into six steps. This means that even non-professionals can build very good wooden decking from decking boards themselves. It is always crucial that you allow enough time for your project so that you can work with calm and precision.

1. select material

You choose from our Teak, Cumaru or Garapa wood species the decking boards for your wooden terrace from. You need a wooden substructure and decking screws or decide in favor of a concealed screw connection . You can calculate the quantity with the patio planner from Betterwood.

2. prepare the substrate

Depending on the location of the terrace, the substrate must be prepared and the substructure planned. On a slope, you need strong construction timbers (e.g. Cumaru substructure 90x90mm) and if laying on grass, the ground must be leveled.

3. lay out the foundation

The correct foundation for a wooden deck depends on the substrate on site. The substructure must be laid on a level, solid and structurally sound substrate. If the wooden decking is laid on a softer surface such as earth or grass, paving slabs should be used as foundation stones. If a greater installation height is required, this can be achieved with pedestal supports. If the terrace is on a slope, a structural engineer or architect should be consulted to determine the distances between the support points.

4. lay out the substructure

The construction timbers are laid across the direction in which the decking boards will later run. The distance between the construction timbers is important: a maximum of 50 centimeters measured from center to center. Also check the even height of the construction timbers with a spirit level. Unevenness can be evened out with shims between the support points and construction timbers.

5. visible or concealed screwing of decking boards

The joint size depends on the type of wood and width of the decking boards. A visible screw connection is less complicated than a concealed screw connection. Pre-drill the holes before screwing, as all Betterwood decking boards are made of very resistant and hard wood such as teak, cumaru or tatajuba. Ream out the drill holes with a countersink so that the screw heads can be countersunk flush into the wood.

6. maintain wooden decking

Every outdoor wooden deck will turn gray over time. In a particularly damp and shady environment, algae and fungi can also colonize the surface. To counteract graying and to protect against algae and fungi, Betterwood offers various wood care and cleaning products. For our teak, Cumaru and Tatajuba decking boards, the manufacturer BioMaderas has developed individual care products which, after long test phases the best results have achieved the best results.

You can find detailed building instructions for wooden decking here. If you would prefer to have the work carried out by a craftsman, we can recommend a decking builder for you.