By the way, deck rails should not be less than 36” above the deck. Check with your local building official before beginning. Be careful here, some building departments require the space to be even less. There should never be more than four-inches of clearance between any parts. It is really important to remember that spacing between parts in open rail systems is important. However, we are planning to add copper post caps to improve the appearance of the deck. One thing we didn’t want to do is remove plywood siding to tighten bolts – kind of an expensive process. We used large chunks of 4×6 blocking as backing for our lags. This meant that we wouldn’t be able to access the deck framing later on. In our case our customer’s deck already had a beautiful plywood soffit (ceiling cover). Through bolting is important because it can be easily tightened later as the wood expands and contracts, which causes even the best of connections to loosen. Each post should be connected to the deck with at least two half-inch through-bolts with the spacers we mentioned and malleable washers (they’re the big square kind) at both sides. When it comes to bolt connections – size IS extremely important. This is another step in reducing rot and improving the life of your deck. If you have read our articles in the past we mentioned the under-board deck fastening system. All such connections have a tendency to hold enough moisture to promote rot. We have found that wherever wood connects there is a chance for rot. The washers act as spacers between the post and the deck and guarantee a free flow of air at the connection. We recently decided to begin using neoprene washers at the bolt connections BETWEEN the post and the deck edge. Also, clear material is stronger than the same material with knots, and vertical grain is simply the most beautiful wood in the world to look at. We also like to use vertical grain, clear-dry redwood when the budget allows because the material can be pre-stained before assembly (no waiting for natural moisture to evaporate). Once the post is notched its depth at the thinnest point is not less than 3 ½” (a full 4×4). We also prefer to use 4×6 posts instead of 4×4’s. We prefer the strength of a two-post corner. Also, we prefer a two-post corner system where others suggest that a single post system is cleaner. Others prefer no notch placing the rail system outside the deck edge. or not! We like to notch the post so that the rail system is centered over the edge of the deck. Also, “how a post is connected to a deck” can have a great deal to do with the deck’s appearance – and – how strong the hand rail is…. Isn’t it amazing! Even a deck-post connection can be important. Thus, we were able to achieve a strong connection via heavy bolting at the deck perimeter and we did not have to worry about penetrating the waterproof surface anywhere. Since there was plenty of bolting area beneath the tile edge we decided to use thicker-than-normal posts and notch them at the tile edge. This meant we couldn’t bolt the posts directly to the side of the deck. We didn’t want them to penetrate the edge of the tile either. This made connecting the posts even more difficult. The tile detail extended over the edge of the deck in the same fashion as a countertop. We didn’t want the posts come up through the flooring because each penetration would eventually become a potential leak hazard. Since the deck was going to be finished with ceramic tile the deck post system suddenly became an extremely important consideration. Leaks in tile decks can be disastrous to surrounding areas and cost a fortune to fix. Needless to say we found it necessary to remove an inordinate amount of surrounding surface material in hopes of eliminating any existing fungus damage. The deck is located on the windward side of the house and leaks were showing up at adjacent interior walls and ceilings. Our remodeling company was recently called to repair a leaking second story deck.
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