We finally have a deck we can stand on! I would say we are about 2/3 of the way done with finishing the surface of the deck. Here's what we accomplished today....
We started off by finishing up the install of the joist tape.
After that, we lined up two of the picture frame boards, the one that goes against the porch and the other that goes along the walkway. These boards don't have grooves in them for the clips. Instead, you use a tool to drill a hole in the board. We spaced the holes 3/4 of an inch from the edge of the board and 13 in apart.
the next step was to remove any sawdust or particles from the hold itself prior to installing the screw.
Later on, we will fill the hole with a wooden plug made from the same wood that the deck was created with. It will be almost invisible by the time we are done.
After we had two picture frame boards in, we began to install the fill boards one at a time. Michelle and got it down to routine...install the clips, push the board into the clips, then use a tool that grabbed onto the joists to hold the board tightly in position.
prior to screwing things down, we would whack the end of the board with a rubber mallet to make sure it was seated tightly against the picture frame board.
at that point, Michelle held the tool that put pressure on the board and I walked along the board with a screw gun and tightened everything down. The yellow tool fit over the exposed screw and allows me to quickly stick the screw bit into the screw itself. You can tell the people who make these tools are working with craftsmen who do this all day long.
once all the screws are in, you unloosen the pressure off of the board with the device, and repeat the process.
After about 4 hours, you get something that looks like this....
So what's next? We need to repeat the same process for the boards going down the side of the house. We have all the boards laid out, but I need to install the rim joists at the far end and do a couple of other minor tweaks before we're ready to get going.
Tomorrow I am presenting at a wellness conference so we won't be able to get a full day's working. Hopefully by Tuesday we will have all the field boards and picture frame boards installed except for the one long board that goes along the fence. This board is on special order and should be available in the next couple of days. We will need to sand and oil this board prior to install.
After that, the only thing left to do will be to plug the screw holes with the wooden dowels, sand them down, and apply a little bit of oil to help them blend in with the rest of the wood.
If everything goes right, we should be finished with this project by next weekend.
