Bring natural beauty, strength, and long-lasting performance to your outdoor spaces with our high-quality pine decking boards. Designed for durability and timeless appeal, our decking solutions enhance any exterior with warmth and character while standing up to the elements.
Things to Know About Decking Installation
Before you begin building your deck, it’s important to understand the key steps for a durable and professional result — from choosing the right wood species and treatments to preparing the foundation, installing boards, and ensuring proper maintenance.
You can take a look of Puidukoda’s full decking installation manual here.
How to Choose and Order Decking Boards
Choosing a Type of Wood
For the construction of a deck, the most durable tree species is pine. Pine is well suited for decking boards if it is pressure treated.
The main factor causing wear is the weather (fluctuations in humidity and temperature), which means that spruce timber is not so well suited for decks, as the impregnation penetrates the wood by only a few millimetres. In the case of pine pressure treated in an autoclave, the preservative penetrates down to the core.
Finishing and Treatment Options for Decking Boards
Pressure treatment
The pine or spruce decking material must definitely be purchased in pressure-treated form. This extends the life of the material severalfold and also increases the required maintenance interval. Investing in a pressure-treated deck is financially more cost-effective than replacing a decaying deck a few years after its installation.
When applying the impregnating agent with a brush, the result is only surface deep and the inside of the wood remains untreated and therefore decays when exposed to moisture.
Linseed treatment
The autoclave pushes the linseed oil into the material at a temperature of 60 °C. The final result of the treatment is a material with a nut-brown shade that is protected from UV exposure and is water-repellent.
Compared with manual oiling, it gives the wood a much higher durability, weather resistance and a longer maintenance interval. The cost per square metre for industrial oiling is cheaper than applying oil with a brush by hand. In addition, all four sides of the board will be evenly oiled. Suitable for spruce, pine and larch.
Glaze paint
It is also possible to order industrially finished decking boards. A special transparent glaze paint is specifically designed to provide weather protection (moisture and UV protection) and innovative shades for decking boards.
Although wood in its natural form is also durable, finished decking boards are even more so. This is a good way to buy a deck in the colour shade of your choice, where all four sides are industrially finished. For more information, contact your dealer or manufacturer.
How to Transport and Store Decking Boards Safely
Decking Board Transport Guidelines
The production of Puidukoda is packed in packaging meant to be side-loaded with a forklift. This loading method prevents damage to the material during loading and unloading. There is a great risk of damage to the material when loading from the back.
When loading goods with a sling crane, special clamps for wood packaging must be used to prevent the slings from cutting into the corners of the package, deformation of the wood package, or breakage of the material.
The more frequently goods are lifted and transported before final installation, the higher the risk of transport damage. When unloading material on the construction site, use either a forklift or crane, since with manual loading onto and off transport, there is a very high risk of damaging the material.
Proper Storage of Decking Boards
All material should be checked when storing at the construction site, and it should be ensured that there is no damage that might have occurred during loading, transport, or storage. When using strips, leave a sufficient air gap under the material, preferably about 150 mm. The material must not be in direct contact with the ground.
How to Install Wooden Decking Boards
Building a Deck base
The first stage is building the foundation. It is recommended to use foundation blocks (fibo blocks) or concrete posts cast into the ground to build a foundation directly in contact with the ground. Plastic girders may also be used.
The concrete posts should be cast deeper than the freezing point. The foundation must be sufficient to carry the load of the deck itself and the load on the deck.
Decking Board Installation
The second stage is the installation of pressure-treated beams onto the foundation. The beams should be installed at least 20 cm above the ground to prevent excessive moisture condensation from the ground. The spacing of the foundation lines under the beams should be selected according to the dimensions of the beam used.
The deck frame is installed perpendicular to the beams. The spacing of the deck frame is based on the thickness of the decking boards. When planning to build a deck, consider that a wider framework should be used under jointed boards. This prevents screw points from being too close to the edge.
The gap between two decking boards should be between 4–7 mm, depending on the width of the board. Joints allow the boards to expand and shrink due to weather changes.
If you want to cover the deck frame from the side using decking boards, the lower edge needs to be at least 50 mm from the ground to guarantee ventilation under the frame.
Fastening Fixtures and Fastening
The beams, deck frame, and boarding must be secured with fastening fixtures intended for outdoor use. For deck construction, we recommend stainless steel or corrosion-resistant screws. Simple zinc screws rust quickly.
Due to the higher internal tensions than average, wood requires the use of at least 5 mm thick stainless steel (A2) screws to prevent the screws from breaking. In an aggressive environment, such as pools with chlorine water or seaside areas, acid-proof stainless steel (A4) screws must be used.
Wood Deck Maintenance
First maintenance
Within the first year of use, pressure-treated wooden decks are usually not treated with oil, as they may not have dried sufficiently. They also have a sufficient protective coating without oil.
The first maintenance of a pressure-treated decking board is necessary when the sun has slightly bleached the deck surface. Pressure treatment agents and decking oil may not be compatible, and bleaching will help alleviate the conflict. Choose a dry and warm time for oiling.
The minimum temperature for oil treatment is +5 °C. At lower temperatures, the oil dries and absorbs more slowly.
The estimated maintenance interval for wood is two years, after which the deck should be treated with the same product and colour shade. Defects due to mechanical damage to the wood must be repaired on a day-to-day basis.
About Puidukoda
Puidukoda was founded in 1997 in Southern Estonia. Our main activity is the production and marketing of quality value-added softwood planing materials such as Nordic spruce and Nordic pine. Puidukoja has modern and flexible fully automated production lines (from sorting to sawing, planing and thermofoiling) with a production capacity exceeding 225,000 m³ per year. In addition, we offer several post-processing options such as: painting, cabling, end-matching and impregnation.
With a strong presence in international markets, Puidukoda caters to a diverse clientele. Our products are designed to meet the varying needs of customers across Europe and beyond, ensuring reliability and satisfaction.
Our products are available through an extensive network of official resellers, ensuring accessibility and excellent customer service. Find your nearest reseller and explore our premium wood products today. Contact us for more information.