Top 5 Tips When Installing Ekodeck
Ekodeck is all about ensuring you can install your deck in a fast and easy way – revolutionising the decking is installed forever.
In this article we share our top 5 tips when installing Ekodeck, whether it be decking for your alfresco area or around your pool.
The Quickfix system is a quick and easy way to lay your decking boards and is much faster than traditional top-fixing. This is thanks to the clips automatically spacing the boards and taking out much of the guess work.
1. If using the 6mm Quickfix system, pre-load your clips
Pre-loading your 6mm clips with screws is a great way to make the system even faster. This saves you heaps of time when laying your Ekodeck and greatly speeds up the process.
It can, at times, be cumbersome when trying to hold the board, insert a clip, find a screw, grab the drill and make it all come together in one cohesive motion. This is where preloading your clips with screws will help you easily slide the clip into the groove of the board with one hand and have your drill in the other ready to go.
This is a perfect job for your onsite apprentice during smoko!
2. Leave your boards long and cut to size all at once
As with all composite decking, Ekodeck expands and contracts with changing temperatures.
When cutting Ekodeck throughout the day, your boards will expand and contract with the changing temperature.
So, if you start in the morning when it’s cold outside, and then the weather heats up throughout the day, cutting a board to 1800mm in the morning will turn out a different result than cutting a board to 1800mm in the afternoon.
The best way to get around this is to cut your boards slightly over length, fasten them down and then leave them to settle overnight. The next morning, you can realign them if necessary, and then cut them all at once using a straight edge, so you get a nice, straight and consistent line.
3. Design your deck around 5.4m lengths
As Ekodeck boards all come in the one set 5.4m length, there are a few tricks to getting the most out of your boards and minimising how much wastage you’ll end up with. Designing your deck around 5.4m (and multiples of that length) can allow you to utilise the least number of boards needed for your space, therefore saving you money!
2.7m and 1.8m are both divisible by 5.4m and are handy lengths to keep in mind if your decking project is of a smaller size.
If your deck is longer than 5.4m, you can use those smaller lengths to extend the span of the deck, when used in combination with breaker boards.
4. Set up your cutting station properly
Having your cutting station set up to properly support Ekodeck boards is extremely important, in both a practical and safety sense.
At 5.4m long, they can be quite unwieldy to move around, so you’ll need a stable and flat surface to support them. Your station will also need to be able to hold a fair amount of weight, as the boards weigh about 20kg each.
Additionally, you’ll want to make sure the area surrounding your cutting station is clear of any debris, so that you can cut your Ekodeck in an easy to manoeuvre and safe environment. For best results, we recommend laying a drop sheet to collect any shavings or saw dust.
Handy Hint: Use the supplied 5.4m pallet as a work bench on some trestle legs!
5. Start laying your Ekodeck from the outside in, towards your house
When starting your Ekodeck project, start from the outside edge board and lay your boards moving towards the house (or other structure).
Laying from the outside in allows you to rip down the last board (if needed) and hide the narrower width of the board under any overhang from the house. This is useful as many houses, fences or walls are often not square, and will require some adjustments to line up your deck evenly.
Ready to install Ekodeck?
We have a number of practical and easy to understand how-to-videos that go into more detail on installation.
Or, if you have any queries or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out or request a sample. Our friendly team are always happy to help!
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