DECKING & RAILING
We offer everything needed for your decking and railing project. Your local Richards Branch Team is standing by to answer questions and provide a quote.
COMPOSITE DECKING
Composite decking is an environmentally friendly lumber alternative that combines plastic and wood fiber. Designed for maximum durability, it resists fading, staining, scratching, and mold, and won’t rot, crack or warp. It’s also insect-proof and splinter-free, making it safer and more comfortable for families with kids and pets.
Planning and Design Considerations
- Railing – Railing is both an architectural and safety component in deck design. Cable railings are a great option when the line of sight is important.
- Stairs – A simple stairway will do just fine for inexpensive projects or wrap-around stairs, which double as casual seating can add interest and practicality.
- Seating and planters – built-in or add-on, seating, and planters are the finishing touches to a deck.
Common Deck Components
- Footing – Most decks begin by pouring concrete footings and attaching post anchors. Region frost depth determines how deep to pour the footings. Footings hold up the posts.
- Post – Posts are attached to the footings and hold the support beams up off the ground. Posts are important to ensure good airflow under your deck and to be able to access the under-deck area as needed for maintenance.
- Beams – Horizontal beams hold up the deck framing and provide the main structural support. They are usually made of 2 x 8″ or 2 x 10″ lumber.
- Joist – The joists create a framework running under the deck’s entirety, supporting the deck boards.
- Ledgers and header joists – Ledgers anchor a deck to the house and support each joists’ end. Header joists support the other side of the joists.
- Deck boards – The deck boards are what you walk on; they act as visible flooring for your deck.
- Hidden fasteners – The advantage of a hidden fastener system is that no screw heads are dotting the surface and blemishing your deck.
