Floor is now tongue and groove. I plan to replace it with 5/4 x 6 premium grade decking from HD.
My questions are, can the boards be placed tight against each other, or is a minimum gap needed? If so, how much gap?
When screwing down the decking, how far from each edge should the screws be placed?
Thank you.
Bob
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Although covered by a roof, the deck surface is going to get wet (unless you live in Arizona) so you need to plan how it can drain and dry as fast as possible. This is usually done by spacing boards slightly apart.
Screws piercing the top surface are not the only way to fasten deck boards. You can fasten them at the sides or from below, to maintain the deck surface smooth and unmarked.
My question is will it fit in with the character of the house? T&G looks a lot different than 5/4 decking.
When I built my deck with PT lumber, I took into account how wet the wood was. I left no gap between the boards and within a month or so I had a 1/8" to 1/4" gap between all boards. Had I gapped them from the beginning, small dogs would have been able to fall through the resulting gaps after the wood dried out.
Same with PT fence pickets. The probable fix is to let the dry completely before use. How long that will take is unknown.
I can't answer you but I love the old houses with those porches. My Aunts had one near Utica, NY and I just love them. We don't have that in most homes in around Houston, Texas.
I might suggest to see what the new decking that marinas use. I think it's some kind of composite that obviously must resist rain, salt water, traffic, etc... . Also you might consider if whatever you use will it stand up to high heels just in case. I realize you won't have much of that but the hardness and spacing may come into play here.
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