• English
  • Italiano
  • Français
  • Español
  • Português
  • عربى
  • Free Sample
  • Get Quote
  • Home
  • Product
    • Outdoor Composite
    • Indoor Composite
  • Free Samples
  • Solution
    • Color Selector
    • Become A Dealer
    • DIY Solutions
    • Our services
    • Free Samples
  • Why EVODEK®
  • Resources
    • Technical Information
    • Inspiration
    • Get Quote
    • FAQs
    • Download
    • Blog
  • To Be Dealer

Recent Search Keywords

  • Free Samples
  • Get Quote
  • composite decking
Blog
Home > Blog > Do you leave gaps between composite decking boards?
26Nov
  • By EVODEK
  • Fri, Nov 26, 2021
  • 239 Views

Do you leave gaps between composite decking boards?

If you see decks in your daily life often enough, you may have noticed that there are usually gaps between individual decking boards. I’ve had many people ask me if they can install composite decking boards without gaps reserved in between. The short answer is always that you should leave gaps between decking boards and never hold them too tightly against each other. Why is that? Does this tiny thing really matter? Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

  • Why Should You Leave Gaps Between Decking Boards?
  • How Wide of a Gap Should be Reserved?

Why Should You Leave Gaps Between Decking Boards?

Drainage. Gaps between composite decking boards encourage water-runoff. Decks are built on a substructure that should provide “paths” for water to flow away. If we build a deck without gaps, the water will be stuck on the decking surface and the pooling water will gradually cause some harm to the decking boards.

Expansion and contraction. Gaps between decking boards provide the space necessary for decking boards to expand and contract. Almost every object on the earth undergoes thermal expansion and contraction, which is a natural phenomenon. When it’s cooled, it contracts; when it’s heated, it expands. If a deck is built without gaps, the boards will crash into each other. In areas where violent temperature swings are expected, this effect will become more prominent. That’s what makes it necessary to leave gaps between decking boards.

Safety. As mentioned above, pooling water on decking surfaces may result if there are no gaps reserved between decking boards. Pooling water not only damages your decking but also incurs some safety risks. The decking surface would become slippery if covered with water.

The last reason that you shouldn’t build your deck without gaps is for ventilation. Without gaps, vapor that rises from the ground will be stagnant underneath the decking boards. What will happen next is that the accumulated moisture gradually damages the decking.

How Wide of a Gap Should be Reserved?

How wide a gap should depend on the climate and length of your boards. The longer the boards are, the more they will expand. Likewise, if you build your deck in an area with large temperature swings, you should make the gaps between the boards wider. Deck-building specialists usually suggest that the gaps reserved between decking boards be between  1/4-1/2’’(6-13 mm). One thing that you also should know is that darker boards absorb more heat, thus expanding more when heated. You may want to choose deck boards of lighter colors if you want something extra to counter the effect of thermal expansion.

In summary, gaps between decking boards are essential for decks. How wide the gaps should depend on the climate and board length. The common gap between two abutting decking boards is 1/4-1/2’(6-13 mm).

Tags:
Install Composite Decking

Post a Comment

We'll contact you within 24 hours. Check out the spam box in case that the mail is blocked.

Search

Archives

Content Calendar

July 2022
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jun    

Trending Post

Jul 5, 2022
How to Build Composite Deck Board Around a Swimming Pool?
Jun 28, 2022
How to choose and when to replace a garden deck?
Jun 22, 2022
What is the best way to keep the bugs off outdoor deck?
Jun 15, 2022
Summer composite decking ideas: improve your outdoor space
Jun 10, 2022
Ideas and Designs for the best outdoor deck lighting

Popular Tags

  • Install Composite Decking (13)
  • Outdoor Decking (11)
  • Composite Decking (9)
  • Composite Decking Designs (6)
  • Cleaning Composite Decking (5)
  • Best Composite Decking (3)
  • Composite Railing (3)
  • Composite decking advantage (3)
  • WPC Wall Cladding (2)
  • Composite Decking Prices (2)
  • Outdoor Deck Design (2)
  • Composite Decking Colors (2)
  • Composite Decking Brands (1)
  • Composite Decking Materials (1)
  • Capped composite decking (1)
  • Composite fence (1)
  • Repair composite decking (1)
  • Composite pool deck (1)
composite decks
  • No.6 Changcheng South Road, Qingdao, China
  • Call us +86 13589252065
  • [email protected]

Who We Are

  • Why EVODEK®
  • Free Samples
  • Color Selector
  • DIY Solutions
  • Become A Dealer
  • Our services
  • Get Quote
  • FAQs
  • Blog

What We Do

EVODEK® offers the best composite decking. Committed to WPC material since 2000, we are always the right decking manufacturer choice. Happy clients around the world are enjoying our outdoor decking, thanks to its outstanding quality, aesthetics, and performance.
Explore to get the best!
© Copyright 2020 EVODEK® Composite Decking Supplier All Rights Reserved.