How to Lay Interlocking Wood Deck Tiles



Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2010

by Malkay
http://www.handytix.com

Interlocking deck tiles are quickly becoming one of the most convenient ways of resurfacing or remodeling an existing deck, patio or porch, particularly  since these modular tiles can be laid by almost any person even if they don't have  any particular handyman skills. So let's look at the steps involved in installing these tiles.

Firstly of course you must clear the area of all existing items.  And its important to note that even though the tiles can be laid over most solid surfaces such as concrete, asphalt etc, the surface should be as smooth and as level as possible so that the tiles will not rock on any bumps or rises . It is also crucial that your deck or patio slopes to some extent away from any wall sides to ensure correct drainage. If you have any sizable hollows or any cracked concrete where there is a significant height difference on either side of the cracking, you initially need to repair and level the area with some patching material. You can generally purchase bags of dry mix patching material from most home centres which will do the job .

After you have made the surface as smooth as  practicable , then you can start laying the tiles.  If your area has a wall on one or more sides, you would normally commence  laying the tiles from one of the outside edges so that the final tiles you lay will be against the walls.  Many deck tile suppliers also supply edging or transition strips which afford a neat, professional finish to the outside edge of the area.  If you are intending to use these, then you must allow for the required space on the outside of the deck to clip on these transition pieces when you have completed the installation .

So you start off by taking one tile and placing it in position .  Then take the next tile and just lock it into position with the interconnecting tabs.  Then just continue this process across the full area of your deck.  It's crucial that you continue this process in an expanding triangular manner as opposed to installing the tiles in complete rows since you will find that the tiles will join easier with less effort by this method.  Keep in mind to make sure though that the outside edges of the tiles are aligned parallel to the edge of the space you are covering.

With the final row of tiles, you might need to cut some tiles to fit.  Wood tiles can be cut very easily with just a normal hand saw or power saw.  A particular point you need to take care that when you are cutting the tiles, you don't hit any of the screws on the underside of the tile . And after you have cut the wood slats, you may need to pop in an additional screw or two so that each wood slat is held to the plastic base by at least two screws.

If you need to cut  around posts or pipes or other irregular shaped objects, the easiest way of doing this is to make a template of a thick piece of paper or cardboard the same size as a single tile with the area to be cut from the tile marked on the template, so that you don't make any mistakes in cutting the wood tile.

But generally speaking you are sure to find that interlocking deck tiles are exceptionally simple to lay, and even if you've made a slight mistake in your initial alignment of the outside edge, you can always lift  up the tiles again and put them down again.

Marco Keyes writes about quick and easy ways to improve decks, patios and balconies using both traditional and modern materials including modular deck tiles.
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