How To Lay Garden Decking: A Step-By-Step Guide

So, you’re thinking of laying down some garden decking? Great idea. Putting down a bit of decking in your garden will make it look infinitely neater whilst giving it a smart appearance and space to entertain family and friends. Best of all, it will be easy to maintain and care for, when compared to unruly grass, plants and all that type of stuff.

The decision of laying garden decking is usually one which you’ll mull over for a while, or sometimes it might be an immediate thing that you know needs doing. If you aren't a big fan of how your garden currently looks or you feel like you’ve got bored over the years and just want a change, decking is a good option. You might consider it an investment that will increase the value of the property or you might have just moved from a property with decking into one without and you want that luxury back... Whatever your reasons are for wanting decking, we’ll do our best to help you do it yourself.

However, if you’re still ‘umming and arring’ about whether this is the right decision for your garden, then hopefully we’ll be able to sway your mind by giving you a quick run-down of the pros and cons associated with laying your own decking.

Should You Hire Someone To Do It For You?

There’s no doubt that this question crosses everyone’s mind at some point; especially those who aren't that experienced at DIY. Before you decide either way, it’s wise to get a couple of quotes from people in the trade to give you an idea of the cost. You can then use that figure as a basis of comparison to how much it will cost you to complete yourself. (We strongly recommend that you get quotes from experienced professionals. Preferably people who have done work in your area before that you can view beforehand, just to give you an idea of the quality and finish!)

Here are the pros and cons of doing it yourself in comparison to getting a professional to carry out the work for you:

Pros:

1. Accomplishment – when you complete a project like this yourself, it really does give you a feeling of accomplishment and self belief. Especially if you’ve done a cracking job which others doubted you could do (and even better if it adds value to your property!)
2. Costs – hiring a professional will obviously cost you considerably more as you’re paying for someone else’s time. As mentioned before, ring around for quotes and compare this to your own time and costs.
3. Corner cutting – you know that if you do it yourself you’ll do it to the best of your ability using the best equipment possible. If you hire someone else, you have to be sure that they won’t ‘cut corners’ in order to save money and/or time.
4. Boast – every time someone comes round to your house, you can point out the window at the decking and tell them; “yep, I did that.” However, be warned, this might come at a price as other people will start asking you if you’re free to help them with their DIY projects.

Cons:

1. Quality of finish – if you aren’t that clued up when it comes to DIY and you don’t really know what you’re doing, investing in a professional will be worth it as the finish will be infinitely better quality.
2. 2. Time – if you’re a busy person, there’s a chance you don’t have weekends free to complete such a project and you’d be better off getting a professional in for a few days than wasting your time over a period of several months.

All of these things should be considered before you make a decision. We also must state that if you don’t feel confident in undertaking a job of this size, ask friends who are competent in DIY to lend a helping hand or simply hire a professional. However, if you don’t mind learning from your mistakes as you go along, then a DIY project such as this will certainly improve your skills and confidence.

Consider The Costs First

Before we even tell you the things you’ll need, we’re going to give you a quick breakdown of the costs in order to see if you have the budget for it and the time. Obviously if you don’t have the budget for it, there’s little chance you’ll have the budget for a professional – but that doesn't mean you can’t save up!

The cost of the decking itself varies depending whether you want to buy a decking kit or individual pieces of decking to suit your project. For example, a 2x2m decking kit will likely set you back around £200 whereas buying components and lengths to suit your own custom sized decking will cost a fair bit less. It’s also worth taking into account the cost of equipment and consumables you’ll need to complete the job (listed further down), especially if you don’t have them lying around already.

Don’t forget your time. I personally consider time to be money and if you’re a working man or woman, you should as well. With that in mind, a small to average sized decking area will likely take an entire weekend for a competent DIY’er and friend to complete. However, if you’re working on your own, planning a large sized decking area or are simply inexperienced at DIY, then you should budget for an extra weekend or two. Approximate the amount of time this will take you to complete and then work out how much your time is worth per hour and multiply them together. If the figure is higher than that of an experienced professional, you may be better off working overtime and letting a pro do the hard work. Just food for thought!

What Will You Need To Complete The Job?

As with every job, it pays to make sure you have all the things you need on hand before you get stuck in. So here’s a comprehensive list of everything you should need to get the job done:

• Weed control fabric/membrane: A weed suppressant is required at the lowest level to prevent weeds from growing up through the decking. Buy as much as you need to cover the base of the decking.
• Gravel: This goes on top of the membrane and acts as a solid, flat foundation for the joists of your decking and ensures adequate drainage of water.
• Decking & joists: Obviously this is required or you’ll just be walking over the gravel you’ve put down. Once again, buy as much as you require for the size of decking you’re planning.
• Screws: Obviously you’ll also need screws to secure the decking in place. The best option for this is stainless steel screws or countersunk screws which are galvanised.
• Drill & screwdriver: If you’re doing this with individual decking, you’ll likely need to drill your own screw holes whereas decking kits will likely come with pre-drilled holes. A handheld screwdriver is ideal for screwing the screws into place.
• Spade: You will need a spade to dig up all the turf and weeds where you plan on laying the decking and levelling the ground before placing down the foundation.
• Saw: A good quality saw to cut the decking to the correct lengths; unless you have a decking kit which is a perfect fit, in which case you might get away without one.
• Spirit level: Needed to ensure that your foundation, joists and decking is completely flat.
• Tape measure, pegs & string: All of this is required for the preparation stage where you lay out the outline of your decking. It’s important to measure accurately so you know exactly how much space and decking you require.
• Wood preservative: This is an important final step to ensure all your hard work doesn't come undone due to rotting of the decking.

Plan & Prepare

Whilst we DIY nuts like to jump into jobs head first and get our hands dirty, sometimes it actually pays off to do a bit of preparation and planning; especially when it’s a job of this size. You’ll first want to draw up an outline/proposed plan of the size of the decking; do this on a piece of paper or use a bit of software for more accuracy. Once you’re happy with the sizing and measurements you can double check that you’ve got all the essential equipment mentioned in the list above.

If you’ve got all of this, you can begin putting the outline of the decking in place by using pegs and string. Simply measure out the size of each side of the decking and place pegs into the ground where the decking will change angle; connect each of these pegs up with string. This will give you a visual idea of the size of the decking and if it actually fits in with the image in your head.

This is the time to back out if you have any doubts. However, if you’re confident and everything shapes up as you had planned, it’s time to get started on the project (hopefully with the help of a friend!)

Let’s Start – Step By Step Guide

You've double checked that you’ve got all of the equipment you need to complete the project. You've laid out the perimeter of your decking with pegs and string. You've ensured that you’ve got enough time and patience to do the job to the best of your ability. Awesome – you’re ready to go. Just remember, take it slow and do everything as thoroughly as you possibly can to avoid any problems occurring during the project or in the future.

Step 1: Pull out your trusty spade and get to work on removing the grass and weeds inside the decking area. Once this has all been cleared, you can flatten the area also using your spade. If there is any elevation in the ground, this is the perfect time to level it off.

Step 2: Now your ground is levelled off, place your weed proof fabric / membrane over the area. Straight on top of this you need to add a layer of gravel for further support and drainage. Again, ensure this is spread evenly and as flat as possible; this will make the rest of the project easier.

Step 3: Lay down the decking framework on top of the gravel and line it all up. It’s best to do the outline first and then add floor joists inside the framework at intervals of 400mm across the centres. With everything laid out, you can mark the joists and framework where they need to be cut (assuming they do).

Step 4: Using your saw, cut everything to the correct length, making sure accuracy is a priority. With everything cut to size, lay everything down once again on top of the gravel ready to put together.

Step 5: The foundation of the decking needs to be joined together. Pre-drill 3 holes in each joist end and then screw 70mm countersunk screws into these holes for maximum strength. Every time you work on a new joist, place a spirit level on top to double check that everything is level before continuing to fix it into place.

Step 6: Now it’s time to actually lay the decking. Place the deck boards at a right angle to the joists and lay them across, starting at the front of the decking. You’ll want to make sure the ends are flush with the edge of the frame (you may need to cut some of the boards to length to ensure they fit). Before screwing them into the joists using 50mm countersunk screws, make sure you have the holes pre-drilled at the correct positions. After screwing one down, double check to make sure it’s level and then apply some weight to ensure it’s up to the job.

Step 7: This is pretty much a rinse and repeat job; continue to lay the rest of the decking using 2 x 50mm countersunk screws to secure the board to each joist. Remember, it’s wise to leave around a 5mm gap in between the deck boards to allow for expansion. If you want to ensure the same gap each time, cut a piece of wood or something similar to the size you want and use it as a spacer.

Step 8: Time to add the finishing touches by sealing all of the cut ends with a wood preservative to prevent rotting in future. It’s wise to reapply a new coating every several years or as recommended by the manufacturer.

NB. It’s worth noting that these steps are all assuming that you’re laying decking over what used to be grass/turf. If you’re planning on laying decking on top of a patio, the first two steps are pretty much irrelevant.

We should apologise for the lack of images and illustrations of the process in this guide, it’s something we’ve been meaning to get round to. We will attempt to update it with relevant pictures at some point in the near future – thanks for your patience and we hope this has been a helpful read!

Image credits (all licensed under Creative Commons):

1. GranitArchitects on Flickr
2. Ian Llyod on Flickr
3. As above.