Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Mar 08, 2013 8:27 am Hey everyone, I'm building a deck that will be 180 in x 180 in when it is finished. My only issue is smack in the middle of it is a 60in x 60in cement slab. I want to cover the slab and have one continuous deck. The slab itself is about 7in off the ground. Can I put decking strait on the cement slab without any joists??? It would make my life way easier if I could because the dek-blocks plus the framing makes the decking the perfect height to do this. Will this cause my deck to rot or be unstable? Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 2Mar 08, 2013 2:59 pm I would be looking at some sort of spacers to keep the timber 4-5mm above the concrete. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 3Sep 03, 2013 11:09 am You definitely want to use some sort of packer on top of the concrete. You should not have the timber sitting directly on the concrete; rather; you should use something that won't degrade such as a plastic packer or similar. Effectively, your cement slab becomes a bearer. Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 6Sep 13, 2013 10:22 am Could you incorporate the slab into the deck somehow - ie stencil it/colour it - and use it as a feature. I know it might sound odd - but might deserve some thought ? You're talking 5x5 feet I believe ? Or approx. 1.5m square. Not that big. Could it become a spot for pot plants or a bird bath etc. Maybe a barbeque. Hanging baskets ? It does provide good strength as a floor base. We've ended up with things that are often praised - that have come from something we thought had no answer. I guess the deck could surround it - same level ? Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 7Mar 12, 2014 1:41 pm Hi all, first time poster here I am looking to do something like this myself by building a deck under my pergola I have a raised concrete slab that acts as my flooring I have a bi fold door that opens externally, which allows me approx. 40 to 45mm to play with in height my problem is finding material thin enough to act as the joists I've been told to simply use H4 or H5 treated timber as bearers directly on the ground and then the decking material on top a) should I do this? or can I do this? b) if i can, should I bolt in or glue down the bearers?, considering I could be bolting something down with 20mm thickness, could this crack and break too? c) is moisture a problem? whilst my pergola covers 90% of the floor, there is always a bit of side rain that can get in anything else I should think of? any help would be appreciated Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 8Mar 14, 2014 3:11 pm DIYer123 Hi all, first time poster here I am looking to do something like this myself by building a deck under my pergola I have a raised concrete slab that acts as my flooring I have a bi fold door that opens externally, which allows me approx. 40 to 45mm to play with in height my problem is finding material thin enough to act as the joists I've been told to simply use H4 or H5 treated timber as bearers directly on the ground and then the decking material on top a) should I do this? or can I do this? b) if i can, should I bolt in or glue down the bearers?, considering I could be bolting something down with 20mm thickness, could this crack and break too? c) is moisture a problem? whilst my pergola covers 90% of the floor, there is always a bit of side rain that can get in anything else I should think of? any help would be appreciated I am also going to do similar. Decking over and past my alfresco and would love to hear some thoughts on the above questions. Thanks guys. Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 9Mar 19, 2014 8:06 pm I would consider using a composite/plastic decking as a packer/joist on the slab under the decking. (The plastic will be much better than even h4 or h5 timber). I would be bolting or concrete nailing the packers down. The plastic composite is less likely to split/crack.. Make sure any water can drain. Another issue might be the fixings that you choose, whether they are too long or whether they are a strong enough fixing. 40mm screws? As the two deckings will be 20ish each. Re: Placing a deck over and past a cement slab 10Apr 30, 2014 2:58 am my son and i have nearly completed our front deck for the portico and are using these http://www.e-u-r-o-tec.de/us/infoseite/ ... table+feet found them at bunnings when one of the sales guys recommended them to us. they are easy to use and no need to bolt into existing concrete or in our case tiles. they have different sizes and are adjustable. our next project is our alfresco area that is tiled here is the front portico nearing completion Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ the euro tec feet allow water to go through which we thought was a great idea Hi, Currently building, we are on a sloping block so we have from floor level to the roof in axon cladding. Below floor level to the ground I want to put brick facings /… 0 4551 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair All my inside walls are Fibre Cement & House has Steel frames... Tricky when one wants to hang pictures or do Wainscoating Paneling up the hallway. 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