thanks for that link notremaison, i will have a read before i do any cleaning or oiling..
below are the pics..
before any work done. I didn't took a photo before decking construction started..
joist over concrete with a bit hanging onto the soil.. see those black things under the joist? they are the window packers..
The hanging bit part on the soil. Under the weedmat is not really pure soil, it had compacted crushed rock and then compacted tuscan topping so it is really hard like cement. The beam to the left is a 90mm x 90mm TP bearer supported by pryda posts every 1400mm. The pryda post are on top of a concrete post under the ground. Because there is very low clearance, I put a thin concrete where the bearer is sitting on so that it is not in direct contact with soil. Also put a cemented channel between the bearer and the crushed rock/tuscan for drainage.
below is another extension to the crushed rock/tuscan. Directly below the fenceline is the same channel/drainage. I also put weedmat before I put the decking boards.
Another view of how the window packers were used.
In addition to nailing the joists to the bearer, i also put some brackets.
This one is showing the bracket used for the joist to the slab and the nails used for spacing the deck.
And the finished product, other than the stain/oil.
A few additional things I did (though I don't know if they would help or they are bad.)
- Applied anti-rust paint (that's what it said in the can) on the brackets.
- I put some silicone for outdoor use around the bolt to the slab. My idea with this is that it would prevent water entering the slab.
- I used screws on the 140mmx19mm perimeter/border decks. I was thinking if I need to replace a decking board, I would replace the entire length and the screw would make it easier to remove the border deck and that is where I will start to remove the damaged board.
Hopefully this deck would last a few years . I asked for a quote on how much to have someone build this size of deck (~7m x ~4.5m) and it costed me less than half of the quote. Took me and my dad a few days work though. But it also allowed me have the approval of the finance minister to buy some power tools.