Deck Materials Take-Off
Measure the deck, total the boards and screws, and take one list to the yard. Same figures this calculator uses.
BFCBrilliance · bfcbrilliance.com/tools/deck-board-calculator
The deck
- Location
- Date
- Board material
- Board size
- Board length
- Supplier
- Price per board
Measure each section
| Section | Length (ft) | Width (ft) | Boards | Screws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The figures this uses
- Space each board occupies
- board width + gap
- Nominal 6 in board, actual
- 5.5 in
- Typical gap
- 1/8 to 1/4 in
- Common joist spacing
- 16 in on centre
- Screws per joist crossing
- 2 per board
- Default waste allowance
- 10%
- Diagonal layout
- add about 15% more
Before you start laying
- Deck measured both ways - length is the way the boards RUN
- Board material chosen and its ACTUAL width checked, not the nominal
- Gap decided, allowing for whether the timber is wet or dry
- Boards sighted for bow and the worst ones set aside for short cuts
- Joists checked level and crowns facing up
- Fixings suitable for the timber - stainless or coated for treated wood
- Starting edge snapped straight with a chalk line
- Ends sealed on every cut of treated timber
Lay the boards out dry first
Set the boards across the joists without fixing anything and measure the far edge. It is far easier to spread or close the gaps by a fraction now than to discover at the last board that you need a two-inch rip down the length of the deck.