Positioning Vinyl Posts How Far From Edge On Wood Deck

Deck railings must be a minimum of 36 inches high from the deck floor to the cap rail.

Positioning vinyl posts how far from edge on wood deck.

In general posts should be spaced no more than 8 feet apart. Attach them to the posts following the ground contour. The top rails extend beyond the posts to meet at the corner see detail below left. Typically this is 16 inches on center measured from the center of one joist to the center of the next.

Typically you ll need one for each 2 feet of post height. As with any deck remember that any deck that is 2 feet or more above the ground must have a railing system. Set footers a minimum of 6 below the frost line for your area to prevent movement during freezing temperatures. Affix the boards together and use a waterproofing membrane for wood along the top edge to keep water from between the boards.

We recommend attaching the posts to concrete footers above the ground. First off mark where deck posts will stand in the yard. Be sure to alternate joints on different posts and not have any joints on the gate posts. In this situation the soil under each deck footing may be called upon to support 3 000 plus pounds.

Starting with your perimeter mark the location of each deck post to locate the fitting position. If the balusters will run horizontally along your deck the 4 by 4 railing posts cannot be more that 6 feet apart. If you re installing parting boards in the middle of the deck start marking the joist spacing from the center of the beams working toward the end joists. Longer stringers can span two or more posts.

With posts outside the joists the simplest approach is to use two posts at each corner held back far enough to line up with the second joist about 12 to 16 inches from the corner. Beams sometimes called girders should be two wood boards or steel posts of the proper thickness consult your local building code and plans. They draw the baluster up closer to the deck edge and make a slightly firmer joint than surface mounted posts. Posts on the outside set back from corner.

There are several ways to set deck posts. Mark the posts for a notch that is 1 1 2 inches deep and as long as the depth of the joist about 7 1 2 inches for a 2x8 joist about 9 1 2 inches for a 2x10. This helps to prevent wooden posts from rotting. The maximum distance between footings is determined by the size of your joist material.

Some builders position them every 4 feet for a completely rigid frame. The type of post you use can also affect the spacing between posts. Lay the beams on top of the posts in the beam brackets.