Building A Roof Deck

By Robert Robillard on Decks And Porches

Building A Roof Deck

Installing the Post Sleeve Supports:

The galvanized, steel surface mount, post sleeve supports are designed to be mounted over the decking and bolt through a built up blocking in the joist bay below. Once installed I was impressed at how they strong and secure they were.

Having a place to stand – Installing the decking:

All of the materials chosen for this deck are low maintenance except the decking itself. The homeowner wanted 1×4” mahogany decking. So we purchased all long length deck boards to eliminate any joints. Spacing of the deck boards was important. Some contractors might space deck boards too close and then once they swell they don’t drain snow or rain effectively and eventually there will be a nasty build up of organic materials between them.

I aim for a full 1/4” spacing between the boards – especially since this is a roof top deck. We used the thicker portion of our speed squares to provide a consistent space. To fasten the boards we used 2-1/2 inch stainless steel screws for most of the deck and then had to reduce to 2 inch stainless steel screws because the tapered joists reduce in size as they get closer to the house.

Installing 4×4 PT Posts:

Before we could install our 4×4 pressure treated posts into the surface mounts we had to trim all four sides on the table saw to get them to fit properly. It’s important not to have a fit here that’s too tight because the PT wood can swell and crack the post sleeve.

Building A Roof Deck

Azek Post Sleeves

Once the 4×4 posts were installed we checked and shimmed for plumb and then installed 5 x 5 AZEK post sleeves. The homeowner choose a post sleeve and railing system from AZEK Building Products for it’s low maintenance.

Choosing to use the 5” rail post sleeve allowed us to achieve a highly durable, sleek, consistent looking post. It also allowed us to architecturally mimic the look of a traditional wood trimmed 4 x 4 post. The design of the new 5 x 5 post sleeve contains specially located inner “chambers” that allow the sleeve to stay in place securely while allowing a traditional wood post to expand. We plumbed the post sleeves against the 4×4 posts with shims and were then ready to install the railing system.

Note: To finish off the new AZEK 5 x 5 Rail Post Sleeve, we used a decorative pyramid and island post caps and post skirts. We used small stainless steel screws and acrylic caulking to hold them in place.

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About the author

Robert Robillard

Carpenter / Remodeler / Editor

Rob Robillard is “The Concord Carpenter” Rob is a builder, general contractor, carpenter, woodworker, and editor of Concord Carpenter and ToolBoxBuzz As a General Contractor and carpenter, Rob owns and operates Concord Carpenter LLC. A full-service remodeling and construction company. Rob is a recognized leader in home building best practices and a source for how-to information for building professionals. On this website, Rob covers all aspects of home construction, building science, home improvement, woodworking, remodeling, and some of the best product and tool reviews. Rob is in charge of our Tool and Product Review series - Concord Carpenter Videos where we post all of our tool reviews and video tutorials. Rob approaches remodeling and building construction with a pragmatic and problem-solving approach. He enjoys using his knowledge and experience to help and educate building professionals as well as DIYers on best practices in the construction and remodeling industry. He's a strong advocate for "raising the bar" in the construction trades and promoting the trades to youth. #BeAMentor #Green2Great Craftsmanship, quality, and pride guide his journey on this channel The Concord Carpenter's motto: "Well done is better than well said!" : Read more about Rob

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