Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Space between Deck Beam and Joists
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azzurri
10-15-07, 09:46 AM
Hi,
I began to build my pool deck last year and am finishing it up now. I did one half the pool deck last year. It is an above-ground pool in the shape of an oval, with the deck forming a horseshoe around the pool (i.e., it doesn't go completely around the pool, leaving one end of the oval exposed). I fully completed the "right" side of the deck last year, boards and all, but I also I continued the ledger board (against the house) and one of the beams (call it "A") last year. "A" is the first beam closest to the ledger board (very close) that serves both the left and right sides of the pool deck. Earlier this Summer I installed a couple other beams: "B" and "C" for the left side of the pool deck (similar beams exist on the right side, but are separated from "B" and "C" by the pool itself---I hope I'm conveying this image okay). All beams run parallel to the ledger board. I'm now installing the joists for the left side of the deck. Apparently due to differences in contraction of the PT wood that was used for the beams (A, B, C) and posts, I now have a situation where joists that space from the ledger board to beam "B" do not sit on beam "A" as there is a small gap anywhere between 1/4" to 1/2" between the joist bottom and beam top. So the question is what kind of material can I use to fill in that gap? I was thinking one or two galvanized large washers (but I might not be able to toe-nail the joists---but that may not be necessary as I'm more interested in supporting the weight of the joist), or cutting a sliver of PT wood (e.g., the end of a 2x4, but that gets kind of brittle---will it last over time"), or is there a specifically-made filler for this (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue) made of plastic or other non-decomposable material?
Thank you!
Aldo
I began to build my pool deck last year and am finishing it up now. I did one half the pool deck last year. It is an above-ground pool in the shape of an oval, with the deck forming a horseshoe around the pool (i.e., it doesn't go completely around the pool, leaving one end of the oval exposed). I fully completed the "right" side of the deck last year, boards and all, but I also I continued the ledger board (against the house) and one of the beams (call it "A") last year. "A" is the first beam closest to the ledger board (very close) that serves both the left and right sides of the pool deck. Earlier this Summer I installed a couple other beams: "B" and "C" for the left side of the pool deck (similar beams exist on the right side, but are separated from "B" and "C" by the pool itself---I hope I'm conveying this image okay). All beams run parallel to the ledger board. I'm now installing the joists for the left side of the deck. Apparently due to differences in contraction of the PT wood that was used for the beams (A, B, C) and posts, I now have a situation where joists that space from the ledger board to beam "B" do not sit on beam "A" as there is a small gap anywhere between 1/4" to 1/2" between the joist bottom and beam top. So the question is what kind of material can I use to fill in that gap? I was thinking one or two galvanized large washers (but I might not be able to toe-nail the joists---but that may not be necessary as I'm more interested in supporting the weight of the joist), or cutting a sliver of PT wood (e.g., the end of a 2x4, but that gets kind of brittle---will it last over time"), or is there a specifically-made filler for this (I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue) made of plastic or other non-decomposable material?
Thank you!
Aldo
chandler
10-15-07, 04:14 PM
Aldo: our brains can't handle A B C's after a full day's work. Can you post a couple of pictures of your project and the problem areas on a site such as photobucket.com so we can visualize what you are looking at?