There’s a big debate about how much extra decking material you should order when building a wood deck. Contactors don’t want to run short because it can stop a project dead in its tracks. Especially if it’s custom or hard to source materials. Homeowners don’t want to pay for extra material that may not be needed. What’s the solution?
Best Practices for Estimating Wood Decking
A general rule of thumb is to order 5 to 10 percent extra wood deck boards. If you are installing your deck boards diagonally, 15% extra should keep you out of trouble. This allows you some flexibility to trim decking boards to length to fit on your joists, make any defect cuts for unusable portions of boards, and more. This works for most wood deck projects - but not all. There are several variables that you need to consider before ordering your decking.
- Specified Decking lengths
- Your personal expectations
- Type of decking you are considering
- Running your deck boards in different directions
CHECK OUT THE WOOD DECKING SQUARE FOOTAGE CALCULATOR
What are your expectations?
Every wood decking board is unique and different. It’s a natural product and you should expect some grain and color variations. If you are very particular and plan to inspect every board before it is installed, you may want to consider a much higher percentage of decking.
You can always save any leftover extra boards for attic stock… and you should consider this. Keeping some attic stock is a very inexpensive ‘insurance policy’ to protect you should you ever need any replacement material down the road.
Do you need specified length deck boards?
If you insist on specified lengths of decking, you should absolutely order some extras. This gives you the flexibility to use the exact boards you like, where you like them. If you have some boards that aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as others, position them in a space on the deck where they won’t be as visible – like under where your table or furniture is going to be - or in a less conspicuous area of your deck.
What type of wood decking are you planning to use?
The type of wood decking you choose will also affect how much extra material you should order.
- Pressure Treated Pine Decking. This is the most used real wood decking available. It is low priced, readily available in standard lengths up to 20’ long. If you don’t want to keep any attic stock, leftover material can usually be returned to the local lumber yard where it was purchased. (Sometimes with a restocking charge.) A five percent to 8% waste factor should work fine for planning purposes.
- Cedar Decking. Red cedar decking is prized for its natural beauty and durability. Because there is a lot of variation from board to board, ordering eight to ten percent overage is a safe number to use for planning. To ensure you have some matching replacement material handy, it is recommended to keep any leftover boards for attic stock.
- High Density Hardwood Decking. High density hardwood decking species like Ipe, Jatoba and Machiche are naturally beautiful and exceptionally hard, durable and long lasting. They all have a high degree of grain and tropical color variations. Unless you are very particular about color and grain variations, 10% overage is a safe number to use for planning for Ipe and Jatoba. Because Machiche typically has shorter lengths, plan on 12% extra.
- Thermally Modified Decking. Arbor Wood Thermowood thermally modified decking is locally harvested, gorgeous and highly stable. It is sold in random lengths. Deck board longer than twelve feet are not readily available. For trimming, defect cutting and best looks, 10 to 12% extra is a good number to plan for.
- Fire Retardant Treated Wood Decking. If you are in a high fire zone area, there are real wood decking options that can meet your needs. Wood decking species that have been fire retardant treated include Mataverde SaferWood Western Red Cedar, Arbor Wood SaferWood Ash and Yellow Pine. They are all beautiful, ignition resistant, and highly durable. An extra 10 to 12% is a good number to plan for.
Are you working with a contractor?
Experienced, qualified, reliable contractors with a good reputation are a godsend. Their job is to make your deck come to life, on time, and on budget. You should listen carefully to them when you interview them to build your deck. They have seen all the potential pitfalls that can happen when building a deck that you may not be aware of. The three biggest problems contractors sometimes run into:
- Running short on decking materials, bringing the job to a crashing halt, creating additional costs, expenses and delays. This is a nightmare scenario for professional contractors, and they try to avoid this at all costs. That’s why they typically order enough extra materials to avoid this outcome.
- The customers’ expectations were not reasonable or realistic. If you are in sales, you have probably met the ‘customer from hell’ at some point. If you have done several construction projects with building professionals, you may have met 'the contractor from hell', too.
When you are interviewing a potential contractor for your deck, a wise contractor should be interviewing you as well. Making sure there is a mutual understanding, respect and personality match is the key to a successful relationship and project outcome. If you are not a good fit for one another, try another contractor.
- Unhappy ending. You want a beautiful deck and to live happily ever after with it. Your contractor wants you to be happy, to get paid for their work, and hopefully to get referrals from you. Having a good conversation upfront can help avoid unpleasant surprises when your deck is complete.
For example, if the contractor is asking you for a higher percentage of extra decking than you think is realistic, have a discussion with them upfront. Find out if the extra material is returnable and if there is a restocking and/or a return fee. Ask them if you can keep the leftovers for attic stock.
Whatever you agree to, make sure it is in your contract. This prevents any potential bad feelings and misunderstandings at the completion of your project. Enjoy your deck!
We hope this was helpful and wish you the best of success with your project.
Here are some links that may interest you:
HARDWOOD DECKING OPTIONS
ARBOR WOOD DECKING OPTIONS
SAFERWOOD DECKING OPTIONS
REQUEST A DECKING QUOTE