Wood Decking Key Terms

Build your contracting business by learning all about wood decking

By Harrison Howe

If you're a contractor and you're looking to expand your business to include building wood decks, you can certainly benefit from learning wood decking key terms. From structural terms such as beams, joists, posts and ledger boards to types of woods best used for wood decking, such as pressure-treated wood or hardwoods like Ipe, there are many wood decking key terms you should familiarize yourself with before you begin constructing wood decks.

Ledger

When building wood decking that will be attached to a house, you'll need to use a ledger, or ledger board. A ledger is a board bolted to a house's frame to which wood decking will be attached. It is normally the first step when building an attached wood deck.
Try: Decks.com describes what a ledger board is and how it is installed.

Pressure-treated wood

Most wood decking is made of pressure-treated wood, sometimes referred to simply as "treated wood." Pressure-treating is a process in which chemical preservatives are used inside the wood to keep it from rotting when exposed to high moisture.
Try: The Natural Handyman thoroughly explains the pressure-treating process and what pressure-treated wood is used for.

Grade-level decks

Grade-level decks refers to wood decking that is built on or just above the ground. This type of wood decking can be free-standing or attached to a house.
Try: CornerHardware.com discusses all types of wood decking, and includes a brief description and photographs of grade-level decks.

Posts, beams and joists

Whether free-standing or attached, nearly all wood decking is built on posts, beams and joists. These terms refers to the support of the wood decking beneath the top planks. Posts are set into the ground with concrete, and beams are run across the posts to support joists, to which the top planks are attached.
Try: Find detailed descriptions of posts, beams and joists, including wood sizes used for each and how to install them, at Free-build-it-info.com.

Ipe

Wood decking can be made from many types of hardwoods. One of the top hardwoods to select for wood decking is Ipe. This is a durable, decay- and termite-resistant high grade wood used for decking.
Try: New England Wholesale Hardwoods provides an in-depth look at Ipe, including its characteristics and pictures of wood decking made with this type of hardwood.

Composite

Composite wood decking is a mix of wood fibers and plastic. This relatively new material is becoming popular for decking because of its durability and its relatively maintenance-free quality.
Try: Find a detailed discussion about composite decking at BobVila.com.