How to Create Decking Using Scaffold Boards
This page shows how scaffold boards can create a timber decking area, with photos and information from customers who have used our new and reclaimed scaffold boards for decking projects at home.
The examples below show different decked areas customers have created in their gardens and how they incorporated the boards into the finished projects.
Decking is a popular alternative use for our new scaffold boards.
Depending on the boards and conventional decking products you compare, scaffold boards can be a cost-effective option, and their length and width can also make them suitable for larger garden projects.
If you are confident with DIY and know what you want to build, you can use scaffold boards to create a variety of decking layouts.
For more timber project inspiration, see what else you can make with scaffold boards for different home and garden projects.
Top tip: Several customers have told us that scaffold boards used for decking should be treated with a suitable decking stain and anti-slip treatment. Scaffold boards can become slippery when wet, so consider this when planning and maintaining the finished area.
How to Create a Decked Area
One of our customers kindly provided the following basic guide explaining how they approached building decking using scaffold boards.
The information below is based on their experience and is intended to provide an overview of their method, not professional building or structural advice.
Why Use Scaffold Boards for a Decking Area?
Cost is one reason customers choose timber from our scaffold boards range instead of conventional decking planks.
Depending on the products being compared, scaffold boards can be cheaper, and their extra width means you may need fewer boards to cover a given area.
Board thickness is another consideration when planning the supporting framework. The spacing and amount of supporting timber required will depend on the deck design, the boards used, and how the finished area will be constructed.
The cost of the supporting timber can form a significant part of a garden project, particularly when working to a limited budget.
Getting Started – Preparing the Area
Before you begin, decide what type of decked area you want to create.
Our customer’s guide covers two general options: a raised decking area or scaffold board decking positioned closer to ground level.
The right arrangement depends on the garden and where the decking is being installed. For example, a sloping garden may require a raised structure, while a level area may suit decking positioned closer to the existing ground.
Our customer also recommends using heavy-duty weed-control fabric beneath the framework. This helps prevent weeds from growing through gaps between the boards while still allowing water to pass through.
How to Build the Framework
The supporting framework is an important part of the project and should be considered carefully before fitting any scaffold boards.
Before laying out the frame, the customer recommends treating the supporting timber or purchasing timber that has already been suitably treated.
Remember that scaffold boards are NOT supplied treated as standard, despite their original use on outdoor scaffolding.
When constructing the frame, begin with the outside perimeter. Common layouts include square, rectangular and L-shaped designs, although the shape will depend on the area being covered.
Small tip: When you cut timber to length, treat the newly exposed ends with an appropriate end-grain preservative so the cut sections are also protected.
The customer’s method used coach screws to connect the framework, while checking that the relevant angles were square and the structure remained level.
Once the outside frame is assembled, additional supporting lengths of timber can be installed vertically or horizontally within it, with consistent spacing between supports.
The amount and spacing of supporting timber depend on the structure’s design. The customer recommended providing plenty of support throughout the frame so the scaffold boards have a strong, stable base beneath them.
Ensuring the Framework Is Level
The level of the framework can be checked as the frame and its supporting sections are installed.
According to our customer, this was one of the more time-consuming stages of the decking project, as the different areas of the framework needed to remain level with one another.
The method used to support and level the framework will depend on the surface beneath it and whether the decking is being constructed at ground level or as a raised structure.
For example, the customer’s guide suggests that posts may be set into the ground when working over soil, while a suitable solid base may require a different method of supporting and levelling the framework.
They also used padstones or surplus paving slabs where appropriate to help level sections when working over a suitable existing base.
Once correctly positioned, the framework should be stable and should not move.
Drainage also needs to be considered. The customer recommended incorporating a very slight fall across the decking, allowing rainwater to drain rather than remain on the timber surface.
Treating the Boards
Scaffold boards are supplied untreated as standard, so our customers strongly recommend applying a suitable wood treatment before using them for decking.
Appropriate timber treatments are widely available from DIY and timber suppliers. Follow the instructions provided with the particular product you choose.
The customer’s method involved treating all areas of the boards for protection and applying at least two or three coats.
As mentioned above, the finished surface may also require a suitable anti-slip treatment because scaffold boards can become slippery when wet.
How to Fit the Boards
Once the supporting framework is ready, the scaffold boards can be positioned according to the planned decking layout.
In the customer’s project, each board was placed and secured to the framework and supporting timbers using long decking screws.
When installing the remaining boards, they left a small gap between each one.
Once all the scaffold boards had been positioned and secured, the customer recommended treating the completed surface again with a suitable decking stain or oil to provide additional protection and help prolong the life of the timber.
That completes this customer’s basic guide to creating a decking platform using scaffold boards.
If you have questions about the scaffold boards themselves, please ask. However, please remember that the construction information on this page was supplied by a customer and is intended only as a simple account of how they approached their own project.
See a Completed Scaffold Board Decking Project
For an example of the boards being used in a finished garden project, see this decking created using 13ft scaffold boards in Fishbourne, where the timber formed the completed outdoor decked area.
We cannot take responsibility for the design, construction, structural suitability or outcome of individual DIY decking projects. Anyone building a deck should make sure the materials, supporting structure, fixings and construction method are appropriate for their particular project.
