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Tips/Techniques Deck structural question - simple

Tips/Techniques
The ramp I was referring to:

IMG_20250719_111013.jpg
 
Couple of comments:

- beautiful house

- I always go "overkill" when it's my own projects

- does the deck get much use in the winter? I made a ramp leading up to my shed using Trex decking. Going straight up the ramp, approaching across the faux grain, no problem. If I approach the ramp at an angle, stepping on it more "with the grain" it becomes the "Stars on Ice" show. Even when it's really wet it's very slippery depending on the approach. Maybe this aspect has been improved since my installation? The shed doesn't see much action in the winter so it's seldom a problem.
Not much use in the winter but not a lot of snow, fortunately the builder made a super wide soffit on the deck side. Deck was part of the original house back in 1973, it's on the original blueprints.

What type of cladding on your shed?

After the deck I need to do the shed and I want no staining required until I kick the bucket.
 
Perhaps best solution is two parallel 2x4 on each joist underneath the three decorative pieces

That's what I drew on post 17. I'm not really worried about your decorative boards. A half inch of overhang is not enough to worry about.

However, I AM WORRIED about the length wise deck boards that have no support under their ends where they meet your decorative boards.

See "This is the problem" on the drawing I added to post #17.
 
That's what I drew on post 17. I'm not really worried about your decorative boards. A half inch of overhang is not enough to worry about.

However, I AM WORRIED about the length wise deck boards that have no support under their ends where they meet your decorative boards.

See "This is the problem" on the drawing I added to post #17.

If your drawing is correct then I would add full length 2x8s tied into the support structure to catch the ends (maybe back about an 1"). Add the 2x4s to support the decorative decking as @slow-poke already mentioned.

Something like:

IMG_20250719_130922~2.jpg
 
If your drawing is correct then I would add full length 2x8s tied into the support structure to catch the ends (maybe back about an 1"). Add the 2x4s to support the decorative decking as @slow-poke already mentioned.

Yup.

Assuming that what he has is what I drew.

But @slow-poke, another choice is to make the decorative board only 2" wide and then use the 2x4s to support the ends of the long boards.

If I know anything at all, those long boards have rounded ends, so cutting the round corners off in the process of splitting them into two 2" wide boards would make the joint end up looking better anyway.
 
Yup.

Assuming that what he has is what I drew.

But @slow-poke, another choice is to make the decorative board only 2" wide and then use the 2x4s to support the ends of the long boards.

If I know anything at all, those long boards have rounded ends, so cutting the round corners off in the process of splitting them into two 2" wide boards would make the joint end up looking better anyway.

Personally I think 2" wide boards would look proportionately odd up against the all the other decking. But it's all in the eye of the beholder...

I don't have a lot of experience with composite decking. While working with it I was using a circular saw. During one of the cuts my blade "warped" (due to heat build-up???) and ripped through the saw's guard. Blade was twisted and embedded in the guard. The original "Saw Stop". Happened years ago and I had a picture but not sure if I can find it.

Ripping composite decking length wise would be interesting. I assume taking multiple shallow passes using a quality table saw and proper blade??? Maybe a bandsaw setup correctly would be safer???
 
Unless @Susquatch and I are both missing something, this is your problem

IMG_20250719_143716667.jpg

This is the proper solution

IMG_20250719_143725378.jpg

If you can afford trex you can afford a few extra 2x8's
 
That's what I drew on post 17. I'm not really worried about your decorative boards. A half inch of overhang is not enough to worry about.

However, I AM WORRIED about the length wise deck boards that have no support under their ends where they meet your decorative boards.

See "This is the problem" on the drawing I added to post #17.
I understood that the long Trex end is cantilevered with a single 2x4, again my explanation is lacking.

When I say two parallel boards, I was thinking two parallel boards on each side of the original joist. Like this.....
The what was cantilvered long board is now supported by the 2.75 to 3.75 outside edge of the second paralleled 2x4
E8D4EC33-C278-4CE4-9B75-71D3F8672381.jpeg
 
Ripping composite decking length wise would be interesting. I assume taking multiple shallow passes using a quality table saw and proper blade??? Maybe a bandsaw setup correctly would be safer???

I don't think it's a problem with a good carbide 60 tooth blade. But you might want to use a ripping spreader. I don't think a bandsaw would be a good idea. It would never look right.

The good news is that you can split one board to get the two you need with just 3 cuts.
 
I understood that the long Trex end is cantilevered with a single 2x4, again my explanation is lacking.

When I say two parallel boards, I was thinking two parallel boards on each side of the original joist. Like this.....
The what was cantilvered long board is now supported by the 2.75 to 3.75 outside edge of the second paralleled 2x4

Aesthetics aside, how do you want to attach all that extra material? Hot dipped galvanized lag screws? Or hot dipped galvanized bolts counter sunk and through to the other side?
 
All that extra material is just a couple of 2x4 (per side).

Could be 1/4" carriage bolts. Or maybe just progressive 3" wood screws. Don't forget the what was cantilevered now supported by the 2x4 span is only about a foot.

Adding new 2x8 is a hassle at the house end (insulated and closed in). That's why I'm leaning towards the double parallel 2x4s.

The other option is my original idea of 2x4 joist to joist under each.
 
Am I missing posts or your are glazing over the answer as to how you intend to support the ends of the long boards? You definitely don't want to have that unsupported in the middle of the deck for 12.5 inches

IMG_20250719_150826582.jpg
 
All that extra material is just a couple of 2x4 (per side).

Could be 1/4" carriage bolts. Or maybe just progressive 3" wood screws. Don't forget the what was cantilevered now supported by the 2x4 span is only about a foot.

Adding new 2x8 is a hassle at the house end (insulated and closed in). That's why I'm leaning towards the double parallel 2x4s.

The other option is my original idea of 2x4 joist to joist under each.

Couldn't you use joist hangers on the house side? Or maybe attaching hangers wouldn't be straight forward?
 
All that extra material is just a couple of 2x4 (per side).

Ah, I see. Two 2x4s on each side. Four altogether.

That's better. But still not great. The outboard 2x4 will want to twist and won't transfer the load to the 8" joist properly. You would be better off with two 2x6s first and then the 2x4s. Basically what you are doing is using a lot of lumber to construct a beam. Beams are good. Just not a 3-1/2" high one. Better to be a triangle - especially since the end goal is to transfer the load to the stronger 8" joist.

Could be 1/4" carriage bolts. Or maybe just progressive 3" wood screws.

I do like carriage bolts holding the compiled beam together. Maybe one 1/4" bolt every 12", or one 3/8" bolt every 16" and all at the top 1/3 of the 2x4 with long wood screws holding the majority of the beam together.

Don't forget the what was cantilevered now supported by the 2x4 span is only about a foot.

Even a 6 inch catilevered deck board is too spongy. The only reason that 16" feels ok is that it's supported on both ends.

Adding new 2x8 is a hassle at the house end (insulated and closed in).

I understand the house end problem. There are other ways to deal with that. But that would require lots of pictures. We haven't been doing great at that....

That's why I'm leaning towards the double parallel 2x4s.

See above - make two of them 2x6s instead.

The other option is my original idea of 2x4 joist to joist under each.

I no like. But maybe I don't understand.
 
After a closer look, there are some double joists, ends and at the centre for sure, so 3/5 for sure and possibly all five. I think likely wherever there is a post so every 8'. I will inspect tomorrow might be lucky and have doubles under all the decorative pieces, that simplifies things somewhat.
 
Unless @Susquatch and I are both missing something, this is your problem

View attachment 67486
2CDAF4A1-7107-45A6-979E-37ECF40E69BC.jpeg

Thanks for a proper sketch, ipad is far from ideal for sketching.

It turns out (fortunately) that:
+ some of the joists 16" on center are actually doubles I need to verify, but I think these occur at 8' intervals.
+ on either side of the middle of the deck they have a pair of 12" on centre joists.

So focusing on the three central decorative boards, the extra joist gives an extra 3/4" and if I double up the 2x4" or do as Susquatch recommended use a 2x6" on the inside and a 2x4" next to that. That should be enough to safely catch both the adjacent 16 or 20 footer of Trex, but also allow fastening of the decretive Trex board near its edges. So no cantilever situation.
 
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