Laying WPC boards / decking | Create a terrace in the garden
- What is WPC "> pros and cons
- establish
- Install substructure
- Lay floorboards
WPC planks are a great alternative for creating outdoor areas around the house. They are cheap and very easy to install. Unlike tiled or paved terraces, WPC planks are extremely modest. This applies to the preparation as well as the processing of the materials. In addition, they are very durable and enjoyable when walking. This makes the WPC tile the ideal product for the price-conscious DIY enthusiast.
What is WPC?
Fast, convenient and easy: lay WPC boards
WPC stands for "Wood Plastic Composite" and means that they consist of a compound of wood dust and plastic particles. The plastics used are predominantly polyethylenes (PE). These not only produce good material properties.
They are also very good thermally usable:
Polyethylene disintegrates when burned into carbon dioxide and water vapor. This makes the WPC planks with PE plastic ecologically harmless . Anyone who has reservations about installing plastic floorboards for environmental reasons simply asks the dealer for a PE-WPC floorboard . Another plastic used is PVC, polyvinyl chloride. This is much more difficult to dispose of. In addition to the WPC planks, there are also BPC planks . These have instead of wood chips and sawdust made of bamboo as a filler.
Advantages and disadvantages
The WPC planks are the cheaper alternative to solid wood planks. However, solid wood planks have many drawbacks, so their use should be well considered: wood warps, splinters, sucks with water, rots and color. The WPC planks can compensate for these disadvantages in part. But they are not completely harmless.
The advantages of WPC planks:
- consistent quality in diameter, wall thickness, color
- consistent product properties
- easy processing
- very durable and weather-resistant
- barefoot-suited
- inexpensive
- big color selection
- easy to maintain
- only minimal substructure required
- easy to assemble
- Disassemble without residue
- suitable for installation of electrical components
The disadvantages of WPC planks:
- plastic-containing product - only partially suitable for environmentally conscious customers
- strongly fluctuating product quality among the manufacturers
- limited load capacity
Lay WPC - Instructions
Creating a terrace with WPC planks - step by step
The particular advantage of WPC planks is that they are extremely modest in terms of founding. They can be laid almost directly on the lawn. As a foundation, simple walkway slabs made of concrete are enough for a terrace in the garden. The old washed concrete slabs with an edge length of 30 cm are perfect for this purpose. They offer a large support surface, weather resistance and the feet of the substructure can not slip. Ideally, however, at least the turf is removed. This avoids growing through the terrace with grass and weeds.
First you have to create the terrace . You can plan the terrace in the garden or on a house wall, WPC planks are suitable for every type of installation. Prefer a terrace with straight edges. Laying the decking is so easy. Curved contours are possible, but in their preparation but very expensive.
establish
WPC boards are laid on the substructure supplied by the manufacturer. This substructure consists of a beam and sliding feet. Here it is important to know the distances and to keep to the distances before the reasons.
To lay the decking:
- the crossbeams are laid at a distance of 30 cm
- the feet are set a distance of 50 cm
- the crossbeams are installed overlapping with approx. 30 cm
This results in the pattern of pavement slabs that you need to install laying to the decking. Measure the foundation plates exactly, the less corrective work you will have afterwards.
Install substructure
When laying WPC planks, it is important to pay attention to the slope . The planks should have a gradient of about 2 ° in the longitudinal direction . In the transverse direction, however, they must lie straight. Without gradient, puddles form on the terrace. Dirt accumulates or slippery ice forms in winter. If the slope is laid in the transverse direction, dirt accumulates constantly in the grooves and can not drain. The grooves run quickly full, then forms a growth of moss and lichens.
However, if the slope is correctly set up on the terrace, the rainwater runs off quickly and cleanly along the grooves and takes all the dirt particles with it. A correct slope guarantees the self-cleaning of the terrace. Of course, the slope is always led away from the house wall. If a mistake is made here at the terrace, then the living room is full of water during every downpour.
The slope is adjusted via the rotatable feet of the substructure. To do this, first screw all the swivel feet to the smallest distance. Then turn the foot closest to the wall of the house completely out of the way or adjust it so that the upper edge of the board joins the window reveal. Now go to the other end of the lower beam and turn the swivel base out there as well.
A gradient of 2 ° means:
At one meter, the beam must lose 2 cm in height. For a beam with a standard length of 2.50 meters this results in a gradient of 5 cm over the entire length. To do this, place a second, equally long bar on the base bar and on this, in turn, the longest possible spirit level . Now raise the upper bar until the level of the water level indicates "Straight".
Now measure the distance between the bars. Adjust the swivel foot away from the wall until the correct slope is reached. Then turn all the other pivot feet out until they are resting on the pavement slabs. Do the same with all other bars. Also measure in the transverse direction in order not to install a rocker.
The substructure must be laid so that it does not protrude beyond the wooden beam at any point. WPC planks are not very rigid and break off easily .
Lay floorboards
When the substructure is finished, you can start laying with the WPC planks . To do this, start on the outside, that is, the furthest away from the wall of the house. The decking boards are attached to the substructure with clips and screws.
TIP: Never screw directly into the wood of the substructure, but drill out every screw connection. Working with two cordless screwdrivers saves you the hassle of moving from bit to bit and back.
When installing decking, work "push-and-pull" until you reach the wall of the house or the end of the desired terrace surface. Lay the last WPC planks. The laying of the last WPC planks is only a bit tricky at first glance.
It is basically quite simple:
1st step: DO NOT screw the penultimate plank, but hang it up. Let the floorboard protrude sideways.
Step 2: First cut off a finishing board of the appropriate width with a circular saw. With a straight wall, a table saw is ideal as it guarantees a straight cut. For a curvy finish, first draw the outline of the contour on the end plank with the help of a pencil and a pencil. Then saw the board with a jigsaw.
Step 3: Lay the finishing plank next to the penultimate plank
Step 4: Now push the screw shoes into the groove, in the number matching the beams of the substructure.
5th step: Place the penultimate and the finishing boards completely on the substructure.
Step 6: Move the screwdrivers along the groove using the drill bit until they sit exactly over the beam of the substructure.
Step 7: Fix the screw shoes by drilling and screwing to the substructure
Step 8: Fix the finishing board on the other side to the substructure as well. You have to drill through the floorboard, as with the first floorboard. The trade offers color matching plastic caps, so that the screw heads are well laminated.
Beautiful terrace in the garden by WPC planks:
You see, WPC planks are not just practical, durable and safe. Its installation is also very easy . We wish you a lot of fun with your new terrace in the garden of WPC planks.
