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Deck Building Ledger
The Deck Ledger Board Plays a Critical Role
in the Connection of the Deck to the Home
By
Mark J. Donovan
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The deck ledger board plays a major role in deck
construction. It is in essence, the interface between the deck itself
and the home. The deck ledger board connects your deck to your home. It
typically consists of either a pressure treated 2x8 or 2x10, depending
upon the size of the deck and the size deck floor joists you plan to
use.
It is critical when selecting the lumber for the deck ledger board to be
as straight as an arrow. It should be checked to ensure that it is not
warped or twisted in any way. |
To do this, just lift up one end of the prospective ledger board to your
eye, like you were sighting a gun, and look down the length of it. Rotate it
slowly on all four sides. As you do, inspect for any bows or twisting in the
lumber. Also inspect the prospective lumber for splits, cracks, and ingrown
knots. Most building lumber contains some knots, however for the deck ledger
board it should be limited to very small knots. In addition, try to select a
piece of lumber for your deck building ledger that comes from near the
center of the tree, versus the outer edges. You can tell this by looking at
the grain of the lumber on one end of it. If you observe the grain to have a
significant curve in it then it is from the outer edge of the tree. This
type of lumber is known as flat grain lumber. If you observe a piece of
lumber that has small center circles in it then you know it has come from
the center of the tree. This type of lumber is known as vertical grain
lumber and is consider the most stable and is less prone to warping and
twisting.
After finding the perfect piece of lumber for your deck ledger board, the
next step is installing it onto the side of your home. It should be
positioned at a height that will represent the desired deck height. Keep in
mind that the decking lumber will add another approximate inch to the height
of the deck. Also, it is imperative that the finished height of the deck be
located at least one foot step down (7 to 8 inches) from the threshold
opening of the house door to the deck. This is necessary to prevent rain
water from draining and backing into the home.
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The deck building ledger should be fastened directly to the exterior
house sheathing, versus over the house siding, unless you plan to use siding
saver mounting brackets. Consequently, unless using the siding saver
mounting brackets, you’ll need to remove a sufficient amount of the exterior
house siding to install the ledger board. In addition, when installing the
deck ledger board to the exterior house sheathing first apply ice and water
shield to the exterior sheathing area prior to attaching the ledger board to
it.
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The deck ledger board should be fastened to the side of the home using
non-corrosive lag bolts or carriage bolts that penetrate deeply into or
through the house sill plate, respectively. A bolt should be installed into
the deck ledger board every 16 inches for maximum strength.
| Also, make sure to use a spirit level to ensure that the
ledger board is attached level to the side of the home. Again, the deck
building ledger connects the deck to the home and thus it needs to be
securely fastened into place. After attaching the deck ledger board to
the exterior house sheathing, run a bead of silicone caulk along the
seam where the ledger board meets the home. Then install deck flashing
over the ledger board and up the exterior house sheathing a few inches.
The silicone caulk and deck flashing will ensure no water penetrates
behind the ledger board. |
Photo Courtesy of Siding Saver |
With the deck building ledger board solidly mounted to the home, you can
then move forward with the installation of the rest of the deck framing
members, including the outer and inner joists and end beam. Next, you can
install the decking boards and railings. Finally, you can reinstall the
exterior house siding near the deck building ledger board to wrap up the
project.
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