Recommended procedures and installation guide when working with Earth-wood products

Working with Earth-wood
When working with any material, including Earth-wood, be sure to wear and use suitable safety attire and equipment. Unlike treated timber, there is no danger from dust inhalation when machining Earth-wood as there are no harmful chemicals or toxins used in its manufacture.

Tools Required:
Earth-wood does not contain any glues or epoxy resins and as such it is kind to your tooling. Standard woodworking tools and equipment are all that you require to build the most basic or most elaborate deck for your customers. Earth-wood cuts, drills and can be routed just like wood.
Be creative and let your imagination run free.

Fasteners:
The preferred and recommended fasteners for Earth-wood material are screws. Use stainless steel or high quality coated deck screws or composite deck screws. Use two screws at each joist at centres as detailed.

We do not recommend the use of nails however if nails are used, use stainless steel or high quality coated nails. Extreme caution must be used to not over drive the nail. Nails should be driven so that the head is flush with the plank surface. Nails offer time savings but nails may loosen over time with the expansion and contraction of the entire deck system (joist and decking) and may pop up from the deck surface, which will require resetting the nails. Protruding nail heads are the cause of the most common injuries to bare feet on decks.

• Standard Decking Board 135mm x 25mm:
  Recommended screw size is 5 x 75mm stainless steel or high quality coated deck screw.
  Boards should be pre-drilled when using stainless steel or if drilling within 75mm of the ends of the board and also in cold weather. Use two screws at each joist at centres as detailed.
  Self drilling composite board decking screws are available.
• Heavy Duty Decking board 135mm x 33mm:
  Recommended screw size is 5 x 80mm stainless steel or high quality coated deck screw. Boards should be pre-drilled. Use two screws at each joist at centres as detailed.
  Self drilling composite board decking screws are available.

Mushrooming:
When applying screws, a raised area of material or mushroom effect may form around the head of the screw. This material may be lightly tapped back into the hole to help cover the screw. The use of composite deck screws can also reduce this effect. You can also remove this material by lightly brushing with a wire brush.

Other Installation issues:

Sub-structure:
Earth-wood decking boards should not be used for columns, support posts, beams, joists, stringers or other primary load-bearing members .
The normal installation procedures for Earth-wood are the same as most hardwoods.
Prepare your surface area where you will install your deck.
Install your concrete footings / platforms.
Build your joisting structure from treated timber and weather this as you would normally.
Pay attention to the recommended joist spans and deck board spacing as detailed below.
It is recommended that you consult a trained professional deck installer to achieve the optimum results

Spacing
By using Earth-wood high quality raw materials, thermal expansion and contraction is minimized. Leave a minimum of 3mm (1/8”) gap between boards, at all butt joints and between the plank and any other surface including rail posts. Never force planks together. 4

	Standard	90 degree angle	30 degree angle	45 degree angle
Commercial	300mm	300mm	250mm	200mm
Residential	400mm	400mm	350mm	300mm