2018 Fall Home

2018 Fall Home & Garden Lincoln Daily News Sept. 26, 2018 Page 11 Continued nn Vila recommends using lumber that is nice and straight. Dimensional lumber is not always straight and has what is called a crown which might sag in one direction or the other. If there is any sag, it should face down with the crown facing up so when the load on the deck floor adjusts it will flatten out evenly. Once all the lumber is in place, 12 penny nails are used right through the ends with two on each side of the joist hanger. The nails up against each other will keep the deck from wobbling. A tongue and groove floor solidly butted together is used instead of spacing the floor boards far enough apart for rainwater to go through. The place where the tongue meets the grooves goes in the same direction as the pitch of the floor and rainwater can run right off. If the tongue is damaged in any of the boards, discard them. For some of the grooves, you may need to trim off the edge. The board may overhang about half an inch. On the floor boards, a galvanized finish nail is used and a powered nail gun helps get the nails down. A flooring nailer that puts in a cut nail with a flat profile that will grip and each time the tool drives nails through, it brings the two boards close together.