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Decking Terminology

Why make things difficult? At Hoppings we feel things should be easily understood!

Above the subframe
DECKING	The floorboards or decking boards.
NEWEL POST	Vertical post that supports balustrading.
BALUSTRADING	Vertical railing secured between newel posts as a feature or barrier.
BALUSTER	Vertical railing otherwise known as a spindle.
HAND RAIL	Top rail section of balustrade.
BALUSTER RAIL	Top and bottom rail sections of balustrade to which spindles are fixed.
STAIR STRING	An inclined member that supports a stairway tread.
RISER	A vertical board attached to the front of a step between treads.
TREAD	The horizontal face of each step.
FASCIA	Decking boards attached to outer subframe for tidy appearance.

Below the subframe
OVERSITE	Area under deck. Must be free draining or of a gradient at least 1 in 40 to allow water 'run-off'.
FOOTING	A concrete pier that bears the weight of the deck.
SUPPORT POST	A vertical support that sits on or in a footing. Use Q-Deck Multi-purpose deck post material.
BEAM	The main horizontal timbers of the deck (support the joists). Usually a pair attached to either side of the support post.
JOIST	Multiple horizontal timbers that support the decking boards.
MINI JOIST HANGER	Connects joists to beams so both top edges are flush.
LEDGER BOARD	Beam secured to building to support deck structure.
STRUCTURAL FITTING / BOLT	A long substantial bolt or screw for fastening subframe elements and newel post.
NOGGINS	Short pieces of timber, fitting between joists for rigidity.
WEED BARRIER	A rot proof fabric laid on oversite. It allows drainage while minimising weed growth. Covering it with a layer of pea shingle maximises its performance and longevity.
Preservative treatment classification -USE CLASSES (UC)
Use Classes are defined by British and European Standards (as defined in BS.EN. 335-1), providing a guide to the risk of decay or insect attack to timber components, depending upon their end use. The higher the use Class, the higher the level of preservative protection is required.
Use Class
UC1	Internal building timbers with no risk of wetting or condensation.
UC2	Internal building timbers with a risk of wetting or condensation.
UC3	External building, fencing and landscaping timbers used out of ground contact.
UC4	External building, fencing and landscaping timbers used in ground contact.