So you have decided to buy some composite decking to improve your garden this summer? How do you know how many decking boards will cover the area you want?
I should say first that at Ecodek we are not certified quantity surveyors! Based on our experience, we are however, happy to estimate the number of deck boards you will need for your proposed deck. But it is down to you guys to ensure you have enough! Everyone installs decking slightly differently, so it is difficult to estimate accurately, but we try to do our best ?
The main things we need to know when trying to do estimation for a rectangular area is the following:
- The amount of square metres the area is to be decked
- What is the length of boards required
- What type of fixings are required
Once you know the above you can start to work out how many boards you will need.
To work out how many boards to cover this area follow the steps below:
- Work out how many square metres the area is, this is done by Length x Width e.g. 6 x 4 = 24m²
- To cover 1m² with Ecodek composite decking you need 7.1 metres of material. Therefore the next calculation is to work out how many linear metres is needed to cover this area m2 x 7.1 e.g. 24 x 7.1 = 170.4
- Once the overall total of metres is calculated, to work out the number of boards required divide the total by the length of board e.g. Tot LM ÷ Length for example 170.4 ÷ 4 = 42.6
- Once the answer is rounded up you have the number of boards required in that length to cover your decking area. i.e. 43 boards at 4metre lengths will cover an area of 24m²
- At Ecodek it is essential for the 25 year warranty that good stainless screws are used. We recommend 40 screws for every metre square. Therefore to work out how many screws you will need calculate m² x 40 e.g. 24 x 40 = 960
- Ecodek sell screws in multiples of 200s therefore 1000 screws will be recommended for this area.
So for this area you would need:
- Minimum of 43 boards at 4 metre lengths
- 1000 Stainless Screws
Remember to order slightly more boards than you will need, this way, if you find yourself one short for some reason, then you won’t have to go to the hassle or expense of ordering more. Handy hint: any left over deck boards or off-cuts can be used to make smart planters that will match your deck.
If your still not too sure give our sales team a ring and we will be happy to give you a quote!
