New Tigerwood Deck Creaking!?

andywocky

The Problem
I just had a tigerwood deck built a few weeks ago that has progressively started creaking. Initially it was only observable after a heavy rain/sunshine day, and creaks were localized to a parting board and a few other areas.... very minor, maybe <5% of the deck. Now, about a month later, the entire deck creaks as I walk across it, from mid-morning til early evening. It seems to be getting worse, and it seems that some of the creaky boards tilt or move a slight amount as I traverse them. Note that there is really no creaking during early morning or night-time hours. I live in the Southeast, so temperatures have been rising and cycling more as summer approaches.

Deck Construction Details
The deck boards are 3/4 tigerwood, unsealed right now, 1/8" board spacing, on 2x10 pressure treated joists place 12" apart. Joists rest on 6x6 PT posts. Deck boards are laid diagonally and screwed with deck screws. There are about 26 concrete footings, dug down to rest on firm soil. Very solid and level framing. Approx 700 sf of deck. The deck is attached to the house on one side, but is freestanding. Not sure what moisture content the boards were dired to; neither the framing nor the tigerwood cured on site for more than a couple of days before it was used. All cuts were waxed on-end. Deck faces due south, rests about 30" above ground, full sunlight all day.

Questions
Really hoping some pros on this forum can offer some comments and advice. In particular:

1. Should we expect our deck to be creak-free, or is it normal temperature-related expansion?
2. Should I notice slight board give/twist/tilt as I walk during creaky times? It almost feels like some boards settle or shift when they creak, but only during creak-time, not at night or morning.
3. Any suggestions for de-creaking? Tightening screws, coating them, using some lubricant or glue or something?
4. Could the creaking be due to the deck board thickness and diagonal placement on 12" span?

Thanks in advance for the help!

redwood

Try cinching down on the screws. Depending on moisture, the boards can shrink, leaving a little play in the screws.

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Greg Di

What did the contractor that built it say?

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John Hyatt

I am intersted in your Contractors response as well. J.

bmcquin

Your back should creak not your deck.....................

RobertCDF

Maybe I am blind and did not notice... Clips? Or face screwed?
If clips, what kind?

Not that I can answer but I am sure it would help others.

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rotarex

isn't the obvious answer is to tighten the screws down, and why are they asking us, if you have the money to afford a TD it gots to be a high end contractor, meaning warranty. then again its spaced 12O.C so sounds like A H.O built it.
Built ford Tough

sounds like a $30,000 job and was face screwed with a weak drill, or was drilled down so the head can be flush with the board

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DecksEtc

Says who? It doesn't gots to be anything

Please do tell, what's wrong with 12" O.C.?


That's quite the assumption... without seeing any pictures by this HO who is clearly not a professional

Chris G

I do hope AndyWocky returns.

You say deck screws? As in typical deck screws? I think they wold snap going through tigerwood. Maybe he didn't pre-drill. Or maybe he did, but got so freeked by the snapping screws that he stopped short of tightening them down fully for fear of snapping them over and over...

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andywocky

Thanks to all of the constructive responders-- it sounds like tightening the screws is the first thing to check.

Some follow-ups for those who wanted more info:

* It's screwed with professional deck screws (is that face-screwed?)
* Pre-drilled holes for screws
* Contractor hasn't commented yet as travel + rain have prevented a sunny day visit

As soon as the contractor responds and/or tightens the screws I'll let you guys know....

neolitic

Don't know about you.
My diagonal goes over 12"o.c.

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John Hyatt

I tell you Guys, there is no retighting the ss screws I use they go down one time and one time only even backing them out is a gamble. J.

Tinstaafl

That's been my experience as well. The heads always want to strip out.

deckman22

Sounds more like uneven joist to me. Big crowned boards next to one that may be crowned upside down. The decking floats over a low joist so there is give when you step on that area.

Ditto what John said about backing out the SS screws, they're gonna get stripped out a good %age of the time.

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WarnerConstInc.

I cant remember the last deck/porch that I built, that was not spaced at 12" O.C.
Call it over kill but, you could have a breeding pair of pachaderms on those suckers.
There is nothing that pisses me off more than a bouncy deck.

andywocky

... and keep in mind that even with 12" o.c. spacing the deck boards effectively span 17" since they are laid diagonally. The deck is sturdy, especially against shaking, but I think there is still a very slight bounce or give in the middle of a span. Maybe that is the board thickness.

We just had the deck oiled, btw, and the creakiness is not evident today. But it did rain pretty much all week and weekend, both before and after oiling, so I'll wait for a string of hot, sunny days to see if it holds up.

Now there is another potential problem: some of the boards show lots of fuzz along the tigerwood markings (as much as 30% of the board), and there is a faint yellow-green tint to the marks now. Is that normal? Should we get the boards replaced? I'll start a new thread in case others want to chime in.

Thanks for all the comments so far!

John Hyatt

Ghessssssssss some people would complain if they got hung with a brand new rope. J.

TimelessQuality

Is that right?

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Chris G

Yep. You won't strip the head. You will snap it clean off.

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andywocky

... and some hangmen would want to make sure the rope worked before they conducted the hangin'