Under the usual conditions of use, decking made of wooden planks or boards has become established in practice. Less commonly, examples are made of sheet metal profiles, steel plates, concrete, plastic or bulletproof glass.
Source: Zimmermann, Astrid; Landscape construction - materials, techniques, building elements. Birkhäuser, Basel. 2011
Wooden planks can be connected directly to the substructure as individual elements or prefabricated as wooden gratings. Coverings made of wooden grates have the advantage that they are easy to replace. If they are custom-made, they should be sized in such a way that two people can handle them easily (< 2.5 m²).
The cross-sections of the planks are based on the static requirements. In order to prevent the planks from twisting, the correct distance between the supporting timbers (distance 50-80 cm) or, in the case of larger plank spans, the installation of underside, non-load-bearing intermediate timbers is important. The wooden planks are fastened with two special nails or wood screws per support. However, to facilitate the removal of damaged planks, screws are preferable. Joint spacing of 6 to 8 mm has proven itself for open plank decking. However, since the planks are often laid with a wood moisture content of >20%, it makes sense to install them with narrower joints (approx. 3 mm): The joints will widen due to the shrinkage of the wood.
pavement elements are usually located at right angles to the direction of walking and driving. However, the direction of installation and joint formation can also be included in the design. For larger areas, there are basically two options: the joints are staggered in rhythm or all in alignment so that closed fields are created.
Source: Zimmermann, Astrid; Landscape construction - materials, techniques, building elements. Birkhäuser, Basel. 2011
