Deck Ledger Board Masonite Siding

In order to install the ledger board you usually need to remove the house s siding.

Deck ledger board masonite siding.

Most house framing relies on building elements floors walls roofs being stacked one atop another. Step 1 determine the size of the ledger board. Aluminum and vinyl siding can easily be removed with tin snips from an area one foot surrounding the ledger board location. Like the rest of the posts i am hoping to replace an existing martini deck with a larger version this coming summer.

Ledger boards which lend strength and support to a deck by connecting it to a house must be installed on a virtually flat surface. The house has two layers of siding. To ensure proper strength a ledger board should be made out of the same size lumber that was used to make the deck joists usually 2 inch by 10 inch boards. Properly installing a ledger board for your deck is one of the most important structural components of building a safe and strong deck.

It gets complicated in a hurry. Carefully determine the height for the ledger which will also be the height for all the joist framing. Never install a ledger board over the top of siding no matter what you hear this can weaken the connection. It is certainly not a job for a weekend carpenter or diy er.

The deck ledger to the house is an unusual connection in home building. A ledger relies on the fasteners and strength of the wood ledger board and rim board of the house to carry the deck live and dead loads. The finished deck height is 1 inch below the bottom of the sill. I have designed every last detail of the deck yet feel the ledger board is still in the gray zone.

Installing a ledger connection to a house after it is constructed is a major job. The first bottom layer is a masonite siding covered over by a hardy board cement. The following steps will explain an easy method of removing the lap siding and attaching a ledger board.