Decking question

[Highlandreef]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knows of a way to Install the facia board in front of joists around the pool edge in a way that you don't have to cut the facia board, kinda bend it along the contour of the pool?
I have seen how people cut the facia boards around the pool edge but was wondering if it's possible to just wrap a single board around the pool?
I am talking about the board that connects to the side of the deck joists
I think its called the facia but not positive? Not sure if the composite decking bends like that?
Thanks in advance!

 

[duraleigh]

You can do it by cutting multiple groves from the backside into the board but it is not necessarily easy to do unless you have a radial arm saw.

You simply cut almost all the way through the board but not quite (leave about 1/8 inch) making the grooves about an inch apart. The board can then "flex" to fit the countour of the pool.

It's probably much easier using a synthetic plastic trim board but I haven't tried it.

 

[Circles47]

I just added on to our deck, and joined it to the pool we installed last spring. I used Premium #1 treated 5/4 boards everywhere except next to the pool. There I used Trex composite from Lowes, because it was more flexible. Here's a couple of pictures that kinda show what I'm talking about.

 

[linen]

Circle 47, that looks great I am amazed how far you got those to bend in that direction. When you get a chance could you take a picture from below of that area?

 

[Circles47]

Linen, here's a couple of pictures, such as they are. The vertical Trex board on the face bent easily....we used a piece of 3/4" PVC to get the radius marked on the joists, then nailed the Trex right to the ends of the joists. The top part was more frustrating! They say that you can bend Trex horizontal, but you have to heat them up with a tube heater......seemed a little complicated for just one piece. So I ripped a 5/4 Trex down the middle with a table saw, and then routered the edge with a round over bit. What you see in the pictures are two 2-1/2" wide Trex decking boards. Ripping them down to 2-1/2" enabled me to bend them to the radius of the pool, without using a tube heater. I did learn one thing.....waiting until the sun warmed them up a little made a world of difference in their flexibility!

The underside of the deck is pretty much all blocking!

 

[linen]

Thanks for the pictures circles47! What size is that vertical trex (I think) board. It looks really thick, and hard to bend. Do you have a treated board under your horizontal trex?

 

[Circles47]

All of the Trex are five/quarter boards, pretty close to an inch thick, or slightly more. Vertically, they bend fairly easily. And yes, all of the horizontal Trex has 2' x 8" blocking on the underside.

 

[linen]

I see now, I did not realize the camera was so close to the vertical. Is the blocking necessary due to the trex flexing?

 

[Circles47]

Trex should span joists 16" on center without any problem, but with the radius of the pool, some of my spans would have been more....hence the blocking.