A trim piece that was cut from a length of square-edged decking …
A trim piece that was cut from a length of square-edged decking hides unsightly board ends.
Robert Shaw
Capped composite decks are often finished with a picture-framed …
Capped composite decks are often finished with a picture-framed border so that the ends of the boards aren't visible. This requires a lot of blocking.
Robert Shaw
Installing a trim detail is faster and less expensive than insta…
Installing a trim detail is faster and less expensive than installing a border. The trim is ripped from nongrooved decking, then glued and either screwed or nailed in place.
Robert Shaw
Deck boards are installed long and then cut in place along a str…
Deck boards are installed long and then cut in place along a straight line so the trim will lie flat once it’s attached. A track saw, like the Festool TS55REQ shown, is ideal for the job.
Robert Shaw
The trim can be cut on a table saw, but using a circular saw equ…
The trim can be cut on a table saw, but using a circular saw equipped with an edge guide is probably easier. The advantages to using a cordless circular saw are that it’s lightweight and it has enough power for this cut. A 20-foot length of square-edged Fiberon Horizon decking yields 40 linear feet of 3/8-inch-wide edge trim; the author sometimes uses a different width, depending on the brand of decking he’s working with.
Robert Shaw
Loctite Power Grab adhesive is spread onto the back of the trim …
Loctite Power Grab adhesive is spread onto the back of the trim prior to installation. Power Grab
dries clear, so if any squeeze-out is missed during cleanup, it’s usually unnoticeable.
Joseph Salvato
Robert Shaw of Colorado Deck and Framing installs edge trim on a…
Robert Shaw of Colorado Deck and Framing installs edge trim on a deck in Colorado Springs, Colo. Eighteen-gauge stainless steel finish nails hold the trim in place until the glue dries. One nail per deck board is more than enough.
If you install capped composite decking, you know how unsightly the ends of the boards are compared with the capped tops, bottoms, and edges. One way to hide the ends is to install a border around the perimeter of the deck. While that can add visual interest to solid-color decking boards, it requires considerable blocking and adds to the project time line and overall cost. And when used with multichromatic decking boards, borders are almost a distraction.
An alternative is to finish the decking with a 3/8- to 1/2-inch-wide trim detail. We cut our trim pieces from composite deck boards that have square, non-grooved edges and then glue the trim to the ends of the decking and nail or screw it in place. This detail not only looks attractive, but is easier, faster, and less expensive to make and install than a border.
Robert Shaw owns Colorado Deck and Framing in Colorado Springs.
