ᐅ Decking made of Bankirai wood: what spacing should be left between the boards?

Hello,

we have classic ribbed Bangkirai wood on the exterior and want to replace it with the smooth version. At the hardware store, the discussion came up about the spacing between the individual boards. We would like to set them closer together. The specialist said that in the past, 3 cm (1.2 inches) spacing was used, but now 7 cm (2.8 inches) is common. These spacers are only available in 7 cm (2.8 inches) anymore.

What spacing do you use? We had the wider spacing before, and it really bothered us.

Either I misunderstood you, or you meant millimeters? My balcony boards have a gap of 3-5 mm (0.1-0.2 inches).

Tolentino schrieb:

Either I misunderstood you, or you meant millimeters? For my balcony boards, it's 3-5 mm (0.1-0.2 inches)

yes, sorry 🙂 mm

In our case, some were installed with gaps of 1-1.5 cm (0.4-0.6 inches)...
I have now seen spacers of 4 mm (0.16 inches)

Yes, 1 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 inches) would be too much for me, too. I would have to think about 0.7 cm (0.3 inches), but I understand your point. I didn’t install the decking on my balcony myself (condominium from the developer), but I doubt anyone used spacers here. Are they really necessary? Can’t you just cut them yourself from suitable strips? Are they only needed during installation, or do they stay in place permanently? I’m asking these basic questions because I will eventually need to build a terrace at my house…

Tolentino schrieb:

Yes, 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 inches) would be too much for me as well. I might consider 0.7 cm (0.3 inches), but I understand your point. I didn’t install my balcony decking myself (condominium from the developer), but I doubt anyone used spacers here. Are they really necessary? Can you cut them yourself from suitable strips? Are they only for installation, or do they stay in place permanently? I’m asking because I’ll eventually need to build a terrace at my house...

There are plastic spacers like that... I saw some today at a specialist store. Check out Am..zon terrace spacers.

Wood spacers are removed once the decking boards are screwed down; with WPC, the clips remain in place.