Clear Larch Guidelines for Installation

Clear larch decking is more denser and stronger material than pressure treated decking or cedar decking and therefore if you install your joists at 16” o.c. or 12” o.c. for diagonal installation – this is more than enough for Clear Larch decking.

To attach Clear larch decking to your Pressure Treated Deck frame we recommend using grooved Clear larch deck boards and attaching them with Ipe Clips. If you want to use solid boards, we recommend attaching Clear Larch Decking with Camo hidden deck fasteners.

For cutting and routing Clear Larch decking – use the same techniques as you would for pressure treated and cedar decking. However, given that the Clear Larch Decking is denser than usual PT and Cedar decks – we recommend making sure that your blades are sharp and the thickness of the blades does not exceed 1/8”. When drilling close to the edge of the decking – it is best to pre-drill. Pre drilling is not required however if you are not close to the edge of the deck board.

Another important installation aspect is oiling the boards on all sides prior to installation. To minimize cracking and checking (which is typical of all softwood lumber such as pressure treated and cedar) it is best to oil the board on all sides with Ipe Oil or Cutek Oil. Oiling on all sides ensures that the deck board is not absorbing the moisture from underneath and drying out on top which results in board cupping.