In general posts should be spaced no more than 8 feet apart.
Post spacing for deck roof.
Beams can be solid lumber or be built from lengths of 2 by lumber nailed together with 1 2 inch pressure treated plywood spacers in between this forms a 3 1 2 inch thick beam that is equal to the width of a 4 by post.
If you are planning on installing a hot tub or porch on top of your deck you will usually need more footings and posts to support the additional loads.
Most decks use 16 on center spacing for joists.
It provides more stability for larger decks the ability to hold a heavier load and more room for notching.
While a typical deck under 6 feet in height may only require posts set every 5 to 8 feet the type of deck the type of wood the height of the deck and a variety of other factors can influence the spacing of the support posts.
A 4 by 10 can usually span up to 12 feet between posts.
Some builders reduce joist spacing to 12 on center to strengthen the deck frame or to increase maximum allowable joist spans.
A 2 2x10 can span 10 feet and so on.
A double 2x12 beam can span 12 feet.
Dimensional lumber deck beam span chart the numbers in gray indicate the distance between the support posts.
When supporting joists that span 12 feet with no overhang beyond the beam a double ply beam can span in feet a value equal to its depth in inches.
Decks with a lot of angles may also require additional footings.
Starting with your perimeter mark the location of each deck post to locate the fitting position.
I wouldn t blink at the use of 4x4 posts up to 8 feet in length.
Deck post spacing depends on numerous elements.
Most decking is not strong enough to support longer spans than 16.
Some builders position them every 4 feet for a completely rigid frame.
Cut the posts at this line.
The maximum distance between footings is determined by the size of your joist material.
While there may be a handful of circumstances that only require the minimum 4 4 deck post you will more than likely want to choose a 6 6 post for the deck.
If you move up to 4 by 8 you re usually allowed to span up to 10 feet between posts.
In general the maximum span for a 4 by 6 beam is 6 feet between 4 by 4 posts.
For a deck framed from 2x10s i d assume maximum spans of about 14 feet for joists and 10 feet for beams.
If you have the ledger board installed you can use it as a guide.
Joist spacing for composite decking.
This generally yields a maximum tributary area of about 70 square feet.
Measure down from the door leading to the deck the width of the beams joists boards plus at least 3 inches or to whatever your local code requires.
Then snap a chalk line at this level along all the posts.
