Decks Rx LLC

Those little vinyl bolt covers had to go. 😂

The manufacturer already makes a clean base plate cover — the problem is the standard mounting plate doesn't work with the way we're building CleanStairs.

So instead of settling for the crappy vinyl caps, we're making our own base plates specifically to accommodate the manufacturer's finished cover.

Custom base plate.
Factory base plate cover.
Clean finished connection.

It's a tiny detail most people probably wouldn't notice.

We noticed.

And once you see the difference, you can't unsee it.

CleanStairs keeps evolving.

DecksRx Standards.

Back to the 5/8s. 😂

The four 10s have been good to us, but with the days getting shorter, it's time to make the seasonal switch.

For the rest of the year we're moving back to five 8-hour days.

See you next year, 4/10.

We love you. 🫡😂

Pacific Northwest construction — eventually Mother Nature starts setting the schedule.

DecksRx Standards.

Now the upper deck is a different animal.

We're removing ALL the existing plywood.

Then:

New plywood.
Proper prep and detailing.
And a new Rhino Linings waterproof coating system over the top.

When you've got space underneath a deck that needs to stay dry, you're not just thinking about the walking surface anymore.

You're building a waterproof system.

Water management matters.

Here's what we're doing with the middle deck.

The existing plywood is coming OFF.

Instead of putting another membrane back down, this level is getting converted to a traditional deck surface with Coastline PVC decking.

New system.
New drainage strategy.
Completely different finished surface.

And this is only one piece of what's happening on this property.

DecksRx Standards.

Now the upper deck is a different animal.

We're removing ALL the existing plywood.

Then:

New plywood.
Proper prep and detailing.
And a new Rhino Linings waterproof coating system over the top.

When you've got space underneath a deck that needs to stay dry, you're not just thinking about the walking surface anymore.

You're building a waterproof system.

Water management matters.

A lot.

DecksRx Standards.

The Pacific Northwest is just cut different.

Hills.
Water.
Views.
Puget Sound.

It creates some absolutely ridiculous properties — and an extremely generous deck-building market. 😂

When you've got elevation changes like this, the deck isn't just somewhere to put a grill.

It's how you use the property.

And this one has A LOT going on.

Multiple existing deck levels.
Multiple sets of stairs.
Waterproofing.
PVC decking.

And if you caught that little peek at the lower level...

Yeah. We're adding an entire deck down there too. 😂

We'll get to that one.

DecksRx Standards.

Caulk lesson Chris Maddox!
Sure it's RtV on my 4 runner ahald moons. Same application. Just say no to tooling!

Little TR200 tip that'll save you some bu****it. 👌

Before you drop that top rail onto the posts:

Put your end plates on FIRST.

Don't forget your post stiffeners in the end posts.

And get your infill installed BEFORE that top rail goes down.

Cable, glass, pickets — whatever you're running, get everything where it needs to be while you've still got easy access.

Then drop the TR200 continuous top rail onto the posts and finish it off.

It's not complicated.

It's just knowing the order of operations before you create extra work for yourself. 😂

American Structures & Design TR200.

DecksRx Standards.

I can't stand when stair posts stick up past the top rail. 😂

If you're going to run a continuous top rail, make the damn thing CONTINUOUS.

In this video I'm breaking down how we assemble the American Structures & Design TR200 continuous top rail on stairs so the posts terminate cleanly underneath it.

The key is the transition.

Know your stair angle.
Divide it by two.
Make your cuts.
Bring everything together on the same line.

Done right, the rail flows through the stairs instead of looking like a bunch of individual posts with a top rail stuck between them.

It's a small detail.

But once you see it done clean, it's hard to unsee the other way. 😂

Watch the breakdown and tell me how you're doing yours.

DecksRx Standards.

Another simple little process that saves time AND saves tools. 👌

We're using two centering jigs from Drew over at Tool & Trade to position our American Structures & Design aluminum railing template exactly where we want it.

But we're NOT drilling through the template.

Instead, we use a snap punch to transfer every hole location onto the post, pull the template off, and then drill.

Why?

The aluminum template should basically last forever.

We're not running drill bits through it over and over, boring out the holes and slowly making our layout less accurate.

Center the template.
Snap the layout.
Remove it.
Drill the post.

Fast. Repeatable. And we're not destroying an expensive template in the process.

Sometimes the smallest changes to your process make the biggest difference over hundreds of railing posts.

Shoutout to Drew at Tool & Trade for the centering jigs and American Structures & Design for the railing system and template. 👊

DecksRx Standards.