Leveling outdoor deck?
Question:I need to level an outdoor deck beam that sits on concrete piers that have Simpson galvanized ties set into the concrete. Need to add 3/8" to 3/4" between the tie/pier and the pressure treated beam. What material is best suited to this? Galvanized plates, wood shims, etc. ?
Thanks.
Answers:
Certainly #1 and #2 are valid, and will likely last a long time, but you can also buy stock that thick in "plate", which would last as long as the deck at least, and jack up the deck to insert it at the beam bracket.
I've installed a lot of Decking in my time, and when using pier blocks, I stopped using the "rigid" years ago. All I use now are the adjustables. Obviously not strictly your case, unless you can remove and replace those giving you a problem now.
If contracted to, my first notion before shimming would have to be the cause, for the need.
Steven Wolf
Since your beam is pressure treated, I would recommend a piece of treated wood of the appropriate thickness. You mention possibly needing 3/4" to level it properly. It happens that the actual thickness of a 1x6 piece of treated is actually 3/4". Jack up the deck (after disconnecting the galvanized tie) slip the appropriate length piece in there, and reconnect.
If it need to be raised 3/8" to 3/4" I would recommend using the same material, pressure treated wood. I find cutting shims from a 2X4 or a 2X3 along the flat gives you a better end product and lasts a lot longer.
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