• Creative designs for deck flooring call for careful planning.deck boards image by Sirena Designs from Fotolia.com
  
  Add variety to deck flooring by using different widths of lumber or by laying it out so it is not perpendicular to the joists. The latter takes careful planning to minimize waste. Buy the lumber in lengths that work the best with your planned layout and deck size. In all cases be sure to size and space your joists to match the thickness and type of deck lumber you are using. Some installations may require the joists to be spaced as closely as 12 inches on center.
  
  

Alternate Widths

• One way to break up the monotony of large expanses of deck flooring is to use lumber of two different widths. Popular widths to mix are 2 x 4 and 2 x 6. You alternate them as you place them side by side. Of all the different ways you can place the deck boards this one will use the least amount of lumber, and take the least amount of time.
  
  

Herringbone

• This pattern is a series of Vs laid side by side. You have to align the point of the V with a doubled-up joist or beam. The end of a board coming to the point always butts against the side of the previous board. Each piece of lumber needs to be individually measured and cut. You will also have to make angle cuts along the long sides of the deck. A quick way to do that is to fasten all the boards in place and then cut them off.
  
  

Diagonal

• This is the basic pattern for the double diagonal and the herringbone. Diagonal decking minimizes butt joints on very wide decks. Start the first board running from corner to corner and then work your way toward the outside edges of the deck on both sides of that. Your deck frame needs to be very square and you need to keep the boards at a 45 degree angle to the joists. On long spans where you have to butt the ends of two pieces of lumber you may need to add blocking between joists to provide a fastening surface. The double diagonal divides the deck in half with each having a diagonal pattern meeting with the other in the middle.
  
  

Basket Weave

• This complex pattern to build is a series of squares alternating in vertical and horizontal directions. You have to add a lot more blocking, bracing and additional lumber to the deck's frame because there are many ends butted to sides. On the plus side there are no angle cuts, and you can cut and seal the lumber ahead of time since most pieces, except those on the perimeter, will be the same length.