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Project Difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated
Project Time: 1 weekend
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| Tools and Materials: |
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2x lumber (for crosspieces and headers)
2x6s, 2x8s or wider lumber (for decking)
Pea gravel and sand (sand is optional)
2x4 pressure-treated lumber (for sleepers)
Measuring tape
Level
Four 1x2 stakes
1x4 cleats
String
Shovel
Landscape fabric
Two 16d nails (used as spacers)
Hammer or screwdriver
10d galvanized nails or 3-inch deck screws
Circular saw
Safety goggles
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You can build a simple wooden boardwalk by nailing two-by crosspieces to wood sleepers laid either in or on top of a flat, well-drained base of gravel (Fig. 1). The project described below shows 2x4 sleepers laid flat on a gravel subbase, with the 3-foot-wide boardwalk comprised of 2x6 deck boards.
Make sure your sleepers are pressure-treated and rated for ground contact. The decking should be pressure-treated wood or a decay-resistant species in 2x6s, 2x8s, wider boards, or a combination of widths.
For walks over 3 feet wide, support the center of the walk with a third sleeper. For even wider walks, space sleepers no more than 3 feet apart.
The walk surface should be at least 1-1/2 inches above grade. To keep washed soil and trash from accumulating underneath the raised walk, attach a two-by header that touches the ground at each end.
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1.
Prepare the Base
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At each end of the walk, drive two 1x2 stakes at least 2 feet into the ground to indicate the edges of the walk, and stretch strings between them. Double-check to make sure that the strings are the same distance apart at both ends. If the walk leads straight to an entry, make sure the lines are perpendicular to it by using the 3-4-5 triangulation method, below.
[Achieving a Square Corner with the 3-4-5 Method
To square a large area, builders rely on the fact that triangles with sides of 3 units by 4 units by 5 units are right triangles. The corner opposite the "five side" contains the right angle.
To lay out the corner of a walk, wall, or patio, stretch strings along what will be the path of the sides. Tie the strings to batter boards. Mark one string 3 feet from the corner. Mark the other string 4 feet from the corner. Have a helper stand at the far end of either one of the strings and slide it along the batter board until the diagonal distance between the 3- and 4-foot marks equals 5 feet. At this point, the walls are square. Mark where the strings meet the batter boards, so that you can reattach the strings if necessary. (Fig. 2)]
If you're building on stable, well-drained soil, you can lay the walk directly on the ground.
But if the ground is soggy or prone to puddles, first build a gravel base for the walk. Dig a trench at least 4 inches deep and wider than the walk by 4 to 6 inches on each side. To prevent weed growth, lay landscape fabric over the bottom of the excavation. Backfill with 4 inches of pea gravel and tamp, or with 2 inches of pea gravel and 2 inches of sand (Fig. 3). Tamp each layer as you apply it.
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2.
Install the Sleepers
Use the layout strings to position the sleepers on the gravel base. For sleepers that are flush with the ends of the boards, align the sleepers with the layout lines. For overhanging boards, align a 2x4 spacer with the lines and lay the sleeper next to the spacer.
In either case, lay the sleepers flat on the ground and drive 2x4 stakes every 4 feet along the inside edges of the sleepers. Attach the sleepers to the stakes by driving 3-inch galvanized deck screws through the stakes.
Where sleepers butt together, join them with 1x4 cleats on the inside of the sleepers. Drive stakes on either side of the cleat. (Fig. 4)
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3.
Attach the Decking
Cut 2x6 decking boards to length. Align the boards with a framing square, and attach them to the sleepers with 10d galvanized nails or 3-inch deck screws. Predrill holes to avoid splitting board ends.
If you are using redwood or cedar decking, leave a 1/8- to 1/4-inch space between boards to allow for wood expansion and to facilitate water runoff --16d common nails make good spacers (Fig. 5). Space pressure-treated wood the same way. If you're using wet pressure-treated lumber, however, you may want to butt the boards together because they'll shrink as they dry.
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