Stones Timber - Store & Installation Guide

Store & Installation Guide

Storage And Shipment Guide

• Stonestimber is heavier than natural wood. You must work carefully with it. Don't expect to lift the same amount of Stonestimber as wood.

• On job site, it must be stored on flat surface on ground and must be supported every 60cm on the centre. Storing on uneven surface might cause the board twisted.

• On port, it must be stored vertically on crossties starting at each end of the unit, distance between two crossties are no more than 60cm on the centre.

• It should be stored covered or in house for long time storage.

Installation Instructions

1. Tools

• No special tools are required when working with Stonestimber. But for the best result, we recommend:

• Cutting: For most Stonestimber, saw blades with fewer teeth (like 18 - 24, on a 45cm blade) will work easily, stay cooler and last longer.

• Drilling: When the hole is deep or big, periodically lift the bit out of the hole to remove the
shavings. Screw gun is recommended to do the job much easier.

• Routing: You may rout the edge and surface according your design requirement. But routing will change the unique surface of the products.

• Milling: This material can be milled on its surface. But it may damage its unique surface.

• Bending: This material can be bended according to your design requirement. To assist in bending, you can use non-flammable pipe (cover board wide) and a portable heater with fan to heat boards to above 70°C (130°F) in internal temperature.

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2. Assemble with care

• Self-tap screw is best choice for assembling our products. Stainless steel screws are recommended.

• When nailing, gently hit the nail into 1.5cm or 2cm, then hit it harder. Nail gun will do it quicker and easier.

• When installing in cold weather, you must pre-drill a hole first. The diameter of the hole is 3/4 of the screw size. For the best result, pre-drill are recommended all the time.

• When the board is wider than 10cm, two screws are required for both sides to fix.

• Screws should placed about 19mm from either side of the board and ideally sink no more than 1.5mm below the surface of the board.

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3. Decking Foundations

Please consult your structure engineer if you use this material for structure applications and to take full consideration on the bearing load of the decks.

Joist Span for Decking

The joists must be spaced according to the Span Chart below. Make sure that all joists are level and centred. The decking must span at least three joists.

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Decking Span Chart

Wide/thick mm * mm	Residential Decks Light Duty Dock	Commercial Decks Marinas & Boardwalks	Sport Grounds
100 * 15 140 * 15 142 * 15	30cm	20cm	20cm (residential, playground)
140 * 30 143 * 35	50cm	40cm	40cm (commercial)
100 * 50	60cm	60cm	50cm (commercial)


40cm	45°

Spans adjustment in different conditions:

• Perpendicular to joists: See the chart above.

• At 45° angles, the joists spanning is 10cm less than the chart above.

• In special conditions, like hot pool, the joists spanning should be reduce more than 10cm.

• In any special conditions above, do structure analysis before installing.

• The 15mm x 100mm and 16mm x 82mm profiles are recommended for applications in decking attached or close to the ground. For high raised decking applications on these profiles, please do structure analysis on the load bearing of these boards and/or span distance.

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4. Space Needed

Gap is needed, both End-To-End and Side-To-Side. This is for the proper drainage and for the slight thermal expansion and contraction of the deck boards.

• Side-To-Side: The required gapping is 6mm in normal weather conditions (above 21°C) and increase to 10mm in cold weather (below 21°C).

• End-To-End: The required gapping are depend on “L” (length of the board), “T” (temperature at installation), “Tmax” (local maximum temperature yearly) and “ ∮ ” ( = 0.9 x 10 -4 ).

△ L = ∮ x (Tmax – T) x L

For example: The boards are 2 meters, the temperature is 10°C while installing, yearly maximum temperature is 40°C, then △ L = 2000 x (40 – 10) x 0.9 x 10 –4 = 5.4mm

• End-To-Solid Object: Gapping between end to solid object are also required as the chart below.

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Gapping Charts

End-To-Solid Object Gapping		UK End-To-End Gapping		Side-To-Side Gapping
Below 30°C	10mm	Below 25°C	8mm	Below 30°C	10mm
Above 30°C	6mm	Above 25°C	6mm	Above 30°C	6mm

UK End-To-End Gapping Calculations

	0.8m(L)	1.2m(L)	2.4m(L)	3.6m(L)
10°C	2mm	3mm	6mm	10mm
10°C	1mm	2mm	4mm	8mm
25°C	1mm	2mm	4mm	5mm
30°C	1mm	1mm	2mm	3mm
35°C	1mm	1mm	1mm	3mm

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5. Special Installation

M Board Installation:

M board (profile: 30mm x 143mm) is a special board using a hidden clip system to install. No nail or screw heads will appear on the surface of the deck.

• Draw a line to ensure that the clips are attached to the joists in perfectly parallel and square lines. Remember to give enough gaps between boards (based on the Gapping Chart).

• Use the center hole of the clip to line up clips with the lines, and fastened with two nails or screws. Once the clips have been laid out, the deck boards then be placed over the clips and be held tightly.

• Do the outside edge on each end of the deck first as the last board against the solid object may need to be ripped for final placement.

• When the first board is installed, check for square and plumb, repeating the process again from the outside edge by adding 6mm – 10mm (refer to the Side-To-Side gapping chart).

• The number of clips used will depend on the size of the deck and the joist spanning, just making sure that every board should have clip at every joist.

• Refer to the End-To-End chart if you are laying out boards end to end.

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