A common question we are asked is how to finish off the outer edge of an area where SwiftDeck wood deck tiles are being installed.

Although in many instances the clip on edge pieces which simply attach to the outer row of tiles provide a satisfactory solution, especially in ground level situations such as on a patio, terrace or a walkway, in other situations where perhaps they are being used to resurface a slightly raised deck or on an existing porch, you probably want the edge of the deck to feel as secure as possible. One possible solution to this is as follows.

Firstly you would install a facing board around the outside of the deck or porch area and install this facing board so that it protruded above the existing deck by the same height as the plastic mesh base on the wood tiles (5/16”). Then you would take a wood tile and trim back the plastic base so that the tile when installed would slightly overhang the facing board. The quickest way to trim off the plastic base if you have a relatively large area to cover is normally to use a table saw, setting the blade height to the exact height of the plastic base and making sure that the blades do not hit any of the screws attaching the mesh base to the wood slats. Alternatively you could cut the plastic off with a box cutter, removing all screws that are in the plastic section to be removed.

If you need to install the tiles around a corner, then on the corner tile you would cut the plastic base away on two sides rather than one.

Now when you install the outer row of tiles, the plastic base will butt up against the facing board and will not only prevent any movement of the tiles, but will provide a safe and secure edge to the deck or porch.

The pictures below will explain the procedure in more detail.