Complete your deck build with professional decking, hidden fasteners, and a sturdy railing system.
Based on: How to Build a Deck, Part 2 | Ask This Old House by This Old House
▶ Watch the source video on YouTube
What if the difference between a deck that looks homemade and one that looks like a contractor built it came down to just a handful of techniques most people never learn? If you have your framing done and you're staring at a pile of decking boards wondering exactly what to do next, you are not alone — and the margin for error at this stage is surprisingly slim. One crooked first board, one wrong fastener at a butt joint, or a railing post that isn't plumb can undermine hundreds of hours of work. The details matter enormously here, and most how-to guides skip right over them. Picture stepping onto your finished deck for the first time — boards running perfectly straight and parallel, no exposed fastener heads anywhere on the face of the deck, a railing system that does not budge when you lean against it, and clean mitered trim hiding every bit of framing you worked so hard to install. That is what this checklist is built to help you achieve. This Old House is the most trusted name in home improvement television for a reason. Tom Silva and the crew have spent decades showing homeowners exactly how professionals approach problems that feel impossible on first attempt — like cutting a clean dovetail joint in rock-hard ipe, or keeping a curved board straight using nothing but a chalk line. Their methods are proven on real projects with real homeowners, and this checklist distills those methods into a clear, step-by-step action plan you can hold in your hand while you work. Every step in this checklist is pulled directly from the video, covering everything from snapping your first chalk line to installing hidden fasteners with a pneumatic tool, sealing butt joints, routing dovetail slots for your railing posts, cutting half-lap joints on the table saw, building baluster sections on a jig, and finishing the rim with mitered ipe trim. Nothing is left out. This PDF checklist gives you the confidence to pick up where Part 1 left off and finish your deck the right way — the This Old House way. Download it, print it, and check off each step as you go.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 28 more action items inside...
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