Ecowood Joists

Ecowood Joists for Sale in Ireland

Ecowood is our own brand of kiln dried softwood, supplied with consistent quality from one piece to the next and ready to install straight from the pack. As a joist it gives you the easy handling of softwood with far better stability than ordinary framing timber, which matters under a deck where a twisted joist shows up as an uneven board on top.

Ecowood joists pair naturally with Ecowood decking, so the frame and the boards move and weather together.

Ecowood joist sizes

Pick the joist by the height of the deck and the distance it has to span:

• The 70×45 mm joist suits light framing, bearers and low decks on a firm base.
• The 95×45 mm joist is a compact choice for low garden decks.
• The 120×45 mm joist is a step up in stiffness for mid sized decks.
• The 145×45 mm joist is the everyday choice for most garden decks.
• The 195×65 mm joist is the heaviest Ecowood section, for longer spans and raised decks.

The span a joist can carry depends on its size, the spacing and the load, so have an engineer or a span table confirm the size before you build. Choose the length on the product page; a joist that runs the full width of the deck means no joints to support. The calculator on each product page works out how many joists you need.

Why choose Ecowood joists?

Kiln drying gives every Ecowood joist a predictable moisture content and dimensional stability on site, so the frame stays straight after it is fixed. Ecowood has a service life of 25 years and beyond when properly looked after. At around 520 kg/m³ it is light enough for one person to carry and cut, which makes a big deck frame much quicker to build.

Joist spacing for an Ecowood deck

For a residential timber deck, space Ecowood joists at a maximum of 400 mm centres, measured centre to centre. For heavier loads, close them up to 300 mm centres or less, and give the frame a slight fall so water drains off.

Ecowood vs other timber joists

For a stronger softwood with deeper heavy sections, see Douglas Fir joists. MicroShades joists arrive factory treated and finished. For a hardwood frame, hardwood joists are planed all over and oak joists are heavy sawn European oak.

Fixing and protecting Ecowood joists

Build the frame so water drains away from the timber:

• Seal every cut and notch with end grain preservative before fitting.
• Use stainless steel A2 or A4 fixings and hangers outdoors. See our timber connectors and timber screws.
• Pre drill near the ends to stop the timber splitting.

Where the frame is on show, Ecowood weathers to silver grey if left bare, so most customers oil exposed joists along with the deck using a UV protective oil from our exterior wood oils.

See every species in our timber joists range.