Post Base Connections

Posts are essentially held in place by the compressive force or weight of the deck. However, it is recommended to use an additional method of securing the post to its foundation to prevent it from kicking out from being pushed from some outside force. If you are burying your posts, this will be very simple. You must only verify that the posts are.60 RET pressure treated wood that will not rot. Set the mill cut end into the ground on top of the concrete pad and backfill the hole with native soil or gravel to promote drainage. The weight of the deck and the surrounding fill will keep the post in place.

If you are attaching the post to a pier footing above grade you will need to use a post base connector attached to an embedded concrete anchor. Try to orientate the post to land on the center of the footing for aesthetics and to evenly distribute the load. This acts as a mechanical connection to reinforce the post against lateral forces and will allow for an easy replacement if ever necessary. Be sure you fill all of the necessary nail holes with the specified size and type of nails and follow any installation instructions.

If you are building a multilevel stacked deck you can continue the structural posts continuously through the respective deck frames or attach a post directly to the surface of a lower deck frame that has been made solid by blocking using a post base connector.