Deck Pattern Ideas: There’s Not Just One

Straight Lines

This is the most common deck pattern in use today, mostly because it’s easy to execute and it keeps costs down. With this pattern, the boards/planks extend in straight lines from one side of the deck to the other. The overall effect is clean and minimalist and doesn’t call attention to itself.

Pros:

• Adds a sense of rigidity and strength
• Keeps the eye moving across the surface
• Adds an element of visual surprise
• Can be mixed with areas of straight lines to create a compelling hybrid pattern

Cons:

• It’s going to cost more than straight lines
• It will generate more waste material
• You may need to buttress the deck framing

This pattern is produced by installing deck boards at a 45-degree angle to the frame of the deck. The diagonal lines create a much more active pattern than straight lines extending from side to side. Something about this pattern just looks stronger than horizontal lines too.

Pros:

• Adds a sense of rigidity and strength
• Keeps the eye moving across the surface
• Adds an element of visual surprise
• Can be mixed with areas of straight lines to create a compelling hybrid pattern

Cons:

• It’s going to cost more than straight lines
• It will generate more waste material
• You may need to buttress the deck framing

If you are looking for a nice, clean zigzag pattern for your deck the chevron pattern may be to your liking. The chevron pattern is a series of Vs that extend from one side of the deck to the other. On large decks there will often be regularly spaced points extending across the deck where the diagonals reverse course. The effect is quite compelling.

Pros:

• Sure to get lots of attention
• Sophistication without any muss or fuss
• Can be mixed and matched with other patterns

Cons:

• Increased material and labor costs
• Requires precision cuts
• Generates a significant amount of waste

You’ll see this pattern on high-end custom decks. It has echoes of the chevron pattern in it but the point where the diagonal boards come together is more elaborate, with the planks meeting each other at 90° angles rather than 45° like in the chevron. This produces a pattern of high aesthetic value.

Pros:

• Will really make your deck stand aside from others
• Can elevate the look of your entire house
• Very structurally strong
• Great if you like impressing your guests (and who doesn’t?)

Cons:

• Generates quite a bit of waste
• Substantially more expensive than a plain horizontal pattern

Note: You’ll need a highly competent deck company to install it like Colorado Deck Works

With the picture frame pattern, we take a step back from the complexity of herringbone to embrace something simpler yet still visually interesting. The picture frame pattern is so named because the deck pattern is surrounded by one or two planks that follow the perimeter of the deck. That “frame” is often composed of wood with a different color or grain to make it stand apart from the body of the deck.

Pros:

• No exposed plank ends to get damaged
• Adds visual interest without significantly increasing costs
• Any type of deck pattern can be framed

Cons:

• May need more robust framing for the deck
• Adds a bit of cost and time to the construction schedule

The parquet pattern consists of small-ish squares of straight-line planking, but each square is offset 90° to the ones beside it. The effect is not unlike a checkerboard, just a little busier because each square is not 1 solid board. The squares can be as large or small as you want, though about 18″ is a pretty popular choice.

Pros:

• Thoroughly unexpected
• Visually complex and engaging
• A good choice for large, covered decks
• You can tweak the squares to your heart’s content

Cons:

• Lots of cuts involved and they all need to be right
• Can take quite a long time to install
• May not be a great choice for a wet environment

It’s hard to call this a pattern. It’s more of an anti-pattern. If you want to have a straight-line deck pattern but don’t want it to bore people to tears, using random board widths can create a lot of visual interest. This simple modification to standard horizontal decks can make them feel like expensive custom decks.

Pros:

• A good idea if your home has a rustic design
• Creates a lot of visual interest that’s both compelling and subtle
• Gives a home a timeless look

Cons:

• You’ll need to plan how much of each plank width you want
• Not all decking materials are available in a variety of widths