Deck board assembly and components thereof, and methods of manufacturing and using the same

Abstract

Aspects of a composite deck board assembly are disclosed including: (i) a plurality of deck board panels each including an extruded or pultruded panel body and a chemically bonded use surface, the extruded or pultruded panel body including an internal screw boss and defining a side including an overhang and an opposite side including a ledge; (ii) a finishing feature; and (iii) a plurality of mechanical fasteners including mechanical fasteners for use with the ledge and mechanical fasteners for use with the finishing feature, for assembling the deck board, wherein the overhang is configured to engage with an adjacent deck board panel of the deck board, wherein the finishing feature is configured to engage with the overhang, and wherein the finishing feature is configured to straddle at least the first deck board panel and the second deck board panel of the deck board.

Therefore, the following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A deck board assembly for assembling a deck board, comprising:
 (i) a plurality of deck board panels comprising a first deck board panel and a second deck board panel, the first deck board panel and the second deck board panel each comprising an extruded or pultruded panel body and a chemically bonded use surface, the extruded or pultruded panel body comprising an internal screw boss and defining a side comprising an overhang and an opposite side comprising a ledge;   (ii) a finishing feature; and   (iii) a plurality of mechanical fasteners comprising mechanical fasteners for use with the ledge and mechanical fasteners for use with the finishing feature, for assembling the deck board,   wherein the overhang is configured to engage with an adjacent deck board panel of the deck board,   wherein the finishing feature is configured to engage with the overhang, and   wherein the finishing feature is configured to straddle at least the first deck board panel and the second deck board panel of the deck board.   
     
     
         2 . The deck board assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of deck board panels is modular. 
     
     
         3 . The deck board assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the extruded or pultruded panel body further comprises an internal reinforcement. 
     
     
         4 . The deck board assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the chemically bonded use surface is processed or finished as imitation lineal deck boards or lineal slats. 
     
     
         5 . The deck board assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the finishing feature is a rounded edge panel. 
     
     
         6 . The deck board assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the rounded edge panel is configured to meet with the use surface of the first deck board panel and the second deck board panel of the deck board. 
     
     
         7 . The deck board assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the deck board assembly further comprises a plug for an aperture through the finishing feature. 
     
     
         8 . A deck board, comprising:
 (i) a frame; and   (ii) a deck board assembly, the deck board assembly comprising
 (a) a plurality of modular deck board panels each comprising an extruded or pultruded panel body and a chemically bonded use surface, the extruded or pultruded panel body comprising an internal screw boss and defining a side comprising an overhang configured to engage with an adjacent deck board panel, and an opposite side comprising a ledge; 
 (b) a finishing feature; and 
 (c) a plurality of mechanical fasteners comprising:
 (i) a mechanical fastener fastening at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels, via the ledge, to the frame; and 
 (ii) a mechanical fastener fastening the finishing feature, via the internal screw boss, to the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels, 
 
   wherein the finishing feature is positioned along the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels.   
     
     
         9 . The deck board of  claim 8 , wherein the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels further comprises an internal reinforcement. 
     
     
         10 . The deck board of  claim 8 , wherein the chemically bonded use surface is processed or finished as imitation lineal deck boards or lineal slats. 
     
     
         11 . The deck board of  claim 8 , wherein the finishing feature is a rounded edge panel. 
     
     
         12 . The deck board of  claim 11 , wherein the rounded edge panel is configured to meet with the use surface of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels. 
     
     
         13 . The deck board of  claim 8 , wherein the finishing feature is configured to engage with the overhang feature, and wherein the finishing feature is positioned along the overhang feature of the extruded or pultruded panel body of the least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels. 
     
     
         14 . The deck board of  claim 8 , wherein the deck board assembly further comprises a plug for an aperture through the finishing feature. 
     
     
         15 . A method of assembling a deck board, comprising:
 (i) providing a frame;   (ii) providing a deck board assembly, the deck board assembly comprising
 (a) a plurality of modular deck board panels each comprising an extruded or pultruded panel body and a chemically bonded use surface, the extruded or pultruded panel body comprising an internal screw boss and defining a side comprising an overhang configured to engage with an adjacent deck board panel, and an opposite side comprising a ledge; 
 (b) a finishing feature; and 
 (c) a plurality of mechanical fasteners for assembling the deck board; 
   (iii) fastening at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels, via the ledge, to the frame with a mechanical fastener of the plurality of mechanical fasteners;   (iv) positioning the finishing feature along the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels; and   (v) fastening the finishing feature, via the internal screw boss, to the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels with another mechanical fastener of the plurality of mechanical fasteners.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the extruded or pultruded panel body of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels further comprises an internal reinforcement. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the finishing feature is a rounded edge panel. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the rounded edge panel is configured to meet with the use surface of at least one of the plurality of modular deck board panels. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein positioning the finishing feature along the extruded or pultruded panel body further comprises positioning the finishing feature along the overhang feature of the extruded or pultruded panel body. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising plugging an aperture through the finishing feature with a plug component of the deck board assembly.