Laying a hardwood deck with no spacing?

[RichB]

I'm about to re-surface my deck using hardwood (yellow balau) and I am intending to build it with no spaces between the boards. As my wife says, with gaps ladies heels can get trapped between the boards and in any case I think it will look better. Can any see any problems with this?

[944fan]

Yes, it wont drain leaving a massive puddle to rot the boards. When the boards expand in the moisture they will warp and crack as there is no where to go.

You can probably get away with a smaller gap but you do need one.

[roofer]

Timber expands and contract. It may buckle.

[RichB]

Indeed, I had imagined so. So what do you think the spacing is in this image? 2-3mm no more surely?

[Sheepshanks]

The ladies need these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clean-Heels-Stoppers-Sizes...

[Nick Grant]

I laid scaffold boards with no gap and have had no problems.

Untitled by Nick Grant, on Flickr

[227bhp]

RichB said:

Indeed, I had imagined so. So what do you think the spacing is in this image? 2-3mm no more surely?

I wonder what that would look like in March.
If the wood can expand without restraint it's generally ok (like the scaffold planks above) if it's enclosed (like your pic) it will have issues - it will have bust open the mitres of the surround.

You can't go by these pics, you need a pic of it sodden then one with it dry to make judgment.