A cleat is usually a timber block, batten, small board or piece of sheet material used to join parts of a construction, to support them, to clamp them or to stop them shifting. The Dutch word klamp comes from klemmen, to clamp or grip. Besides timber, cleats are also made in stainless steel, iron, lead and bronze.
A cleat is therefore not one prescribed component but a general name for small helper pieces with a clear job to do.
Four typical jobs
- Joining — a cleat across two or more boards holds them together: the classic solution in a batten door or a hatch
- Supporting — a block fixed to a beam or wall acts as a bearer for a board, shelf, rail or stair string
- Clamping — a cleat fixed temporarily holds a part in position while it is assembled or while glue cures
- Restraining — a small block that stops a beam, stair or ladder from moving
In practice
- Batten door — vertical boards are joined by two or three horizontal cleats, often with a diagonal brace between them to stop the door dropping. With external timber, fix the cleats so the boards can still move: do not screw every board rigidly, so shrinkage and swelling remain possible
- Shelf bearers — a cleat under a shelf carries more than brackets screwed only into the side panel, provided it is fixed into timber or with proper plugs in masonry
- Laying floorboards — cleats are used to press the boards up tight against each other
- On scaffolds and in lifting work — here the rule is to use only what is certified for the purpose; an improvised timber cleat has no place in a loaded temporary structure
Points to watch
- Screw the right way round — screw through the cleat into the supporting member, not the other way about, and keep enough distance from the end grain to avoid splitting
- Pre-drill in hardwood and thin sections — otherwise the timber splits along the grain
- Corrosion-resistant outdoors — use stainless or hot-dip galvanised screws; plain steel leaves rust runs and attacks the timber
- Grain direction — a cleat across the grain of a board restricts the timber’s movement; leave clearance, or fix one point tight and the rest with play
Related terms
- Rope cleat
- Timber joints
- Joists
- Beam
- Brick-on-edge facing course
- Screw
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