Flexible cover for boards of a deck structure

A cover and boards of a wooden deck structure in combination, said boards being made from wood and having a generally rectangular cross-section, said cover comprising an elongated strip having two outer edges that are substantially parallel to one another, said strip being made from flexible material, said strip having two ends with a central portion and two side portions located on either side of said central portion, said side portions being pivotable about said central portion from a first position substantially parallel to said central portion to a second position substantially perpendicular to said central portion, said cover being sized so that said top portion covers a top of one board and said side portions extend downward on either side of said board, when said boards are adjacent to one another to form a supporting surface of said deck structure, said boards being separated by a gap of sufficient size to receive the two side portions of said strip, there being one side portion for each board in each gap between adjacent boards.

A method of installing a cover on boards of a deck, said cover having an elongated strip having two outer edges that are substantially parallel to one another, said strip being made from flexible material, said strip having two ends with a center portion and two side portions located on either side of said central portion, said side portions being integral with said central portion, said side portions being pivotable relative to said central portion from at least a first position that is substantially parallel to said central portion, to a second position that is substantially perpendicular to said central portion, said cover being formed into a roll with one end of said cover substantially at a center of said roll, and another end of said cover being located on a circumference of said roll, said method comprising unrolling a sufficient length of said cover from said roll to completely cover a particular deck board from end to end of said deck board, cutting the strip of said cover to an appropriate length, installing the cover on said deck board by pivoting the side portions downward relative to the central portion and inserting the side portions into the gap on either side of said board with the lower surface of the central portion resting on an upper surface of said board.