UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! The DECK!!!!!!!!!!

[tomo]

](*,) My wife twin sons and I live in Northern California, where it rains all winter and gets to be 115 in the summer, and it is time to replace our deck. We bought our house becuase we love the deck and really want to make it safe for our boys, who are becoming mobile. The wood on the deck is old and one board actually broke. There are also no bars on the rails.

My idea is to take the top boards off and check the under/support boards. If the support boards are Ok I will sure them up a bit and just put on new top boards. Then I will add bars to the railing to keep my boys from falling. Does this sound crazy to anyone? It will save us a lot of Money as the deck is quite large.

[jeffus]

If the joists are good, just re-deck with 5/4 boards. I've seen roofing shingles placed on top of the joists to protect them from the elements. You lay the roofing shingle on the joist and install the decking over that.

You've got lots of options on decking per your budget. Pressure treated pine is probably the cheapest. Cedar is a great solution, but pretty expensive, and Trex (TM) would be invincible..but really pricey.

Good Luck! :D

[keith021773]

Like Jeffus said.. Be sure to double check the joists.. If any of them are rotted or looks like they are in bad shape I would diffently replace the individual ones.. If they are fine it should be no problem at all. Just remember to water proof them after they "dry out".

[SGTDad]

What you describe is done all the time. As long as the structure is sound and you like the layout, then replacing the decking is the way to go.

[Jackson's Dad]

We are in the same boat. The people we bought our house from completely rebuilt it around 15 years ago -- but they kept the crappy rotting 25 year old deck. But turns out that the structure is sound, so hopefulyy this summer we'll rip up the top and get it done right.

Let us know what you do!

[woodchuck]

You mention a lot of rain, there are some composite materials that are quite slick when wet, something to consider during top board material selection.

[tomo]

:D Thanks so much Guys, I really want this deck to be nice and useful, but not break our bank. I was told by my neighbor, who is a retired contractor, that I could use the decent old decking boards to help sure up any bad structural boards. From what I can see the structure is pretty sound, but will have to look closer when the rains stop. I will keep you all posted as I proceed.

thanks again,

tomo

[SGTDad]

Be sure to double-check the area where the deck is bolted to the house. If any of the flashing is damaged you'll want to replace it. Water infiltration into this area is NOT a good thing!

[woodchuck]

I second SGTDad, while you are creating good access, check out the mounting to the house, water, rodent, insect intrusion, this is the time to seal it up good.

[tomo]

:o Thanks guys. I plan on starting in about a week when the rain should be gone for the summer.

[jeffus]

You go boy! :wink: