Help: Deck Repair

[Sabb]

So lately I've been working on a lot of projects and currently I'm working on replacing old deck boards that rotted over last winter (which was really harsh on the wood kept getting cold and warm then cold again etc). It's going smoothly but I wanted to know if anyone's done this before and if they've got any advice with finishing a deck as I'll have to refinish the entire thing as well, though I might wait until after winter. Currently on the deck there's some less than pleasing 'finish' (which I'm convinced is more of a crappy paint) which imo defeats the purpose of having a cedar deck entirely. So I'm wondering if anyone's been in this situation and has some finish or something to recommend for a cedar deck that would maybe maintain its natural look a bit more. I'm probably going to do more looking into this on my own and with my shop teacher but I figured I might as well ask here just in case.

Unfortunately if I decide to go with something that doesn't just totally cover up the wood, I'll have to remove a lot of the boards again since my grandpa was convinced that the deck was made of what he calls 'plank' and in reality is pressure treat and replaced some boards a long time ago with pt and not cedar, and while I was at the lumber yard he convinced me that I was wrong and it wasn't cedar and convinced me I needed pt. After bringing it home and realizing I was right I still just threw the pt boards on the deck since it is cheaper any ways and will only be noticeable if I find a different natural finish to go to. So ya, if anyone's got any tips or could recommend a type of finish that'd be appreciated.

[coolzeldad]

Yeah not sure about cedar in particular but usually process involves rough sanding to even everything, then sanding sealer spray, then light sanding to even out imperfections, and then spray lacquer.

[Sabb]

Yeah not sure about cedar in particular but usually process involves rough sanding to even everything, then sanding sealer spray, then light sanding to even out imperfections, and then spray lacquer.

Yea... not sure exactly how I'll be doing the sanding just yet though. If I'm going all out I'll probably have to rent a machine or get someone else to do it idk. Previously the deck was just scraped off because the paint was cheap enough and then it was just roughly put back on and never had a good lacquer or clear coat of anything on it as far as I know so... Idk which way I'll approach it yet.

[Cake Faice]

Yea... not sure exactly how I'll be doing the sanding just yet though. If I'm going all out I'll probably have to rent a machine or get someone else to do it idk. Previously the deck was just scraped off because the paint was cheap enough and then it was just roughly put back on and never had a good lacquer or clear coat of anything on it as far as I know so... Idk which way I'll approach it yet.

Well you can find a small orbital sander for around $60 (dunno how much that is in CAD, prolly same price), but once you sand everything down, definitely apply some wood stain like bright cedar to bring out the color in the cedar, along with the lacquer.

[๖Ϝцzsioᴎ]

I misread it as "Duck Repair"

[Sabb]

Well you can find a small orbital sander for around $60 (dunno how much that is in CAD, prolly same price), but once you sand everything down, definitely apply some wood stain like bright cedar to bring out the color in the cedar, along with the lacquer.

A while ago I actually bought a decently expensive Bosch orbital sander that was on sale for like $100 or something but with the size of the deck I'd be literally doing it for probably 24 hours straight in all so idk.

[Xrain]

I have redone decks before. Painting ceder is a sin, If it were me I would just pull up the pressure treated and replace it with ceder, and then use the pressure treated on any support boards that need replacing. But are you sure it is ceder? file off a bit off the end and smell the shavings to make sure it smells correctly. If you don't know what ceder smells like go to the hardware store and smell some its pretty unmistakeable. Replacing deck boards is pretty easy, its easiest if you have a impact driver like this one http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-combo-packs-20v-max-combo-packs-dck286d2.aspx ; it drives 3-4 in. nails like butter. ( I just got that set last week )

As for finishing, painting decks is a pain in the ass, you will have to do it every year or two since the paint will flake up no matter how expensive it is. The best option is deck stain, it stays on the boards much better, and looks much nicer.

You guys are out of your minds if you are wanting to sand a whole deck with an orbital sander, they actually make sanders for sanding decks... Called a floor sander just go rent one from home depot or lows or a local tool rental. You can sand the whole thing standing up and it has a much, much larger sanding surface. Then use an orbital sander for the places you cant reach, and use a belt sander for the railings. You will be much happier in life this way.

If you want to do it correctly, go and get a pressure washer, and use it to blast away the rest of the paint, that way you can get all of the paint between the cracks and such. Then let it dry for a day or so, then use the floor sander, and other sanders to refinish the boards. Once you get a nice and relatively smooth surface (don't go too smooth otherwise it will be like walking on a ice rink when it rains) use a large foam roller to roll the stain on, and then go around with a hand brush to get between all of the boards and any holidays you made with the roller. Remember to do all of the sides of the boards you can at (don't forget about the bottom if you can!), since any exposed areas will just make your decking rot.

It's a lot of work, but once you get it done you will be much happier in the long run since you wont have tons of problems crop up just a few years down the road.

[Sabb]

I have redone decks before. Painting ceder is a sin, If it were me I would just pull up the pressure treated and replace it with ceder, and then use the pressure treated on any support boards that need replacing. But are you sure it is ceder? file off a bit off the end and smell the shavings to make sure it smells correctly. If you don't know what ceder smells like go to the hardware store and smell some its pretty unmistakeable. Replacing deck boards is pretty easy, its easiest if you have a impact driver like this one http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-combo-packs-20v-max-combo-packs-dck286d2.aspx ; it drives 3-4 in. nails like butter. ( I just got that set last week )

As for finishing, painting decks is a pain in the ass, you will have to do it every year or two since the paint will flake up no matter how expensive it is. The best option is deck stain, it stays on the boards much better, and looks much nicer.

You guys are out of your minds if you are wanting to sand a whole deck with an orbital sander, they actually make sanders for sanding decks... Called a floor sander just go rent one from home depot or lows or a local tool rental. You can sand the whole thing standing up and it has a much, much larger sanding surface. Then use an orbital sander for the places you cant reach, and use a belt sander for the railings. You will be much happier in life this way.

If you want to do it correctly, go and get a pressure washer, and use it to blast away the rest of the paint, that way you can get all of the paint between the cracks and such. Then let it dry for a day or so, then use the floor sander, and other sanders to refinish the boards. Once you get a nice and relatively smooth surface (don't go too smooth otherwise it will be like walking on a ice rink when it rains) use a large foam roller to roll the stain on, and then go around with a hand brush to get between all of the boards and any holidays you made with the roller. Remember to do all of the sides of the boards you can at (don't forget about the bottom if you can!), since any exposed areas will just make your decking rot.

It's a lot of work, but once you get it done you will be much happier in the long run since you wont have tons of problems crop up just a few years down the road.

Ya I'm certain the majority of it's cedar, already did all that. Unfortunately I won't be buying any impact drivers or anything since it's not my money being spent on the repair, I'm just doing it for my mom and she's funding what I absolutely need. I'm only laying down about 4 or 5 boards any ways and only have one more to finish today. Nailing goes along quickly. So I probably won't be going all out and renting a floor sander which is what I was referring to earlier unless my mom actually wants it to be all done perfectly. The deck I'm doing is in our backyard any ways and is only visible by us so I don't think she cares if it's a tad rough.

About the stain though, you wouldn't normally stain the boards before putting them on would you? Because there's really no way for it to be stained on the bottom while they're down and I noticed none of the boards I pulled up had any stain on the bottom (from when the deck was originally build). Thanks for the help btw.

[Xrain]

Ya I'm certain the majority of it's cedar, already did all that. Unfortunately I won't be buying any impact drivers or anything since it's not my money being spent on the repair, I'm just doing it for my mom and she's funding what I absolutely need. I'm only laying down about 4 or 5 boards any ways and only have one more to finish today. Nailing goes along quickly. So I probably won't be going all out and renting a floor sander which is what I was referring to earlier unless my mom actually wants it to be all done perfectly. The deck I'm doing is in our backyard any ways and is only visible by us so I don't think she cares if it's a tad rough.

About the stain though, you wouldn't normally stain the boards before putting them on would you? Because there's really no way for it to be stained on the bottom while they're down and I noticed none of the boards I pulled up had any stain on the bottom (from when the deck was originally build). Thanks for the help btw.

It just means that whoever built your deck was lazy when they built it and never bothered to actually prep all of the boards prior to putting them in. I'd recommend screws over nails for decks, since screws are much easier for you to pull back up if you ever need to. Also your deck boards are much less likely to work loose and stub your foot on a nail that is sticking up. You don't need a hammer driver any corded/cordless drill will work. I was just commenting on how awesome that cordless drill set was.

If no one will ever see the deck its up to you on how much work you want to put into it. If that were the case I would just go all pressure treated and then you would never need to paint it. Then use the ceder somewhere else... Like making a sauna or something.

[Sabb]

It just means that whoever built your deck was lazy when they built it and never bothered to actually prep all of the boards prior to putting them in. I'd recommend screws over nails for decks, since screws are much easier for you to pull back up if you ever need to. Also your deck boards are much less likely to work loose and stub your foot on a nail that is sticking up. You don't need a hammer driver any corded/cordless drill will work. I was just commenting on how awesome that cordless drill set was.

If no one will ever see the deck its up to you on how much work you want to put into it. If that were the case I would just go all pressure treated and then you would never need to paint it. Then use the ceder somewhere else... Like making a sauna or something.

True, the nails are definitely sufficient though. Except the boards are a bitch to pry out so I do kind of wish they were screwed in but oh well. There are some minor disadvantages to using screws too however. Seems like an exaggeration but it actually allows the wood to rot a bit quicker where the screw is because the water collects ever so slightly in and around the screw head and over a long period of time causes rot to often start there. At least that's what I've been told by my shop teacher and have seen on the deck as well because there are a few screws in the deck where the boards join. At every single screw the rot was noticeably worse than any other point. Might be for some other reason but I can't think of another. They aren't sunk in too far either, just perfectly flush with the boards.

[Xrain]

True, the nails are definitely sufficient though. Except the boards are a bitch to pry out so I do kind of wish they were screwed in but oh well. There are some minor disadvantages to using screws too however. Seems like an exaggeration but it actually allows the wood to rot a bit quicker where the screw is because the water collects ever so slightly in and around the screw head and over a long period of time causes rot to often start there. At least that's what I've been told by my shop teacher and have seen on the deck as well because there are a few screws in the deck where the boards join. At every single screw the rot was noticeably worse than any other point. Might be for some other reason but I can't think of another. They aren't sunk in too far either, just perfectly flush with the boards.

Eh, I don't think the rot is worse there because of the screws. Most deck boards are slightly domed shaped along the length of them so they shed water better, so perhaps some of the boards were put in upside-down or standard pine was used. I think the screws are a low priority on the scale of rot potential. Nails should technically be worse since they loosen ever so slightly rather quickly, so they trap would make a nice hole for water to enter the board. I think there are many other factors that would come into play in the rotting of your deck far before the use of screws or nails would. Our old deck used screws and lasted for 10 years and I think the environment they were in was probably more wet than what you guys experience. Hehe, if you are really concerned about rot and the screws, predrill all your boards then use a syringe to put stain in every pre drilled hole, then use stainless screws and drive them in. That would solve the problem!  (It will only take about 4 times as long)

So long as you build everything properly and stain the boards well (on all sides so do it before you put them in) you should only need to do touch up maintenance every few years. I feel like the benefits of using screws to attach your deck far outweighs any negative effect they have.

Though if you really want your deck to last just go with aluminum. It will outlive your house.

But all kidding aside, I do recommended staining your decking even if you have pressure treated.

[Sabb]

Eh, I don't think the rot is worse there because of the screws. Most deck boards are slightly domed shaped along the length of them so they shed water better, so perhaps some of the boards were put in upside-down or standard pine was used. I think the screws are a low priority on the scale of rot potential. Nails should technically be worse since they loosen ever so slightly rather quickly, so they trap would make a nice hole for water to enter the board. I think there are many other factors that would come into play in the rotting of your deck far before the use of screws or nails would. Our old deck used screws and lasted for 10 years and I think the environment they were in was probably more wet than what you guys experience. Hehe, if you are really concerned about rot and the screws, predrill all your boards then use a syringe to put stain in every pre drilled hole, then use stainless screws and drive them in. That would solve the problem!  (It will only take about 4 times as long)

So long as you build everything properly and stain the boards well (on all sides so do it before you put them in) you should only need to do touch up maintenance every few years. I feel like the benefits of using screws to attach your deck far outweighs any negative effect they have.

Though if you really want your deck to last just go with aluminum. It will outlive your house.

But all kidding aside, I do recommended staining your decking even if you have pressure treated.

Yea that's all I have left which was planned, just applying some stain or finish. Unfortunately it's too late to stain the bottoms of it though, but oh well.
And actually that's something I found odd about the deck. It's made entirely of 2x6 lumber not 5/4 deck boards. Not sure if that's common or not but it seems unnecessary.

[Xrain]

Yea that's all I have left which was planned, just applying some stain or finish. Unfortunately it's too late to stain the bottoms of it though, but oh well.
And actually that's something I found odd about the deck. It's made entirely of 2x6 lumber not 5/4 deck boards. Not sure if that's common or not but it seems unnecessary.

2x4's and 2x6's are pretty common decking, especially 2x6's. It saves on the floor joists since the stronger 2x6 can span farther distances without needing support. Also 2x6's mean you can use less boards to do your deck.

I think the only decking I would use that is 5/4 would be aluminum or composite perhaps.