How-to Deck-Repair

Deck-Repair...step-By-Step!

Deck Tear Out 3 Deck-repair is not complicated...the removal of deck boards can get a little difficult if you don't have the correct tools however. Just follow the steps in this example and you should be well on your way to fixing your own deck. As always, if you have any questions please drop me a note and I'll get back to you ASAP.

This deck wasn't completely rotten but it had been previously painted with outdoor paint (it's a better idea to stain them) and the owner had tried to strip it with a pressure washer. The problem isn't with the pressure washer but the nozzle they used. It was a small nozzle that concentrated the spray and penetrated the wood, gouging it in many places.

Therefore, to do the deck-repair, we had two choices:

Repair deck by sanding it completely and start over with stain or...
Remove and replace all the deck boards.

The deck-repair method we decided on was to remove and replace the boards since we had several that needed to be replace due to rot.

Start your deck-repair project by removing the nails with a nail puller (Use a drill if the deck boards are screwed down). For the first couple boards, it may be easier to remove every nail before trying to pry up the boards. The nail puller shown is a small one I usually use to remove interior trim molding...you may want to get a bigger one of those as well. They have some nice ones available now, just check with your local home supply store.

Once you get a couple boards out of the way, you can use a special Duckbill Deckboard Removal Tool. It's about $60-$70 to purchase but worth it for a big job! If you're going to do deck-repair for a living...I wouldn't live without it. If you're just a do-it-yourselfer, after you're done with the deck repair...just sell it in your local trader newspaper.

Deck-board removal If you can't get one from your local rental store or the job isn't that large, just continue to pull the nails. Oh...a sledge-hammer can come in handy if you have the room!

As a rule, if the deck-board is under some trim or custom fitted around some other feature like a gutter downspout or house trim, I remove all the nails and pull the board out being careful not to damage anything.

Since the removal of the deck boards gave us access to the under-side of the deck, we address a couple drainage problems. A gutter down-spout had come loose from the gutter itself and...

We added a drainage pipe to the end of the gutter to ensure the water runs out into the yard and not pool under the deck...or worse yet, into their crawlspace. We secured the downspout to the gutter above with a couple new sheet metal screws. Like everything for this job we purchased the drain pipe adapter from the home supply store.

Deck-repair boards removed Now we've got the deck boards off...we do an inspection of all the joist for rotted wood. Our joist were in good condition so no further action was needed.

If you noticed some of your joists have water damage (check for discoloration and soft areas) repair and reinforce them. Remove any rotted portions of joist using a hammer and chisel, apply a thick coat of sealer-preservative to the damaged joist, let dry and apply another coat.

While the second coat is drying, cut a piece of pressure treated (same dimensions) lumber to sister next to the existing rotted board. The sister-ed joist should be attached to joist ledger and header joist by toe-nailing with 10d nails. Basically what that means is that the sister-ed joist should be exactly the same size as the rotted one...just slap it up next to the rotted joist and nail it in place. It's going to help carry the load for the rotted board. It may seem like over kill but I'm sure you'd rather be safe than sorry!

Deck-Repair... Installing New Deck Boards

Note: With all the different decking materials...make sure you're using the right deck screws. Each fastener may have different requirements as to whether or not they need to be pre-drilled or can be screwed straight into the wood.

After the first board was positioned...we had to measured and precut each board since the end of the deck was capped with a facing board...in other words the deck boards did not hang over the edge. But once we had them cut, we got into a grove with the installation.

Now, some deck-repair sources may tell you to space boards 1/8 inch apart, since we used basic pressure treated wood I butt them right up next to the other because they are going to shrink...giving us that 1/8 inch gap we're looking for. If you gap them before they shrink...you could have a gap between each board large enough for children to fall through...

Note: Depending on the type of material you're using...you may have to pre-drill every screw hole. Again, check with your supplier to make sure your using the proper technique. For pressure treated wood, I've found that you only need to pre-drill holes that are within a couple inches of the end of the board. The end-grain tends to split when you drive screws too close to the end of the board. Also...you may have to space you boards depending on material. Most of the composite material have fastening systems that put the space in there for you. If you're using something like Redwood you are going to have to space each board yourself...again check with your local supplier for details.

Bending warped boards into place...

You are going to encounter warped deck boards, especially if you didn't hand pick all your boards. Not to worry, here's what you do:

Position one end and screw it into place. Then, using a Bowrench deck tool (if you can get one) straighten the board and screw in as you go. Rockler has the Bowrench for about $65. Just like the Duckbill deck-board removal tool just sell it in your local trader type newspaper after you've completed you job. Since this was a small deck-repair job, and we hand-picked our boards, it wasn't a necessity. If you're job is a large one and you have your decking material delivered...I'd recommend getting one. The time it saves you will be well worth the expense.

Go to the opposite end first since you may get all of the bow out using the leverage of the whole board.

If it's a really stubborn board. you may have to nail a temporary board in place and use a pry-bar to give you leverage where you need it. I've also seen people use a chisel to pound into the joist and pry the boards into place but I don't recommend that because you could compromise the seal of the board letting water in leading to premature rotting of the board.

Custom Fitting the Last Board

Measure from the last deck board to the end facing board. Then go to the opposite end and measure that end the same way. Next...measure for length and unless you have other cutouts...

This is important!

Before you measure for your rip cut...cut the board to length first! This will prevent you from messing up the custom fit...especially if you it wasn't a straight forward rip cut. After you cut to length you should be able to snap a chalk-line and rip a board to fit with a circular saw.

Deck-repair marking last board Here's what the deck-repair looked like when we finished. The deck can't be stained until the boards have weathered a bit. Depending on the wood (this is pressure treated) we will have to wait 30-60 days before it's ready for stain. Check with the lumber company and the stain supplier for how long you should wait before staining. Each manufacturer may be different so just ask the most experience person at the counter what the manufacturer recommends.