What's it cost to rehab a deck?

[The Inflicted]

Does anyone have any experience with mixing wood and composite boards?
My new house has a frightfully large wrap-around deck and I'm soon going to have to be making repairs to it. I don't like the idea of replacing a board and then having to replace it again, so the tentative plan is to go composite whenever something needs replacing. Are there any caveats to this approach?

[Mr. Hick]

Take into consideration that regardless of what BS lumber salesman or manufacturers spit at you a composite deck is by no-means a lifetime replacement. All things made from petroleum degrade under UV light. I rehabbed several decks that had "lifetime composite" decking that were 10 years old and completely failing. If you have a wood deck, just replace the rot with wood.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The composite replaces the 5/4 decking and railing system. The structure is usually made from pressure treated the same as any other deck. The composite boards are super flexible and not that good for anything structural from what I have seen. Unless there is something new they came out with. I don’t think the composite is worth the extra expense IMO from what I have seen. The newer stuff is supposed to be better crack less. But I’m not impressed with the ones I have seen done over time. + it’s like standing on a skillet in the summer time. My father in laws deck we built with trex he had to put a rug on it to use it and the deck cooked the rug to in one season just from heat. You can’t even get out of the pool and walk on it with wet feet.

[cellophane]

In light of the screws all being broken or cut I am not sure what manner of issue that is going to leave for new deck boards.

If needed you can add a sister to the existing framing so you have a good fastening surface. You can go full-length & bear on the girder using a Simpson joist hanger or cover the area that is a mess and add 2-3 feet on both ends for support. This is also a good way to deal with minor structural issues such as rot or cracking, although if you are tearing up the entire deck floor you might as well replace anything that is bad.

[Chuck E Ducky]

My project started the same way. I planned on replacing a few joists and resurfacing the deck with new rails and steps. Re using the existing framing. But when I pulled it all apart it made more sense to just replace it all. In the end I super happy with the results and I’m glad I addressed it when I did. It wasn’t safe at all, and way worse then I had initially thought. The spongy part of the deck had been rigged together with Sheetrock screws and a sister board to address major rot issues. After I started pulling the deck up it was apparent how dangerous it really was so I pulled it all out and replaced it all.

[flyweightnate]

Something else that has come to mind...
If you go wood, prime or stain the boards first, all six sides. Touch up the end grain as you cut.

Priming just the top makes the board accept moisture unevenly, and in extreme cases, the transfer of vapor through the board can blow the finish off the top. It's much more common with wood siding (4 sides of a box) than with decking, but the same principle applies.

Priming or sealing deck boards is good work for unskilled buddies who still like to drink your beer. Just set up some racks to hold it all as it dries.

[Mr. Hick]

Something else that has come to mind...
If you go wood, prime or stain the boards first, all six sides. Touch up the end grain as you cut.

Priming just the top makes the board accept moisture unevenly, and in extreme cases, the transfer of vapor through the board can blow the finish off the top. It's much more common with wood siding (4 sides of a box) than with decking, but the same principle applies.

Priming or sealing deck boards is good work for unskilled buddies who still like to drink your beer. Just set up some racks to hold it all as it dries.

if You're about to have a meeting with a Carpenter that worked all day, be leery if he doesn't have paint on his clothes. Priming end cuts is the only way exterior wood products should be applied. it has a SIGNIFICANT effect on the longevity of the product.