Renovate an aging wood patio deck. Welcome to Shebang, your free information site.
Wood Patio Deck Renovation Tips
When the wood deck boards start to split, curl and come loose, it is time to rebuild the deck. It may only be necessary to remove the old deck boards, and replace with new treated wood. For this example the boards were removed and replaced with new treated wood, the ground underneath the deck was cleaned up, the dirt below the joists was undercut one inch, so weed control fabric could be placed, and covered with sand.
Raspberries stocks growing beneath the deck had taken over, raspberry bushes were popping up all over between the deck boards. The damp dirt below, gave off a musty smell, it was time to take action.
The old deck screws had being driven so deeply into the boards, it made it impossible to remove them. The heads of the screws were either stripped, or buried too deep in the wood to get at. Each board had to be pried off individually, with a 6 ft. metal prying bar. A pile of short 2x6 planks were placed between the deck studs and used as a fulcrum point. By placing the pry bar under a single board, and pressing down on the end of the metal bar, the board was popped off one at a time. The screws that ripped through the boards remained in the joists, they were later removed from the studs with a drill, or snapped off with a hammer, and in some cases, removed with vise grip pliers, by hand.
This photo shows the raspberry canes and weeds,
that were growing below the old deck.
The raspberry roots and weeds were dug out,
the dirt cleaned up of anything that had fallen
between the old deck boards over the years.
The dirt was undercut below the joists to enable
pulling the weed control fabric through.
This photo shows the weed control fabric double
criss-crossed in place. Shims were made from
the old treated deck boards and put in place.
The cut ends of the shims were treated
with end cut preservative.
This photo shows the sand that was placed at a depth
of two to three inches. The sand weighs down the weed
control fabric and stops light from getting through,
to prevents plant growth. The sand also added stability
and prevents any damp smelling earth from getting through.
If you do not anticipate completing the deck in one day and do not buy all your material at one time, do the deck in section strips, start from one side of the deck, and do the whole lengths in strips. The deck lumber is somewhat wet from the lumber yard, but eventually drys and shrinks. When working with sections, build in strips, this technique overcomes the problem of working with dry and wet lumber at the same time.
If the material is bought at different times, you will be faced with the problem of dry and wet lumber, wet lumber is wider, and the ends of dry and wet lumber do not meet up properly. It is best to buy all your deck lumber at one time, so it all dries the same.
Deck lumber from the lumberyard is covered with a tarp, the wood has a lot of moisture. When screwed to the deck, the sun will dry the boards in time and cause some shrinkage of the wood. Even when boards are placed tightly together, after drying, they shrink, about an eight of an inch between the boards. This space is good, as it allows for expansion when there is a lot of moisture in the air.
Tip
Pilot drill each screw hole, as old joists are dry and hard. If you do not use a pilot hole, deck screws can shear off in the hardened wood.
Countersink each pilot hole in the deck boards, so the deck screw heads will be below the surface, this prevents socks and bare feet from catching, but still be visible for removal when needed.
Treat all lumber cuts with end cut preservative solution.
Wait a year to allow the wood to season before power washing, and sealing with a wood sealer.
