Simple Deck Repairs Anyone Can Make - Damaged Decking Boards
If you have a deck that is in desperate need of repair, I
would like to share a few tips with you, to ease your pain and
suffering. Especially if this involves spending a lot of money or doing
the work yourself on the weekends, instead of golfing with your friends.
1. Loose decking boards can be reattached with screws and nails, only
you have the materials underneath that decking boards are still in good
shape. The decking boards sit on top of your deck floor joist framing
and if you can't nail or screw the decking boards properly, because the
deck floor joist framing is damaged, the decking floor joist will need
to be replaced or repaired.
2. Instead of replacing a damaged deck floor joist, you can nail an
additional one next to it and then you should be able to fasten the
decking boards to the new floor joist repair.
3. If you have loose decking boards that are warped or twisted, these
boards might need to be replaced. If you have twisted or warped decking
boards, there is a good chance that you won't be able to re-fasten them
correctly. You can try and if you succeed great, but most of the time,
when a decking board is twisted or warped, there's a good chance that it
will need to be replaced.
4. What about cracks or splits in the decking boards? If the decking
boards are beyond repair, they should be replaced as soon as possible to
prevent any accidents. If the cracks and splits are small enough to fill
in with a wood filler or putty, I would recommend that you do this to
prevent additional damage. Cracks and splits allow moisture and water to
seep into wood decking boards and this could lead to future water damage
repairs.
Most damaged decking boards can be replaced easily. If more than one
third of your decking boards are damaged, you might need to think about
replacing the entire deck. Damaged decking boards creates safety
problems so make sure that you fix them as soon as possible to prevent
anyone from becoming injured.