is this deck restoratble or completely gone


  #1  
Old 02-21-19, 05:07 AM
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is this deck restoratble or completely gone

Hi Guys, I have a weathered deck, I want to know your view if this can be restored or needs a "redo". The dimension is 13' x 16'.. aprox 210 sqft. What should be the rough cost ?

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Last edited by PJmax; 02-21-19 at 04:23 PM. Reason: imported/resized pics from remote links
  #2  
Old 02-21-19, 05:18 AM
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can't link to your pics, use attachment feature
 
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Old 02-21-19, 05:24 AM
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How to insert pictures.

Any deck can be restored but that doesn't mean it would be worth the effort. We can advise further once we can see the pics.
 
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Old 02-21-19, 09:54 AM
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yeah. tried that.. but it complained image file too big..

so how do I squeeze it down? this is what my phone created...
 
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Old 02-21-19, 10:03 AM
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They need to be resized.

I use Irfanview or you can use Picresize
 
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Old 02-21-19, 10:10 AM
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Ok, I will try that tonight.. we should add this to "upload instructions" page
 
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Old 02-21-19, 04:24 PM
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The board doesn't allow hotlinking to all remote sites.

After looking at your pictures...... you need a rebuild. Those spindles are gone.
What is the condition of the framing underneath ?

Is this something you're planning on doing or having done ?
Get several prices on a rebuild.
 
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Old 02-21-19, 05:15 PM
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thank you for fixing images.

The Frame is solid as far as I can tell.

I showed it to one deck contractor .. asked me over 1.2k (cash) to
1.) Power wash ,
2.) Replace 3 to 4 boards and
3.) Replace two sections (pic #1, and pic#3) railing sections.

no sealing/staining.. ( if i want, another ~1k)

So I am not sure, if I am just doing a patch work or it will actually last for at least 10 years.
 
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Old 02-22-19, 02:49 AM
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A little hard to tell the overall shape without being there but it might be feasible to repair it. How many bad boards do you have?

Cleaning the deck can be a diy job. I normally wet the deck and then spray a bleach solution on with a pump up garden sprayer, let it set and then rinse with a pressure washer [a water hose will also work] Stubborn areas may require a 2nd treatment and/or scrubbing with an old broom.

If you can make decent repairs the deck will look and last better if you apply a coat of solid or semi-solid deck stain once it's dried out from the cleaning process.
 
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Old 02-22-19, 04:54 AM
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Well, I'd skip that deck guy, $1,200 (cash) for a patch job that won't last long is not a good price. A long distance opinion.

There have been some threads here and I have run into a few where the attachment to the house wasn't well flashed and the damage is bad. Can you see the rim where that deck attaches from the inside, if it has moisture damage there is often staining visible?

Next is the framing structure below those boards. It depends upon how long you want this to last. Framing has already been exposed for as long as that deck has been neglected so I wouldn't be surprised if it had problems in a few years. Where the framing attaches to the ledger board is often the vulnerable area.

The rest you are looking at and my concern with the lipstick approach is splinters. PT wood doesn't have a good history and is at best high maintenance. The modern synthetic boards will last longer but cost more.

Bud
 
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Old 02-22-19, 05:20 AM
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I have to agree with Bud's comments for the most part. I suppose the question is how much can you spend and do you intend to stay in this house for a long period of time? Fixing it is like throwing good money after bad. If you can afford it, replace the whole thing. Not so sure about the synthetic vs PT. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The biggest thing is the high price of synthetic.
 
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Old 02-22-19, 05:49 AM
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I agree completely with Bud. All of your pictures are of what I consider cosmetic, meaning that deck boards and railings can be replaced with relative ease, but it's what we're not seeing is where a thorough inspection starts, and there's no gain in nailing new deck boards to an ailing structure. The summer before last a buddy asked me to "stop by" and help his son-in-law and grandson get started on replacing deck boards that looked very much like yours. All they intended to do was make it more aesthetically pleasing. Their situation was a bit different that yours in that it was lower to the ground than what it looks like yours might be, and I could not crawl past the first beam. So anyway, I had them pull up some of the boards so that we could get to at least some of the posts. The first three posts I looked at seemed in good shape near the tops, but at ground level, with no effort whatsoever, I buried my knife all the way into them. At first glance, there was no obvious sagging, but it turned out that every post was rotted at grade, and they ended up with a complete tear out and new decklllllll, so new deck boards would have been a complete waste of time and money.
 
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Old 02-22-19, 08:14 PM
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I will try to get more pics. I think the structure is okay..

I am not in position to rebuilt. it will be too much money that I have to plan for. I wanted an idea of how much I should pay now and plan for later to make it acceptable.
 
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Old 02-23-19, 04:59 AM
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how much I should pay now and plan for later
You have to decide if your going to do it right or just patch up the mess.

If you use the deck and the structure is good, tear off the boards and railings and put down composite material and never deal with it again.

Don't say it's too expensive because if composite was used originally you would not have the expense of the pending repairs!

Cheap can be expensive!
 
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Old 02-23-19, 08:09 AM
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Are you looking for a slow approach to a long term ownership?
You are asking about price to have someone else come in and do the repairs. As always you want several bids and with those bids you gain more information.

But, many of us are DIY, how much can you do?

Bud
 
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Old 02-24-19, 08:35 AM
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To Marq1: If I use composite there is there any maintenance after that? and it will not weather?, it is my mistake to under-estimate the cost before buying this home


To Bud9051: I can do DIY ( I think! ), on week-ends. so I want it to livable for little while , until I plan and come-up with money

also, there is so much misinformation on the internet.. I dont know which one to follow( for e.g how to cut only one board without cutting the adjacent one , what is the right tool? circular saw or jig saw or multi-tool? which products to use first wash? than power wash? then stain or seal? which stain or seal to use? how often do I have to keep doing that? , how far each railing post should be placed? ... unknowns etc.. etc.. all the institution/youtube have different suggestions.. etc.

So I have compile it and plan it.. I guess.
 
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Old 02-24-19, 09:09 AM
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Composite decking has very little maintenance. However, they're are some disadvantages. If scratched or hit and chipped, it cannot be fixed. I have seen many vinyl fences with the tops broken (wood fencing seems to be a bit more forgiving and can take a bit more of a beating). Looks bad! Composite decking can and will fade and deteriorate with UV sunlight. There are preparations to help diminish this. Waxing is one. If a board gets broken it must be replaced. Same with wood but wood can be patched from underneath or replaced at a much lower cost. Of course the biggest drawback is the cost. It can be from 2 to 4 x's as much in cost. Usually composite decking is white. Colors I think cost more.

Don't get me wrong, it has it's place, but wood has a nice warm feeling or rustic look if you want. And maintenance every two to 5 years is not that bad a deal. Another thing, vinyl is forever! I for one, do not like something like deck or furniture (Polywood comes to mind) to last forever. After twenty years I would like a change. But that's just me.

We have a local fence installer nearby. He sells both wood and vinyl. We also have a company called the Vinyl Outlet. They do heavy advertising on TV and radio. Our local fence guy says they are his best advertisement for him. Their cost is by far a lot more than his and wood far outsells vinyl.

If you go vinyl and DIY, you must be sure it's installed right the first time. I'm not sure anybody will sell a DIY package.

As listed from several sites on the internet

Composite decking:

Pros

  • Weather resistant
  • Stain resistant
  • Lightweight
  • Won't splinter or rot
  • Low maintenance
  • Color variety

Cons

  • Some look obviously fake or cheap.
  • Some brands can be slippery.
  • Not resistant to mold and mildew, especially in shade.
  • Eventually shows signs of age and decay.
  • Tend to sag and bend more than wood.

Traditional wood decking:

Pros

  • It's the real deal—authentic; has a natural warmth
  • Smells good
  • Looks natural, because it is
  • Some types of wood—often softwoods—can be among the most inexpensive decking material available

Cons

  • Hardwoods like ipé can be expensive.
  • Unmaintained wood can split, crack and change color.
  • Availability and price are determined by region.
 
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Old 02-24-19, 09:09 AM
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All decks [no matter what material] need to be cleaned every so often.

Not sure I understand about cutting one board and not the one next to it. Normally when you replace a rotten deck board you replace the entire board, just pull it up and buy or cut one to fit in it's place. New wet PT wood is a little wider than dried wood but it will shrink a little as it dries.

It's always a good idea to clean prior to painting/staining. The coating will adhere better to a clean substrate.
 
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Old 02-24-19, 10:04 AM
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but wood has a nice warm feeling or rustic look
I would propose going back to post #1 to assess that warm. rustic look.

The biggest drawback is the cost. It can be from 2 to 4 x's as much in cost
That is a completely misguided quote. I just did a comparison on Lowes web site comparing a premium 5/4 PT board @ $16 to one of their higher end composite board @ $26, that is only a 40% difference, about what I have costed out for decks that I have build, and yes there are a lot of different materials out there so the costs vary!

Remember, the true cost of a deck is not the initial investment but the total cost over the life of the deck.

The only maintenance I have to do on my now 10 year old Timber Tech deck is a good spring cleaning. After that we get to enjoy a perfectly clean, and still new looking deck all year!
 
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Old 04-07-19, 07:34 AM
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Thank you everyone, here is what I could do

after replacing a few boards, deck cleaning, I got these results
 
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Old 04-07-19, 08:26 AM
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Looks pretty good. You could go with a dark stain and sort of blend in some of those dark boards.
 
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Old 04-07-19, 09:31 AM
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Did you use any bleach to clean it? I'd like to see those dark areas clean up better.
 
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Old 04-07-19, 12:38 PM
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If you decide to bleach the wood, do not use chlorine bleach. It will eventually damage the wood. Use an oxygen bleach (Oxy-Clean).
 
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Old 04-07-19, 06:29 PM
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hi I used, Olympic deck cleaner ( it does use bleach )

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Olympic-...A-01/305364046

There are so many cleaning solutions some with bleach and some without it, I read a few articles, and they do say bleach breaks the wood structure, but the other non-bleach ones masses with some other chemical, there was no clear winner on what to use, ppl give half backed advise on articles..

So I thought ppl are using bleach solution for many years, so let's go with it without overthinking. ( may be not the best solution but give time and research, I went with it)

Another reason for me was , in one of the videos they say I could clean and stain on one day.. so that was another plus for me.

also, I did not use the power wash, I just broom cleaned it.

The stain I used is Olympic as well, as it says stain and sealer, but it did not give me darker color i wanted, and stain was pretty thin..

Another thing was this seal/stain only needs 8 hrs before rain..

My Deck is 14' x 16' which is 224 sq. ft. so I bought 1 gal stain (appox 300Sq. ft) , but made a naive mistake and did not account for hand rail .. so in 1 gal, I could only do 75% of hand rail, so project still needs a closure!
 
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Old 04-08-19, 02:18 AM
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If you decide to bleach the wood, do not use chlorine bleach. It will eventually damage the wood. Use an oxygen bleach (Oxy-Clean).
While oxygenated bleach is more environmentally and diy friendly there is nothing wrong with using household bleach. It is important that it is rinsed well and not used too strong. I generally cut it in half with water. It will only damage the wood fibers if it's used too strong or left on the wood too long.
 
 

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