Wooden deck maintenance? :New Question - old screws?:

[Jawo]

The wood looks rather bad from not staining it at least biannually. I have powerwashed many decks is various states ( 2400 PSI Karcher) and it does eat up the softer parts of the wood badly. I have not seen the bleach method work well.

I would try the idea of sanding the deck down and going from there; the powerwasher may be overly aggressive.

 

[bctbct]

You want 2X6X16 board

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: djheater

Originally posted by: blurredvision
After seeing the pics, I like the old weathered look to it. Is it really in such bad shape that boards are creaking/moving around? With that said, don't let anyone walk barefoot on the thing.

My kids refuse to wear shoes in the yard, and splinters are a weekly occurance... :roll:

I'm tryiing to find out how much it will cost to replace boards and Lowe's has some online prices but the sizes they list don't match up to my measurement... is this a case of the spoken measurement not matching up to the actual size?

I measured the boards at 1.5"x5.5"x16' what size board should I be loonking for?

and bctbct I'm hoping that while it will be noticeable it won't be ridiculous if I
a)replace the boards
b)power wash which should take some of the brightness out of the newest boards?
c) stain a a touch dark.

I'm going for "passable without close inspection".

You're looking for 2x6 material. Don't replace half the decking unless the framing is in near perfect condition, thats throwing good money after bad.
Replace ONLY the boards that are at risk of breaking when you walk on them, the others just need some screws. (I like Fast Tap Plus screws). Don't bother washing, use a floor sander on it, I'd start with 80 grit, then 100.
For finish I like SuperDeck http://www.superdeck.com/ READ THE LABLE ABOUT DISPOSAL OF RAGS SOAKED WITH SUPERDECK. If you don't your house will BURN DOWN.

Btw, I'm a contractor, and have used this method a few times with very good results.

 

[Pikachu]

Blast it with walnut shells till it's as smooth as driftwood. Slop some polyuritahane on it and be done with it for a few years. I wouldn't put more than a few hours effort into that mess. Tearing it up and replacing it with sand or gravel would be an upgrade.

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
Blast it with walnut shells till it's as smooth as driftwood. Slop some polyuritahane on it and be done with it for a few years. I wouldn't put more than a few hours effort into that mess. Tearing it up and replacing it with sand or gravel would be an upgrade.

that seems kind of arts and crafts, btw poly wont survive well in the sun.

 

[Pikachu]

He's ripping it up in a couple years. Use spar varnish, tongue oil, mineral oil... whatever's quick & cheap.

 

[ski2slow]

Originally posted by: djheater

I measured the boards at 1.5"x5.5"x16' what size board should I be loonking for?

Most wood board dimensions are about 0.5" smaller than the stated dimension. Based on the size you indicated, you should look for 2" x 6" x 16' boards for decking.

Good luck! :beer:

 

[chusteczka]

• Pound in any loose nails and add nails where needed.
• Powerwash.
• Let dry a week or two.
• Sand horizontal surfaces.
• Brush on an oil based stain, preferably TWP.

Your deck does not look bad and I do not recommend replacing any wood. New wood requires a rotation of the seasons before it can be preserved.

Originally posted by: Greenman
You're looking for 2x6 material. Don't replace half the decking unless the framing is in near perfect condition, thats throwing good money after bad.
Replace ONLY the boards that are at risk of breaking when you walk on them, the others just need some screws. (I like Fast Tap Plus screws). Don't bother washing, use a floor sander on it, I'd start with 80 grit, then 100.
For finish I like SuperDeck http://www.superdeck.com/ READ THE LABLE ABOUT DISPOSAL OF RAGS SOAKED WITH SUPERDECK. If you don't your house will BURN DOWN.

Btw, I'm a contractor, and have used this method a few times with very good results.

This is some good advice. Power washing is typically used to remove previous paint and oil. It does not look like there is any paint or oil on your deck. You may be able to skip the cleaning part. I only have experience with TWP, so cannot comment on SuperDeck.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
I'll never understand how this deck fad ever took off. It costs a lot using lumber that's supposed to last forever, yet has to be "maintained".

Screw that. What ever happened to good, old fashioned patios? Nothing to maintain, lasts forever and looks great!

Because in climates like Chicago's, you either pay a relative fortune, or they won't last forever. They'll be heaving and cracking after the first year's winter, and will degrade quickly if not maintained. Wood decks are rather immune to the effects from the ground freezing.


For what it's worth, I also recommend the sanding method. It'll take a little bit of prep work before sanding to make sure the screw heads (or nail heads) are deep enough to not rip up the sandpaper. When replacing screws, the quality of the screws will matter - some of the cheaper screws seem more prone to shearing off - allowing the wood to bow up for bad lumber. pics.bbzzdd seems to be down at the moment or something, so I can't directly comment on your particular deck.

 

[Pikachu]

I wouldn't put it on a concrete base, or have mortar in the joints. Just a simple, Loose-Laid Brick, Paver, Flagstone, or even Flagstone Paver installation will be immune to heaving & cracking.

 

[Lvis]

You'll be happier with the results if you use a solid latex deck stain. Its quite thick, and will fill some off the smaller cracks.

You can use an oil based stain as a primer if you like, this will keep knots from bleeding. But finish it with latex. It will look a lot better.

Just be sure its made for decks, otherwise it might not hold up to the foot traffic.

 

[funboy6942]

wouldnt presure washing and taking the boards off and coating with poly urathane work out then replacing the boards right now?

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: bctbct
My parents did 11K worth of damage to a 10K deck using a pressure washer. Be careful how much pressure you use because it will eat the wood.

Use a deck cleaner, let it set and then pressure wash. I was not kidding about my parents. :frown:

they'll have to take you out of the will for not teaching them better!

 

[Bryophyte]

Any ugly but solid boards, or boards that are cupped the wrong way and accumulate water, might be just fine if flipped over instead of replaced with new boards. We have a deck like yours, just pressure treated lumber that the previous owner didn't maintain properly, and it looks pretty good after a good cleaning and treating (we use a good quality sealer with a 'cedar' stain in it.) Sometimes we use deck wash and a push broom to scrub it, once in awhile a pressure washer. Whole thing shouldn't cost more than a hundred bucks.

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: bctbct
My parents did 11K worth of damage to a 10K deck using a pressure washer. Be careful how much pressure you use because it will eat the wood.

Use a deck cleaner, let it set and then pressure wash. I was not kidding about my parents. :frown:

they'll have to take you out of the will for not teaching them better!

nah, Im good, my bro has issues so I will get my full share and half his

 

[djheater]

New Question ::bump::

Any advice on removing deck screws from the old boards? I spent about a 1/2 hour on one 8' board last night and it was a miserable experience. I could only remove one screw intact.
They're phillips and extremely rusted. The heads are rusted and strip easily, the shafts are fragile and break and in some cases the wood fibers have covered the head.

On the last few, I took a screwdriver and hammer and tried to clear out the debris from the head and give myself a little purchase which worked but the whole thing just sucks.

I see that there are some damaged screw extractors on amazon and elsewhere... anybody use these with success?

Thanks!

 

[iamwiz82]

You are using a cordless drill/screwdriver, right? I could not imagine using a manual screwdriver on my deck :shocked: If they snap, no problem, just move the screw over slightly on the new plank.

 

[Number1]

Originally posted by: djheater
New Question ::bump::

Any advice on removing deck screws from the old boards? I spent about a 1/2 hour on one 8' board last night and it was a miserable experience. I could only remove one screw intact.
They're phillips and extremely rusted. The heads are rusted and strip easily, the shafts are fragile and break and in some cases the wood fibers have covered the head.

On the last few, I took a screwdriver and hammer and tried to clear out the debris from the head and give myself a little purchase which worked but the whole thing just sucks.

I see that there are some damaged screw extractors on amazon and elsewhere... anybody use these with success?

Thanks!

Get youself a crow bar and rip the bad boards out. Then cut the remaining rusted out screws with a grinder cutting wheel. Replace bad boards and use decking screws. Have beer.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
You are using a cordless drill/screwdriver, right? I could not imagine using a manual screwdriver on my deck :shocked: If they snap, no problem, just move the screw over slightly on the new plank.

Yeah, a cordless 18v Bosch. On a couple I hit them with hammer mode and that freed them up pretty well.

I'm wondering if I should just drill the heads off of all...

 

[Homerboy]

I just recoverd my deck this summer.
Long story short, the deck was built just prior to us moving it. It went through a harsh Wisconsin fall, winter and spring never being sealed or treated in any way shape or form... regardless, it was pretty rough (cedar plank).

Finally this year (mainly due to the fact I had to pull the deck fram off the foundation so it could be lifted and moved so foundation work could be done around the house), I made it my mission to save my deck. I went out and bought a pwoer washer (EVERY HOME OWNER SHOULD HAVE ONE!!!!!) and washed the entire deck perfectly. Then from there I went and bought some actual deck cleaner solvent... simply AMAZING. I had power washed in the past, but never used a cleaner. That cleaner is a harsh chemical no dobut, but environment be damned, that crap stripped that wood down to clear, beautiful cedar. From there it was just a matter of tearing out a few dead boards, and boards cracked in the move process laying on some nice stain/sealant and I now have a lovely deck.

Moral of the story: Deck Cleaner ROCKS>

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: Number1

Originally posted by: djheater
New Question ::bump::

Any advice on removing deck screws from the old boards? I spent about a 1/2 hour on one 8' board last night and it was a miserable experience. I could only remove one screw intact.
They're phillips and extremely rusted. The heads are rusted and strip easily, the shafts are fragile and break and in some cases the wood fibers have covered the head.

On the last few, I took a screwdriver and hammer and tried to clear out the debris from the head and give myself a little purchase which worked but the whole thing just sucks.

I see that there are some damaged screw extractors on amazon and elsewhere... anybody use these with success?

Thanks!

Get youself a crow bar and rip the bad boards out. Then cut the remaining rusted out screws with a grinder cutting wheel. Replace bad boards and use decking screws. Have beer.

perfect! I would only add that smacking them with a hammer sideways in the same direction with the support board will usually snap them right off. More time for :beer:

 

[squirrel dog]

a lot of those boards just need to be flipped over .

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: squirrel dog
a lot of those boards just need to be flipped over .

That's what I'll be doing if I can ever get the boards off..
I don't think I'll sand.
I've got a good cleaner\brightener (restore-a-deck)
I'll replace the really bad boards and flip the rest
I've also got a penetrating parrafinic sealer that gets good reviews.

Just bought This craftsman tool Hopefully I'll have good luck with it.

I'm at about $275 before buying wood.

 

[JinLien]

Commonly chainsaw, circular saw, or reciprocating saw are use to cut up old wood. Crow/pry bars & heavy framing hammers (28-32 ounce) tend to be the tools for breaking/and pulling things apart.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: djheater

Just bought This craftsman tool Hopefully I'll have good luck with it.

Well, it's a good but slow tool for the small percentage of screws that aren't so thoroughly rusted that the head snaps off no matter how careful I am with the drill...

Current method of attack is to pull the board up off the screw shafts and then use pliersto bend the shaft back and forth till it snaps off at the joist.

Now I'm looking for the quickest way to cut through the screw shafts...

Anybody think my cordless Dremel with the fiberglass cutoff wheels will do it? There's going to be a ton of these....