How to fix Wood deck rotting?
by
Mavis
+2
Every two years our wood deck has rotten boards & we have to pay someone to repair it. We try to keep it maintained by painting/staining it but nothing seems to help. When you don't know the people you are hiring it makes you wonder are they taking advantage of you. We live on a fixed income & this is becoming a big expense for us.
Sometimes wood decking just gets too old and needs to be replaced. Rather than being charged to come out every year, the thing may be to replace the whole deck at once, then seal the wood.
Replace with pressure wood or composite boards . home depot or lowes
There is a product that looks like like wood, but is actually plastic, or composite material. You will never have to worry about it again. The problem is that it is very expensive. If your deck is small the cost wouldn’t be too high though.
If your deck is rotten, no amount of paint or stain will fix it.
Living on a tight budget is difficult, but if you want your deck to be a functional, you are going to have to replace it at some point. This is a very expensive thing to do, but the rotten wounds will continue to get worse every year, and hiring someone to replace a few boards every year is just a bandaid.
They make decking supplies that do not rot now. Please do not blame your hired help for the fact that your old deck is rotten and weathered.
I work at a hardware store and everyone has to fix their deck every couple of years, sand and stain it every spring, then replace the whole thing after 10 to 15 years. That's why I chose to go with a stone patio when I ripped out the old deck that was behind my house. Stone doesn't rot.
Hope they are using pressure treated lumber for the repairs. Stain or waterseal are a better preventative than paint for wood. Next time I would have them leave the lumber in advance of starting. Waterseal both sides before its installed. Maybe there are termites eating away at your deck? I would examine the damaged wood for clues. Get a free estimate by a pest control Company and show them a sample. Big box hardware has termite spikes you can place in the ground that may help with termites. In my area pest control supply companies will sell to the public the chemicals to treat the area affected if you are comfortable doing it yourself. Hope these ideas are helpful.