r/Decks

The previous owner painted this wooden deck with indoor paint, and it is obviously chipping after less than six months. I am deciding between:

\- power washing it and repainting it with actual deck paint (same color)
\- sanding it fully and adding some sort of wood varnish. Would likely rent a sanding machine

I think I would leave the railing red because I don't want to sand those posts and spend too much time getting it to a place I would feel satisfied.

What would you do? Any recommendations?

I thought this world work as an alternative to the nail in L bracket to hold the nut end of the bolts.

Edit 1 - picture 1 is the current status of the deck. Beneath the blue skin there is a black rubber membrane and then plywood over joists. Picture 2 are the dimensions of deck. Picture 3 shows the original deck with wooden rails and pressure treated boards. The area underneath the deck is what I want to water proof. Contractor removed railings and is using the existing joists.

Contractor waterproofed my deck but left the membrane flat — is this fixable without tearing everything out?

So I hired a contractor to resurface my deck and waterproof the space underneath. He stripped everything down to the joists, laid plywood, then covered it with Blueskin membrane and flashing at the ledger. On top of that he built a 2x4 sleeper frame for the composite decking to sit on.

Problem is the membrane is completely flat and level. No slope whatsoever. I only caught it this morning when I put a level on it. From what I’ve read you need ¼” per foot of drop away from the house — so for my 9ft deck that’s 2.25” I’m missing.

The way I see it there are two real options:

1. Pull the sleeper frame and membrane, re-do the plywood with the slope built in, re-membrane over that. Everything drains properly.
2. Scrap the membrane approach entirely and go with an under-deck drainage system (Rain Track etc) between the joists instead — let water fall through freely and catch it below.

Could he remove the sleeper frame, create another plywood membrane 2.5” higher on the ledger side - slope it to the edge and then build another sleeper frame? This would save removing the current plywood membrane layer?

For context the deck is about 9x23ft, elevated about 10ft off the ground, attached to the house on one side.

Has anyone dealt with this? Is option 1 the standard fix or is there something I’m missing that makes the flat membrane acceptable? And is this the kind of thing a contractor should be fixing on his own dime or is this within normal tolerance?

… a long, long time ago. Now it’s gone. I’m not sure why the previous owners did this but I have a big hole in my deck. I dug out the stump and want to patch the hole.

Can I replace these cross support pieces, maybe add one more, rip out the top boards and put down fresh 2x4s in their place? Seems simple enough but I wanted to see what I might be missing. Thank you.

Had a surface level deck built recently, the deck boards aren’t flush with the breaker board and the picture frame border. There is also a large gap in the 45 cut on the border.

The contractor is coming back and overall the deck looks great, am I being too picky?

My buddy sent me these photos. This pour was done like this at the customers request. Figured I’d share.

Don't everyone bid at once. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/30-32-Timpson-St_Ashley_PA_18706_M95662-90192?from=srp_next

Hi! I live in a rental property with a very old deck in the backyard which I spend a lot of time on. it’s basically more of a raised platform one step above the ground so it’s not a hazard to be on. It probably needs to be totally replaced but that’s not going to happen. I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to spiff it up or just prevent it from getting even worse? Im thinking of getting an outdoor rug to put over it but I’m open to all suggestions thanks!

There is a weird substance that seems like it’s possibly growing between many deck boards. Wondering if this is a common mold? The deck is not very old built maybe 3 years ago and stained last spring.

How would you mechanically remove the solid stain from a deck?

Hand sanding, sander(what type) or other tool?

Tried power washing but that wasn’t working.

I didn’t paint/seal the deck. It came with the house.

Thanks.

Husband and I may buy this home. The deck was just built and knowing nothing about decks, I’m curious if anything stands out as a concern that we should raise before closing.

Just purchased a property with this deck. I’m considering sanding/sealing the deck but after further inspection these boards are looking pretty rough. Exactly what should I be replacing? The top boards are definitely weathered but I’m unsure of the frame underneath. I appreciate any thoughts and advice you’ve got to offer!

Thank you.

Hi everyone. Planning to build a covered porch soon. Personal project. What do you think?

The outer posts will continue upward to support a roof. We'll most likely do a tin roof with the other side attached to the hoise. I plan to notch the 6x6 posts for a single 2x10 of the 2ply beam, and thru bolt the beam to the post.

The center posts will be double notched to receive the center drop beam. Joists will be 16' through to the other side, except the outer edges where the posts will continue upward.

Would you further reinforce the half of the beam that isn't resting in the notch of the outer posts? Sister a 2x6 down to the footers? Add an additional ledger board under the beams or use some Simpson Strong-ties?

I'd prefer if the posts went all the way to the roof. But open to suggestions. Thanks!

How safe is this deck that is held by 3 wooden pillars and a chain? One of the pillars came off the square cement but the other 2 are still intact.

Just in general - how is this safe or not safe and why?

I’m a first time homeowner in a new built house. Thank you

I cleaned this 20 year old deck (new to us) with Thompson's WaterSeal Wood Deck Cleaner & Brightener and a pressure washer.

There is still lots of residual stain. It looks like it has been sealed more than once but I don't know with which products.

Though we would like a nice wood finish, I don't really want to go through the stripping and sanding process, so maybe a solid colour would be easier. The goal is to get another season or two before building a new, larger deck.

What product could I apply now to get a nice uniform look or do I need to keep trying to remove the old finish?