What Caused This Wood Deck Failure?

[EddieWalker]

Are these stairs meant to be there for the long term, or are they just something quick to get by until you build what you want permanently?

 

[Runner]

Are these stairs meant to be there for the long term, or are they just something quick to get by until you build what you want permanently?

Welllllllll, the stairs were salvaged from the old deck and still in fairly decent shape and the other lumber is a mis-mash of "new old stock" treated lumber from the woodshed, salvaged wood from the old deck and some new (4x4 posts and maybe the 2x6 top rail if I can't find enough treated stuff laying around to do the job...).

So, I guess the answer is, it will last as long as it will last. This will be a little experiment to see how much more use I can get out of the pieces that aren't quite rotten yet.

This thing is so simple and easy to build that I'm not going to worry about how long it lasts. If I have to rip it out and rebuild it in a couple of years, I won't feel bad because I can do it in a day and I won't cost much.

Maybe the real answer is that I'm not 100% sure exactly what I want there, but I think this is it. We will use this for awhile and see if it works. Again, if it turns out to not be what I want permanently, I'm not out anything except an afternoon's work building it.

Honestly, after what I just went through with that deck, I'm not taking any of this too seriously at this point.....

 

[EddieWalker]

That makes sense. Are you going to add any metal brackets to hold it together and support your joists on the posts? Screws and nails will hold it in place for awhile, but they are not strong enough for long term.

 

[Runner]

That makes sense. Are you going to add any metal brackets to hold it together and support your joists on the posts? Screws and nails will hold it in place for awhile, but they are not strong enough for long term.

I thought about it. I salvaged a bunch of the brackets off the deck to re-use, but not sure if this thing will last long enough to be worth the effort.
I might just put one in each corner of the landing to stiffen it up a little...

Just for fun, I treated the tops of everything with some of that Woodlife Copper Coat by Rustoleum (made for treating cut-ends of treated wood etc.). Not sure if it will help, but might make the stuff last a little longer. Boy, does it stink..... I can smell it while sitting on the front porch...

 

[ponytug]

I thought about it. I salvaged a bunch of the brackets off the deck to re-use, but not sure if this thing will last long enough to be worth the effort.
I might just put one in each corner of the landing to stiffen it up a little...

Just for fun, I treated the tops of everything with some of that Woodlife Copper Coat by Rustoleum (made for treating cut-ends of treated wood etc.). Not sure if it will help, but might make the stuff last a little longer. Boy, does it stink..... I can smell it while sitting on the front porch...

I like the "try it and see attitude" toward what you want for stairs. I think that's very sensible.

Plates will help a lot by keeping the wood from flexing and wallowing out the fastener holes and rotting.

The copper naphthenate stinks, but it really helps cut down rot. In a year or two, I would recoat with a wood sealer.

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

Depending on the dimensions of the stones you have on your property, it might be possible to make a landing/stairs with some of them instead of using wood?

If you have some more of those cut stones laying around unused on your property, it might be able to incorporate them into your design for other purposes.

 

[Runner]

Depending on the dimensions of the stones you have on your property, it might be possible to make a landing/stairs with some of them instead of using wood?

If you have some more of those cut stones laying around unused on your property, it might be able to incorporate them into your design for other purposes.

Honestly, I'm not crazy about using stone for walking surfaces. It looks good, but they are uneven and hard to clean snow off of in winter. The rock walkway was installed by a previous owner. If it were my choice, I'd rather have concrete.

However, I am a big fan of using them for landscaping and will for sure be doing more of that. I am seriously considering making a fire ring out of some of the large stones.

I am currently trying to figure out how to handle a big (like 10" or so) step down from the patio to the stone walkway. I don't want to use another stone for the reasons mentioned earlier. What I want to do is pour a concrete step on top of the stones that are sitting there now, but not sure if this will work, i.e., frost heave, etc.

I am thinking about just forming up about a 12" deep step there, about 6" rise and maybe 3 feet wide right on top of the two stones adjoining the patio. The stones don't seem to have moved any in the 18 years we've been here, so I'm thinking that it would be OK as long as I put a bond breaker between the step and the patio...

 

[Runner]

One good thing about building with used deck lumber, it's pre-stained. Got the floor of the landing installed yesterday.

 

[Runner]

New stair finished.

Hopefully, this will last a while. Stair will probably need to be replaced first, but that should be fairly easy - just six screws to remove the old one as a unit, build new unit in shop and six screws to replace.....

 

[NoTrespassing]

Hi,
This is about a wood deck in our new home. Moved here last year and the deck was in a very poor condition after the winter, it got ignored by us over the winter amid the chaos of moving, but quite sure that previous owners also had not been looking after it very well. Its like 4-5 years old, so there was not much/any damage, it was just coated with dirt and slippery with algae/mildew in lots of places.

A month back I cleaned thoroughly and oiled and it looks much improved, no more slippery and I could see the wood. It has been re-oiled. But I have noticed that water pools in the middle on many of the boards. May be it was not installed correctly or it has bowed in the middle following the contour of the garden? In summers pooled water dries quite fast but in winter its there for a long time.

Can I drill few holes, 1-2 in each groove where water collects? I will treat the hole with the decking oil I used on the surface, can do 4-5 coats. Think that should prevent the rot to start from the holes. But I am concerned that it might affect the strength of the board? Attaching a picture of the problem.

If it was mine, I would remove the boards and flip them over where possible. Otherwise I would replace the ones that are cupped badly.

If the cupping isn't too bad you might try sanding if the fasteners are well sunk and then restain.

Just my unprofessional opinion.