5 Ways to Know if Your Deck Needs Repair or Replacement

If you are a homeowner, building a deck can really enhance your house’s worth. It provides you a place for you to spend time outside, without leaving your home. Decks are just the perfect space for enjoyment and entertainment. You can spend your time out by yourself, drinking your morning coffee or you can invite some friends over for a BBQ.

Although decks are wonderful, they do require some maintenance and investment to keep them pristine and clean. They also last for a long time, but it may happen that you will need to repair certain parts of the deck or replace them.

You can only tell that a deck needs replacement once it is too late. There are already a lot of issues showing up and you will need to get to work. It is crucial to maintain and inspect your deck thoroughly each year so that you can determine its condition and whether it needs work or not. With proper maintenance, you can prolong the life of your deck for years.

But what are the signs which should concern you? When should you repair and when replacing a deck? In this article, we will talk about different ways to know when your deck needs to be fixed.

1. A sinking feeling

If you are walking on your deck and you have a feeling as if it will sink down and you will fall through, there is a problem with the foundation. According to Decksforlife.ca, if you construct your foundation properly, your deck will be more stable and you will not have problems with this in the future.

There are a few choices when it comes to the foundation for your deck. Usually, concrete footings are used. Even though they sound safe and unsusceptible to weather conditions, that isn’t quite accurate. Concrete, just like any other material can crack or even drop. Furthermore, extreme temperatures, both hot and cold could cause problems to the foundation of your deck. Therefore, it is essential to consult with your deck builders what the best solution for your deck is.

2. Visible wood damage

Over time, wood will deteriorate no matter how much money you’ve invested in a deck. However, there are solutions that are better. Still, elements, insects, and just the passage of time may require you to replace the wooden surface of your deck and install new wood.

When you notice cracks in wood, broken boards, or holes from termites or other insects, you should consider replacing the damaged boards. Wood that shifts when you step on it is definitely up for a replacement.

It is important to mention that you should inspect your entire deck if you see rots or cracks in just one spot. You never know where it may have appeared and this one spot may not be an exception but a rule.

3. Wobbly Railings

Keep in mind that your deck needs to be stable. There shouldn’t be anything that is wobbly or rickety. A loose railing is a cause for concern because it can tumble off the sides at any moment. If you have a family and kids are often running on the deck and playing around it, someone even may end up hurt.

You should take care of the railing right away, especially if the deck is elevated from the ground a bit. The railing must be as stable as the rest of the deck and tightly fastened to the deck.

4. Rusty nails and metal connectors

Although wood is the most common material that is used in deck building, there are also nail and metal connectors that keep the entire construction together. Most problems that occur, do so with the wooden surface and railings. What you should also pay attention to are the nails and other metal connectors.

There is a chance that some hardware is missing or eroded and this can cause a huge problem for your deck. Nuts and bolts are keeping the deck together and they can fall under pressure, especially if you find a lot of corrosion. That means that the entire structure isn’t as strong as you might have thought.

Rusty fittings beneath the deck are a hazard and you shouldn’t think of them as irrelevant.

5. Molds and Mildews

Another common problem with decks is mold and mildew. Even though this is a regular occurrence and it mostly annoys people because of the looks, you shouldn’t always think of it as benign. Sure, a bit of greenish mold is just on the surface and it can be cleaned easily, but if you see mushroom-like mods or fungal growths, it is definitely the right time to do something. This indicates that your wood may have deteriorated from the inside and that it needs to be replaced.

Inspect and Maintain Your Deck Regularly

To avoid these repairs and fixes and delay them as much as possible, prolonging your deck’s life, you need to maintain your deck in a proper way. Once a year, you should thoroughly clean your deck. Deck builders usually have maintenance services that can be of use to you, especially since they are equipped with the right tools and knowledge.

Thorough cleaning and inspection will definitely keep you in touch with the condition of your deck and lower the cost of potential repairs and replacement. As we’ve said, decks usually deteriorate slowly, over time, but that doesn’t mean that you should not maintain them. Cleaning the deck, sanding it, watching for damage, and dealing with it right away is crucial for keeping your deck healthy.

Conclusion

We’ve listed 5 potential problems you might experience with your deck, but also stressed the importance of maintenance and what you should do to keep it fresh and healthy. After all, the deck is the place in your yard that you often use and you should keep this clean, just like you would any other room in your home.