Rather than rebuild it, resurface an old deck if the structure is sound.
Resurfacing an old deck can be a huge money and time saver. But before you buy new decking for your old deck, check that the deck structure is still safe using the tips below. We never put new decking on an unsafe deck. If the structure is sound, then carefully plan the decking demo using the right tools that get the job done quickly, safely, and efficiently. Check out how we remove old decking and resurface an old deck with new decking below.
What’s in this article?
Should you resurface an old deck or rebuild the deck?
Consider this question carefully. Putting new decking on a deck structure that isn’t sound is not a safe idea for the homeowners. There are plenty of devastating deck collapse videos online that you can check out.
Lots of wood and composite decks that have been in service for decades don’t require re-building at all. Not even close.
They definitely show signs of wear, like rotting deck boards and railings–-”guard rails” is the pro jargon for deck railings–-that were underbuilt and/or are in slow motion collapse.
Fixing these problems doesn’t require a new deck. It’s not cheap, but I treat it as a repair.
Check the Decking and Railing
You don’t need a diploma from the MyFixitUpLife Advanced School of Deck Building to know that deck boards are failing. Your foot goes through. They more closely resemble bark mulch than where you’d want to position a table leg.
99.9 percent of the time the decking is shot, so is the guardrail. Guard posts were often notched back in the day and saddled over the band joist. It’s a cool technique, but there’s a reason the posts posts rot and, worse can, can fail catastrophically.
I’ve never seen a deck resurface where the guard rail wasn’t in equally bad, if not worse, condition.
Do Structural Checks
Deck failures often occur at the ledger. This board should be flashed and bolted. If it’s not, that could be a problem. If there is any separation from the house, that IS a problem.
Posts in ground-contact may appear fine. Dig a few inches down and look for decay. If the post is “punky” or rotted, you’re in New Deck territory.
Look for rust in fasteners, especially in metal hardware. Back when, roofing nails were galvanized and they had some umph and lots of deck builders used them. In the mid 2020s, they’re at the end of their service life.
Getting Started: How To Re-Surface A Deck
Recently, a client asked me to update an older deck. After careful inspection, I determined that the deck structure was safe and sound. The structure actually looked like it had just been installed. The decking just needed to be updated.
So I set about to re-deck it. Here’s how to resurface a deck. There are two phases. Demo to remove old decking and resurface to add new decking.
Step 1. Remove Decking
It aint easy. Of the umpteen decks I’ve re-skinned 75% of the fasteners won’t back out. So I have to blast the wood out.
Remove the decking and railing with my mighty 48-inch PryGuy bar deck dismantler. As with any remodeling demo work, it’s important to take it apart in the reverse order that it was assembled. Then, when I’m left with a bed of screws, I use the Fiskars 36-inch pry bar to grab them.
While smashing can look like fun on a TV makeover show, it’s a mess in real life. And you can create more work than you actually need to do.
Step 2. Remove remaining fasteners.
Remove the old fasteners. On this project, these were ancient, stripped, dirt-packed Phillips head screws, many with the heads corroded off. Side-prying with my Vaughn hammer was key in freeing the embedded threads from the wood fiber.
I also use both tools in unison to do what I call “pry and hold” for connections that will lift a little, but not a lot.
Step 3. Install new decking.
New 5/4 decking and Spax screws of awesomeness hold the great new deck together for its second chapter. For more details on how to install decking, check out our series of articles and videos that detail decking installation and address common issues.
If you’d like more detail into how to deck an old deck, check out the full how to resurface an old deck video.
