For questions generally relating to outdoor, semi-elevated, non-enclosed structures such as decks, gazebos, pergolas, etc.
46
votes
9answers
7k views
Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from an engineering/structural standpoint?
Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from a structural standpoint?
For instance: Say you used screws instead of nails on a backyard deck, when the design specifically called for nails. ...
12
votes
1answer
3k views
Which is better for deck flooring: 2x6 or 1x6 deck boards?
My current deck flooring is done with 2x6x10' boards, however they have degraded to the point now where they need to be replaced.
I'm wondering if there are any specific pros or cons for using the ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Does decking board orientation really matter?
I've been told that decking boards should always be installed "bark side up" so that the boards crown (and shed water) as they age rather than cup (and collect water). But then I've also heard that ...
10
votes
3answers
4k views
How do I improve Pergola Stability?
The deck is nearly finished but I have a small structural problem with the pergola. A left or right force near the top of the pergola (such a a tall person leaning on the post) leads to a bit of ...
9
votes
1answer
4k views
How should I clean and repaint a painted wooden deck?
My deck appears to have been painted with just a single layer of paint, which is now peeling off. I like the look of the paint (when it's in better condition, of course), and am uninterested in ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
Should I powerwash and waterseal a pressure treated deck?
Is there any maintenance that I should be doing such as yearly power-washing and water-sealing for a pressure treated deck?
8
votes
1answer
230 views
I need to clean and reseal my dock, most sealers don't mention if they are safe to use over water
I have a wood dock over a lake. It is time to clean and seal the dock. I am planning on pressure washing the dock first, then I am planning to have a clear seal. Looking at products in Lowe's and ...
7
votes
2answers
571 views
What are the proper steps for staining a deck?
My deck just past its 10-year mark and is starting to look quite tired. It's time to restain it. What steps do I need to take to make sure I do everything right, from start to finish?
7
votes
3answers
375 views
How can I frame this multi-level deck?
I'm designing an addition onto my existing deck (the existing deck is not pictured below). The addition will be roughly 20' by 15', and I'm planning on making a portion of it a single step lower. ...
7
votes
1answer
541 views
How long can I wait before staining a new deck?
I just moved into a new (well, old) house. The previous owners put in a deck probably about 1 year ago. It's treated lumber, but they hadn't yet stained it. Winter is approaching quickly here in ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Is toenailing necessary for a joist-to-ledger attachment?
Is it sufficient to rest joists on joist hangers or should you always toenail (drive screws/nails at an angle through the joist). And does the toenail have to drive into the ledger or just hold the ...
6
votes
3answers
4k views
Can I build a deck this low to the ground?
I want to build a deck off the back of my house. The door is near grade level, about 1' above. The grade doesn't have very large slope, so that means that the beam at the far end would be below grade:
...
6
votes
3answers
4k views
Can I use 4x4 posts as the primary support for a deck?
I have an old cedar deck, and most of the decking and vertical support posts are rotted out. I'd like to rebuild the deck as-is, just replacing the rotting pieces.
The current design is as follows:
...
6
votes
1answer
383 views
Is it OK to build a deck with OSB?
I have left over 2x4s and OSB from a project a few months back (lean-to shed). It is just enough to make a 12'x8' deck, and I was wondering if this would be "OK" to use for decking? The main purpose ...
6
votes
3answers
930 views
How can I tell where my inground sprinkler hoses are?
I'm going to be building a deck next week in my backyard! I'm very excited for the project, but I'm concerned about one thing: digging the foundation holes. I have an inground sprinkler system, and ...
6
votes
2answers
577 views
In a cool damp climate, should I use hardwood or synthetic decking material for a deck that will be near a large tree?
We're building a 12x24 deck in our south-facing backyard in Seattle (aka rainy Pacific NW). There's a very large willow tree in our backyard that doesn't directly hang over the deck, but certainly ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I properly paint a wood floor made of plywood?
I have built a yurt platform, which is basically a deck with 1 1/8" tongue-and-groove plywood as the decking. Usually that stuff is used as a subfloor, but in this case it's the floor itself. Call it ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
What are the best practices for a low deck built half on a concrete slab?
In our current place, we moved the main access door from going into the kitchen, to entering an old laundry room converted to a mud room. In order to do so, the front door was moved over about 4', ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Why are my deck boards of uneven width?
I bought 12-foot-long 5/4 x 6 in pressure-treated pine deck board from Home Depot. Not until I laid them down did I notice that the boards' width tapers significantly toward the ends of each board. ...
5
votes
2answers
162 views
Should I finish staining my half-stained deck with rain coming?
We were supposed to have two weeks of perfect weather conditions so I started the process of staining my deck, I cleaned it, sanded it and yesterday applied the first coat to half of it.
Now the ...
5
votes
3answers
255 views
How to plan for the future when installing a new roof?
We're hiring a contractor to take off the existing roof, repair/replace any rotted sheathing and rafters, and install a new roof. We've also asked that they add a new plumbing vent stack for a new ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
what is the best way to restore teak outdoor furniture?
What is the best way to restore outdoor teak furniture to the original or better looking color? Teak is so beautiful when it has not been weathered. But after a few years in the rain and sun, it ...
5
votes
3answers
126 views
Do deck coatings work as claimed?
Home improvement stores have been stocking products in the paint section that appear to put a thick coating on the deck boards, giving them the appearance of synthetic decking. They claim to offer ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How to install a proper deck ledger AFTER the fact?
We just purchased a house that has a roughly 10X20 deck on the back. It's relatively low to the ground (maybe 1-3 feet high).
The house is cedar lap siding.
The problem is that the deck was built ...
5
votes
1answer
211 views
How can I restore ridged decking?
My in-laws have a deck out the back of the house. They're old and the deck hasn't been maintained in 10 years or more.
Many of the boards have blackened and are lethally slippery if the weather is ...
5
votes
1answer
211 views
What is a good strategy to support this deck?
I am planning a potential DIY job for a new deck that I want to put on my house. This is roughly what I think we want
The house is roughly 36' long and the garage roughly 22'. The door from the ...
5
votes
1answer
457 views
Is there a correct orientation for hurricane clips?
When installing hurricane clips to joists where it crosses a beam, is there a preference to mounting the clips on the inside or the outside of the beam? And should the ears on the clips point inward ...
5
votes
2answers
362 views
Sealing pressure treated deck, to be stained later on
I have just finished building a deck from pressure treated lumber. We've put the deck to use immediately and having all our meals on it. I'm worried about greasy food morsels staining the deck.
My ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I vertically connect two 4x4s on a deck to build a roof?
I have a deck I am going to put a roof over. It has 4x4s for vertical supports that I need to extend upward to attach my trusses to. What is the best way to connect two vertical 4x4s?
4
votes
3answers
336 views
Easiest way to cut, shave, or chisel bottom 8" of posts to fit footings
I got some 6x6's and deck post brackets that are similar to the picture below, except they're 8" high:
Come to find out, the 6x6 is slightly too large to fit inside this bracket. Now I see how ...
4
votes
2answers
152 views
How should I build the concrete footings for my deck?
I plan on making a small deck and I live in Howard County Maryland. The deck code here says that the concrete footing must be 30 in below ground level and have a thickness of at least 8 inches (i.e. ...
4
votes
1answer
692 views
How much weight should a deck of a given area support?
How much weight should a deck of a given area support, either according to building codes or convention?
In my local (Massachusetts) building code, I found the answer for floors (40 lbs/ft2 live ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
How can I join vinyl decking to metal door frame?
Shoddy workmanship by a lousy contractor has left me with a vinyl deck that allows water to leak into the garage below. I identified the location of the leak - where the vinyl meets the metal frame ...
4
votes
4answers
844 views
How do I sand stamps off of lumber?
I just finished building a deck. The boards have stamps 1–2 ft from each end, and I could not bring my self to be as wasteful as to always cut them off. I tried to place the boards with the stamp ...
4
votes
1answer
849 views
How can I attach a ledger board to my house?
Spring is here so I finally started to take measurements for materials I will need to build a new deck on my recently constructed home. I just realized that this isn't going to be quite so simple as I ...
4
votes
1answer
324 views
Does anything need to be done to prep the ground before building a low height deck?
Previously I asked about How to add on to a concrete patio? I am still considering my options and am now considering making a wood deck instead of a concrete patio. The deck would be about 14 feet by ...
4
votes
1answer
4k views
Applied stain to deck and still not dry after a week, what can I do?
I decided to restain my deck last week since it was looking pretty worn after a New England winter. The deck is only 1 year old since we bought new construction. I contacted the builder and purchased ...
4
votes
3answers
310 views
Replace rotting porch treads with trex?
My front porch has some treads and the bottom riser are rotting out.
I'd like to replace the surface with Trex if possible. Is it as simple as removing treads and risers and replacing with Trex ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Attaching a pergola (or deck) to vinyl siding
Building a structure which is attached to a house usually involves a plate which is bolted to the existing building, typically a 2x8, or 2x10. I understand how to structurally attach this, my concern ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
How high should I make my yurt platform?
I am building the floor/platform for a 30' yurt. It's basically a deck.
30' diameter circle
pre-cast concrete pier blocks
4" x 6" pressure treated joists, 4' o.c.
1 1/8" tongue-and-groove plywood ...
4
votes
2answers
236 views
What maintenance does a cedar deck require?
We just moved into a house with a very nice 16'x16' cedar screened porch. The problem is I've never had a cedar deck and am not sure what maintenance to expect or how often to do it.
4
votes
1answer
164 views
How do I fix a vinyl covering that is coming away from the outside deck support beam?
I live in a townhouse with a deck over the garage. I noticed that under the deck, along the board that is on the outer edge, some of the vinyl covering is popping out of place and hanging down a ...
4
votes
0answers
41 views
Is it safe to use bleach around the yard? [migrated]
I would like to prepare an old deck for staining. Scrubbing with a bleach solution seems a popular technique. Will the bleach solution harm nearby plants? What about if I use soap instead?
4
votes
2answers
184 views
Will my wood platform support my generator?
I built a wood platform out of pressure treated lumber 6ft X 4ft 2x6 with beams every 16 inches and 2x6 deck. It is bolted into the house 2x10 on the 6 ft rear wall and carriage bolted to an existing ...
3
votes
3answers
5k views
How do I make a deck glossy?
I went to Home Depot and Sherwin Williams and I was unable to find a deck stain that looked like the shiny blondish color of the following image:
At Sherwin Williams they said that their stains ...
3
votes
3answers
537 views
Should I shovel snow off my vinyl deck?
Will there be damage if I don't shovel the snow off (due to snow thaw/freeze/thaw)? Is it safe to use a metal shovel on vinyl decking? Is it ok to allow the stuff to melt naturally if I don't plan to ...
3
votes
3answers
686 views
Is it normal to install (pvc) decking like hardwood flooring?
Forgive me I'm a newb.
We have become the proud owners of a new deck. One of the features that we thought was great was that the boards are installed fairly snugly and diagonally nailed into joists ...
3
votes
2answers
134 views
What can I do to prevent injuries from the corners of a wooden deck?
We recently had the floor of our wooden deck replaced and in the process, the contractor changed it from having cut-off corners to having real corners.
I am concerned with how the new corner sticks ...
3
votes
1answer
880 views
What is the best way to fill in the holes in aluminum siding?
In about 2 weeks I'm doing a little cathartic destruction of a deck on the back of my house. The deck came with the house and has suffered YEARS of neglect, it's beyond repair, built incorrectly, and ...
3
votes
4answers
7k views
What is the proper way to join two beams on a post?
I'm working on a deck that will involve two 10ft wooden beams across three wooden posts. One of the posts will be in the middle of the two beams. What is the proper method for joining the beams to the ...
