Questions tagged [deck]
For questions generally relating to outdoor, semi-elevated, non-enclosed structures such as decks, gazebos, pergolas, etc.
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Extending Deck Post
I have a deck about 6FT off the ground with old 4x4 posts that stick up about 24" above the existing deck. I replaced the decking and when installing the railings, I noticed the posts on the deck were ...
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Framing Deck around Cantilevered bay window
I have a Cantilevered bay window that is about 7' wide I need to frame around. The ledger board is on both sides. The Residential Deck construction guide says it can not be wider the 6'. It states ...
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1answer
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Raising a porch light and doorbell?
A previous owner of our house installed a front deck over the top of the two concrete steps leading up to the front door. Unfortunately they did not raise the front porch light and doorbell.
So many ...
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1answer
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protecting a wood deck from rot next to a stone patio
I have a wood porch/deck built on top of a cement slab. At some point a previous HO layed a stone patio right next to this porch at the same level. The stone of the patio is abutting the wood framing ...
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2answers
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can wood deck boards be installed over Hardiboard on balcony?
I am replacing my tile upstairs outdoor balcony with wood decking. The tile deck has a Hardiboard underlay for waterproofing. Will the contractor need to remove the tile and Hardiboard before ...
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1answer
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How can I remove paint splatters from sealed decorative concrete deck?
I have a custom concrete pation & pool deck that is textured / painted to look like wood. It is also sealed. Recently I had the coping on my pool fixed and the guy did a great job but left quite a ...
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1answer
77 views
Protecting the tops of deck joists - or not?
There appears to be a school of thought in deck building that it is worthwhile to protect the tops of joists by covering them with a waterproof barrier. That way any moisture can't sit on the top of ...
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1answer
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Deck joist cantilever distance with multiple intermediate supports
Summary: Looking for advice on allowed cantilever length for a multiply-supported joist.
As described in Deck Magazine (which cites the American Wood Council's construction guide) there are limits to ...
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3answers
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How can I repair this leaning deck railing?
It appears more drastic in person. This deck railing is leaning inward, and I'm wondering how one might go about leveling it up? Willing to replace 4x4 supports if necessary. The posts towards the ...
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1answer
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Help Critique deck post and beam location
please critique my deck design and post locations. One side of the deck will be attached to multiple ledger boards, another sitting on the beam with 1 feet overhang. Deck is at most 1 1/2 feet of the ...
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2answers
55 views
How to keep buried deck posts from rotting
This is related to a question I asked earlier regarding my deck footings.
I had a pool deck built last fall. The footings are 4' deep and 12" diameter. There are metal post brackets attached to the ...
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1answer
28 views
Regrading under deck to protect footings from water
I had an above ground pool installed and a deck built around it early last fall. The way the builder built the deck footings was to pour 4' of concrete 12" in diameter, then attach metal post brackets ...
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2answers
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Cover deck - wiring options
I want to install fans in a covered deck. The room is timber beams and trying to hide wiring best I can.
What options do I have, if I use UF-B can I cover with wiremold raceway (which would be ...
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2answers
287 views
How can I increase deck board gap without removing the boards?
My friends just bought a new house that has a deck that has gone mossy/moldy. The sellers pressure washed the deck and replaced a few soft boards, but the real problem is that there isn’t enough gap ...
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Metal flashing with polycarbonate deck cover
I had fiberglass deck covering for over 30 years, it got incredibly dirty & nasty so I replaced it with polycarbonate. The problem occurred the first heavy rain (I live in Oregon valley), the ...
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1answer
42 views
Can I get my house assessed with my rebuilt deck not up to code
We're in the midst of rebuilding our old (cedar) deck and replacing with composite. The decking itself is done, as are the stairs from the top level to the lower level, but we haven't finished the ...
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Does the front rim joist have the strength to support this deck?
Should I just lag bolt the ledger to the rim, or should I reinforce the rim joist with say a simpson strongtie htt4, and carriage bolt, and cut some cats to attach it? It seems that if there were a ...
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2answers
36 views
Building an elevated deck over 6x6x6 posts, a beam made of 3 pressure treated 2x8x16' is too narrow
In building an elevated deck over 6x6x6 posts, a beam made of 3 pressure treated 2x8x16' (where the beams are attached to each other with FastenMaster ThruLoks) is too narrow (~5" versus 6" expected) ...
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Can't find enclosures for custom deck stair lighting
I'm building a custom deck stairs lighting system. I have purchased RGBW 40mm diameter waterproof LEDs and want to install them in the stair risers.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC24V-RGBW-DMX512-...
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1answer
74 views
Can I use three 2x8 beams instead of two 2x10s for a deck?
Can I have 3(2x8) beam/girder with 2x10 joists 12" OC? I'm building a 16x16 ledger mounted deck. Two footings were poured a little higher than they should be. There are four 16" footings of 5,000 psi ...
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2answers
144 views
Extending 4x4 Deck Posts
I have a deck about 6FT off the ground with old 4x4 posts that stick up about 24" above the existing deck. I replaced the decking and when installing the railings, I noticed the posts on the deck ...
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1answer
75 views
Sill plate pushing siding off, causing gap for mice and moisture?
Younger home owner here. I've had water get into my basement a few times last spring in the corner and in this area (directly under my little front deck). The corner was due to no downspout (water was ...
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1answer
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How close can a deck post footing be to a retaining wall?
How deep does a deck post footing need to be if it’s directly behind a retaining wall?
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1answer
27 views
Winterizing new wet-treated pressure treated pine deck
We’re in a townhome and replaced our small 2nd floor deck/porch with wet-treated pressure treated pine 3-4 weeks ago. We had to do it well in advance of the other units for safety reasons. There’s a ...
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2answers
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How can I reliable crimp aluminum ferrules without a specialized tool?
Is there another way to crimp aluminum sleeves without having to buy a $40+ crimping tool that I will only use for this one project?
Or at least is there a crimping tool that has another use?
I don'...
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2answers
52 views
Cedar wood strong enough for hinge?
I am attempting to build my own gate for an 40 inch break in the fence so that my deck could be fully enclosed. I bought a self-closing latch that says the max weight it could hold is about 50 pounds ...
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1answer
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Deck Staining with a little light drizzle
Can I apply deck stain if there is a slight drizzle of rain?
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0answers
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Extend front porch deck 7"
We are building a small cabin and the pier blocks are extending 4.5 inches past the face of the deck framing. When we were building, we didn't think of it, but now that we are in finishing stages and ...
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1answer
84 views
Help with moldy deck from bad boiled linseed oil job
I need some opinions on what to do about my deck. About about a month and a half ago we applied linseed oil to our deck. Our first mistake was that the deck had a sealant, so the oil didn't really ...
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1answer
55 views
Hill side soil erosion control around deck
I've got a fairly large deck that sits, in part, on a hillside. Over the past years the soil is eroding away such that I'm getting worried about the outermost posts. I know I need to put a good amount ...
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0answers
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Will Varsol eventually evaporate from my deck boards so I that deck sealer will bond well?
I am finally about to repaint my 20 year old deck with Restore. This project has gone on for far too many days already and I think it would have been easier (and cheaper if you count my time) to ...
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0answers
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Attaching a surface-mount deck post into tripled-up joists?
My existing deck has a railing system that has no posts - just wooden ballusters secured to doubled-up joists on the ends and to the rim joist on the edge.
I'm interested in switching to a composite ...
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2answers
103 views
How can I handle this splice joint between two shorter pieces of lumber?
I want to build a mostly ground level deck. I have created plans and I want it to be 16' x 20' one long side will have a notch for a circle of rocks and a firepit. my issue is along straight the 20' ...
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Adding new joists to old deck: lumber size mismatch
Very new to this forum, forgive me for any mistakes.
I am replacing the decking on an existing deck at my house, and the new decking is a composite PVC cap stock product. The old decking was cedar, ...
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1answer
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Does composite decking hold more solar heat than wood decking?
In the Virginia townhouse I'm renting, there's a deck out back made out of composite decking material (or rather, topped with it; the underlying structure is wood). Stepping out onto the deck after it ...
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1answer
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Planning an oversized deck [closed]
we are planning on building an oversized deck 50 foot long, 18 foot wide, 9 foot high
Using 2x12x18 southern pine decking joist.
Planning on spacing post 6 foot apart.
I’m looking for advice ...
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1answer
52 views
Replacing deck joist - board width mismatch
I am working on replacing decking and found a couple of rotted joist I decided to replace as well.
The joist size is 2x8-12. I purchased the replacement joists however when I took one rotten out and ...
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2answers
27 views
Cleaning and staining decks and fences
I have cleaned my deck and was planning on staining it. My problem is the weather is calling for rain everyday for the next 2 weeks. How long will my deck be ok without stain?
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1answer
51 views
Concrete or gravel for deck post?
I am building a deck and keep getting some conflicting messages when it comes to backfilling the holes. Already dug down 24”, added gravel for drainage and 4-6” of concrete (hole día approx 12-15”). ...
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2answers
155 views
What to use to backfill around the concrete pier block?
Given the image above:
What should I use to backfill the hole around the concrete pier block?
I am thinking to use one of the following:
(1) Paver base (again)
(2) Gravel
(3) Just the dirt that I ...
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1answer
43 views
How to ensure correct distribution of beam load over deck posts?
Given the illustration above:
Are there any tips on how to ensure that the beam load is correctly distributed across the three posts?
All posts are adjustable (up/down) via hex nuts so I have full ...
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0answers
242 views
Wait time for staining pressure treated deck
Have read many answers about how long to wait prior to staining pressure treated pine deck (a few days to a year or more!).
My question is: if I screw down the floor boards, how will I stain the ...
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1answer
79 views
Can I build deck on top of patio?
I have a large concrete patio at the rear of our house - 12 inches thick, with no settlement noticed (it's been down for about 7 years now).
We're considering extending our deck out; at the moment we ...
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2answers
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I spend long time in picking lumber. What do you look for when selecting boards?
I typically spend very long time in front of the lumber aisles inspecting boards. Many times I end up not getting anything after all because I thought all boards are imperfect.
I see pros spent few ...
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4answers
200 views
Ground-level Free-Standing Deck Frame (Feedback Requested)
I would like to ask for your feedback on the deck frame illustrated in the image below. It is a ground-level, free-standing deck.
All your feedback is highly appreciated!
Iteration 1
[Edit]
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1answer
98 views
How to mate two pressure-treated 2x6s together?
I want to mate two 2x6s pressure-treated boards (span = 8') so that I can use them as a beam for my ground-level floating deck.
Should I use a construction adhesive? Anything special given that the ...
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1answer
93 views
Azek PVC deck boards with Joist Tape?
I bought the Azek PVC boards from a local store and I am starting to install the boards soon. I am using pressure treated for the frame, the store I bought the board suggested to use "Joist Tape" to ...
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1answer
514 views
How to connect two 2x4 to 4x4 post base?
I am looking for a way to use a 4x4 base to carry two joined 2x4s as in the picture below.
The problem is that there is a 0.5 in. gap as the actual width of the two boards is 1.5+1.5 = 3 in. while ...
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2answers
357 views
Deck is moving away from house
I have a 8 x 8 deck, attached to the house since initial build.
All in good condition, ledger and bolts, inspected and main boards repaired in 2014.
It sits in a corner on a 4 x 4 post, again in ...
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1answer
106 views
Do I sand or power wash the deck?
Greetings community of fixers, I have an aging deck that will be torn down and replaced within (hopefully) 5 years. In the meantime, I'm trying to determine the best course of action to keep it ...
