How to resurface a weather worn wood deck
Eventually, most wooden decks will become looking rather tired and weather worn. Whilst there are some proprietary products which can restore and brighten a faded deck to some extent , there’s not much that can be done when the surface starts to splinter, crack or show other significant signs of decay and deterioration.
Normally the only answer in this case is to rip up the existing planks and replace them with new lumber , ideally a high durability lumber species such as Ipe, which has a typical life of up to 40 years even in fully exposed outside locations, and is extremely hard and resistant to splintering.
But these days there is another alternative which permits you to both change the material for resurfacing the deck, and give you the option if you have an upper level deck, of creating a waterproof area on the surface below . Interlocking tiles such as those supplied by HandyDeck are modular tiles constructed with an inbuilt interconnecting plastic base, which can be easily installed over the top of an existing structurally sound deck , so there’s no need to even take up the existing planks . Of course this will increase the height of the surface to some extent, so you need to make sure that any outward opening doors will clear the extra height of the deck tiles.
Apart from the ease of installation, interlocking deck tiles are now available in a wide range of materials including stone , ceramic , composite wood and different wood species, so you have a number of alternative options if you wish to change the look of your deck. And in many cases you can combine different materials, so for example you could have a wood deck with a feature panel of granite in the middle .
Since the tiles have locking tabs on all sides , they don’t need any fixing materials but are simply snapped in place over the existing deck. Around the outside of the deck, edge reducers or transition strips are generally available to give a neat professional finish.
If you have an upper level deck and wish to create a waterproof area underneath, a simple solution to this problem without the expense of installing specialist under deck waterproofing systems , is to simply lay down a seamless EPDM sheet over the top of your existing deck, making sure that the EPDM sheet is properly sealed against the boundary walls. Then you click the interlocking tiles over the top of this sheet. The only crucial point to note if you are proposing to use this method of creating a dry under deck area, is that your deck should slope slightly away from the house, so that water draining off the sheet would flow away from the house walls.
Just remember also that if you are using wood deck tiles for resurfacing , that the wood colour will fade and turn to a silvery grey over time depending on prevailing weather conditions just the same as for a normal wood deck. Whilst the regular application of a good quality decking oil will help retard this natural process , if your deck is fully exposed to the sunlight , it will never eliminate the color fading completely .
But if the thought of ongoing maintenance work is a concern to you, then one of the big advantages of using deck tiles for resurfacing an existing deck is that you can choose from other materials such as composite wood which will not require the same degree of maintenance.
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Anything with wood you have to keep up with. Maybe polishing it to make it look newer or replacing it.
Common problem with many owners of second-level deck facing is how to effectively deck waterproof the pavement, so they can get dry storage space below. There are indications that several options can be considered, although most of the tasks is not entirely DIY, but need the professional contractor.