this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2026
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Replaced some rotten deck boards today (lemmy.world)
submitted 19 hours ago by yaroto98@lemmy.world to c/dull_mens_club@lemmy.world
33 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Had a few deck boards that were completely rotten through. As in step in the wrong spot and the foot is going through the deck. And a few others that were just half rotten.

Previous owner, I swear bought the cheapest deck paint. Or not even deck paint and just bought outdoor paint and gave the deck a coat before selling it. Within a year it was completely worn off. Luckily due to hail damage insurance is paying for a sanding and painting of the deck (and other things too, but that's irrelivent)

I still have one more I need to do tomorrow.

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[–] RickyRigatoni@piefed.zip 28 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

The Rot Is Unyielding. Your Pitiful Efforts Are Futile. You Too Will Be Consumed In Time. As Will We All.

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

from the moment i understood the weakness of my flesh

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 44 points 19 hours ago

Evidence.

[–] TrackenDaKracken@lemmy.world 27 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I was out working in my garage a couple of months ago, when a guy comes around (walking through yards instead of back to the sidewalk and then up the driveway, which was the first thing that pissed me off). He approaches me and starts going on about the "major hail storm" a few weeks back and how they'd do a free evaluation of my roof. When I told him the hail was pea-sized and lasted less than ten minutes, he blew that off and kept trying to get me to engage. I closed the garage door on him to get him to fuck off.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

That's super annoying. Ours was golfball sized, we had 6 impacts that went completely through the shingles according to the insurance adjuster. We went with a company that didn't knock on our door. Every house in the area is getting work done because of it.

[–] fluffy_cloud@piefed.world 6 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

you are me

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 12 points 16 hours ago

Hello me, you wildly attractive and intelligent human being!

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Dammit.

You reminded me I need to do that.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Probably want to do it before the snow starts to fly. (if it snows by you that is)

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 7 points 15 hours ago

No it doesn't snow where I live.

The Frost envelopes us on all sides. It does not carpet or blanket the land. It is an overgrowth. A wretched curse. It compacts into a cement and ices over. And nobody remembers how to fucking drive at all.

But yeah. Gotta get that done.

[–] rowansprig@leminal.space 6 points 18 hours ago

It's looking good, brother!!!

[–] iampivot@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Recommend minimum 6mm gap between the boards, and potentially some spax airs to separate the boards form the joists, for improved airflow; https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQIuNmmqhp0usWaHQbIwlma_szxZWdhIMX2j0YnyqAN2St6uiyvRhN-AOE&s=10

[–] Fallibilist@feddit.uk 8 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (2 children)

6mm is way too much for treated lumber. The wood is wet when new and it shrinks as it dries. If you start with 6mm gaps you end up with 10mm gaps in few months which both look ugly and allow stuff to fall under the deck. The width of a carpenter's knife blade is plenty which is roughly 3mm. Then you end up with 6mm gaps once it has dried out.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Mine was super wet. Beads of water bubbled out when I was sinking in the screws. They keep the boards outdoors and uncovered.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 5 hours ago

Some of us dry our PT before building.

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I see your Ryobi Jobmax tools. I'm disappointed Ryobi and Rigid doesn't make them anymore.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Oh they don't? Most of my tools are about 5-10yrs old. I bought a lot of them from directtoolsoutlet.com back when they actually had good deals.

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Nope, rigid and Ryobi don't even sell the parts for them.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

That sucks, but good to know I suppose.

[–] LillyPip@lemmy.ca 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

I have some vintage pennies and an old lawnmower motor if you need to replace a few more, hmu.

(Looks very nice btw!)

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

Hahaha, thanks!

[–] fizzbang@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

Hell yeah brother

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (2 children)

I often think If I'm going to build a deck, I'd build it like a wooden boat. Maybe even soak it in salt water every week or so. It would have a slight dome shape and be sealed with caulk and marine sealant so water doesn't sit on it or hang beneath the boards. Probably completely unrealistic, but one can dream.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

That's a great way to make your deck cost as much as a boat.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 8 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

This deck is becoming my ship of Theseus. I'm slowly replacing it one board at a time.

[–] Bluewing@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

That's deck life. One board at a time.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 2 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

How wide are the beams that cross underneath? I’d be worried where you have to do two sets of screws where the boards meet, if the board underneath wasn’t wide enough.

Like I was thinking you just have 2” to play with. Or you could add some kind of bracket?

[–] cogitase@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

The joists are almost always 1.5" thick (often 2x8s). Most installers just angle the nail gun a bit so they're far enough away from the edge that the boards don't split. Last time I did this I predrilled holes 3/8" from the edge of the board to avoid splitting and fastened with deck screws.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 hours ago

You can order deck boards up to 20ft long. Those joints will always rot in the middle of a span. I assume the OP used cut sealant on the end grain.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 2 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

Im still not quite getting it. It looks like the screw in the old board on the left is more than 1.5” away from the two screws on the new board on the right. I feel like you’d want at least 4” on the “joist” or whatever you call the crossing beam underneath.

Are you saying you just drill at an angle so you come into the joist at the corner or even at the side of the board?

Edit: those screws in that pic don’t look all that angled to me.

[–] Fallibilist@feddit.uk 1 points 7 hours ago

Are you saying you just drill at an angle so you come into the joist at the corner or even at the side of the board?

Not OP but I build stuff for a living - including 3 decks this year. The joist is a little less than 2 inches wide (48mm) so in a spot like this I place the screws about an inch to an inch and a half from the end of the board and drive it in at an angle. That way I pretty much hit the corner of the joist but as the screw goes deeper it digs deep into the solid centre wood of the joist. It just holds the end of the board down. There's another set of screws on the next joist - the board doesn't get to move sideways either way. Sometimes there is only half an inch of joist for the deck plank to rest onto. That's perfectly fine.

[–] cogitase@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 16 hours ago

OP mentioned some of his joists are 4" thick. The deck screws on the right look about right, i.e. roughly 3/8" from the edge to the deck screw center. The deck screw on the left looks like it would be a miss unless the joist is 4" thick there. The angle I was talking about is when using a nail gun, not deck screws.

[–] yaroto98@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

I think most of them are 2" wide beams, but some are doubled up and 4".