Most people live in a house with a pre-existing deck that was built with great intentions but without the greatest skill level. This DIY (do it yourself) project is all about resurfacing your already existing deck. Giving you helpful techniques in order to help you remove your deck without damaging the structure underneath and will ultimately saVe you a ton of time & money.
Whether your structure just isn’t pretty to look at or hasn’t been managed properly or built right to endure the weather or has been rotting where it sits for years. These tips will help you take care of this and have your deck removed & rebuilt so you can have a beautiful place to hang out with family and friends again.
Remember not to get carried away, it’s easy to take a sledge hammer and go nuts however, you want to be able to reattach a new deck to this same structure.
1. Remove the Screws
When removing the screws you want to check to make sure they are 1 ½ times longer than the material that you will eventually be attaching it to. If the screws don’t easily come out you’ll have to use a crowbar to lift them out.
If that’s the case that means the top of your joints will be compromised. Which means when you’re putting down the new lumber you will have to use a 3inch screw. This is so you will be sure to go past the compromised lumber into solid wood again. This will solve your problem and enable you to save all of your substructure
Pro Tip:
2. A small build up of organic material on the wood underneath is normal.
3. The ACQ screw (deck screw) is not going to last forever. If it has not been installed properly and if you don’t treat your deck the screws will rust out and rot.
*A good quality pressure treated substructure is really ideal when building a deck. It will help you in the long run by withholding moisture and preventing rotting out of the top wood.*
4. Cut some vapour barrier plastic which will go underneath the deck. Open it up as you go so you won’t be walking on a surface that is full of dirt and mud. When you are done building this project you will be leaving the plastic vapour barrier underneath the deck to help control a lot of the moisture that will come up from the ground.
Because the greatest enemy to building a deck close to the ground is the “SAUNA EFFECT”. This is when the sun heats the ground and draws all of the moisture out of the dirt pulling it into the wood.
So by laying down the plastic you’re knocking out 90% of the heat moisture that is rising from the ground. Giving your deck a longer life without rotting.
There you have it, 4 tips that will not only help you deconstruct your old deck but also reconstruct your new one!