HANDY A TO Z: DECKS
- Building a deck? Two key projects can help make the difference between a solid, good-looking deck and a sub-standard one.
- Renovation Systems partners with multiple firms to makeover Metro Apartments
- My New Home: Couple had no doubt they wanted to raise kids in Collierville
- Family finances: Rent out your basement
- Influenced by negative media, homebuyers resistant to take the plunge of home ownership
- Renovation of Durham’s Chesterfield Building delayed again
Every deck has at least one ragged edge with a row of 2-by-4 or 2-by-6 end grain where boards were cut to length. Those rough ends are like sponges that soak up moisture, then start to twist, crack and eventually rot. For a good-looking fix, cut the bad ends and add a piece of trim. The simple project conceals and protects porous end grain and keeps the rough ends from twisting.
1. Cut off bad edges. Measure in about half an inch from where boards overhang the last joist just enough to reach sound wood. Mark that dimension at each end, snap a chalk line and cut off the ends. Use a circular saw and a sharp blade with the depth of cut set so the teeth protrude just below the boards. Wear a dust mask when cutting pressure-treated wood.
2. Add edge trim. Use trim wide enough to cover the 1 1/2-inch deck edge plus about 1/2 inch. The extra depth will cover deck boards that have waffled up or down. Cut the trim to length and drench its back and the freshly cut deck ends with sealer. If needed to even up the edge, force down some boards and pry up others as you nail on the trim.
Predrill nail holes at the ends of the trim to avoid splitting.
3. Sand the seams. If one or two deck boards are significantly raised you may have to plane them down, or use a belt sander with rough-grade paper. Finish with medium paper to create smooth, flush seams between the ends of the deck boards and the trim.
4. Stain to finish. Fill nail holes on the trim and attend to problems in the deck surface like raised nail heads. Then coat the trim and any repairs that have exposed raw wood with a prime coat. A semitransparent stain close to the deck color is a good choice.
Finish with a second coat over the entire surface.
Similar Posts:
0 Comments.