When it comes to maintaining the appearance of your deck, decorating essentials may first come to mind. Beautiful patios are an ideal to aspire toward, but they may hide some disturbing facts that affect safety. This is why it’s so important to inspect your deck regularly. Common deck repairs include replacing loose rails or broken floorboards, removing rusted nails, and retightening screws.
Need help deciding if you should call a deck repair contractor? Check out this helpful list of ten signs that repairing a deck should be on your to-do list this year.
6 Warning Signs of Deck Deterioration
1. The wood support posts and beams begin to rot.
Wood rot is never a good sign, no matter what part of the house it affects. If it’s left unchecked, rot can cause enough damage to impact the structural integrity of your home.
Current building code regulations stipulate that contractors must build decks on concrete footings, but if your deck is older, its support posts may rest directly on the ground. Soil is rarely completely dry, and raw wood—including some pressure-treated varieties—will absorb any moisture in the ground. Moisture rots wood over time, so take a close look at your deck’s posts every few months.
2. Footings are heaving or dropping.
Concrete footings certainly improve the long-term structural integrity of your deck, but under some circumstances, they may not be perfect. If the original deck footings were poured on soil that has either shifted significantly over time or that was unstable to begin with, the concrete may crack or drop.
Years of cold weather and freeze/thaw cycles can also take their toll on concrete deck footings. This is especially the case in colder climates, where the freezing and thawing can cause the concrete to heave and drop if the footings weren’t poured deep enough.
3. You notice erosion around the posts.
Both wooden and concrete deck footings are susceptible to erosion. Soil erosion occurs when rainwater and snowmelt wash away the soil supporting the deck posts and footings. When the lower level of the post becomes exposed, the deck may become destabilized.
Drainage issues around your property can pop up seemingly out of nowhere. But the reality is that the slope of your yard will change naturally over the years, and small landscaping changes, such as adding or removing planting beds, can hasten those changes.
If you notice water pooling in your yard or a small river running underneath your deck after a storm, call a drainage system specialist and a deck contractor to help repair any damage (and prevent problems in the future).
4. Deck boards crack or splinter.
A cracked or splintered deck board here and there usually isn’t an immediate cause for concern—a deck repair contractor can replace a board or two without much trouble. But if every board is showing signs of significant deterioration, it’s probably time for a brand-new deck.
Wood doesn’t last forever. Regular staining, painting, and sealing go a long way toward extending the lifespan of a wood deck, but the elements eventually take their toll.
5. The rails loosen or otherwise deteriorate.
A loose deck railing is a serious safety hazard. It’s unlikely to cause your deck to collapse altogether, but a loose railing is an undeniable sign that the deck needs attention as soon as possible.
Keep a close eye on your deck’s railings, especially in the spots below any roof overhangs or where your friends and family members tend to hang out. If you catch railing problems early on, your deck contractor will most likely be able to repair them. Once the deterioration spreads and impacts the deck’s structural integrity, you’ll need a complete replacement.
6. The deck simply hasn’t been maintained.
Home maintenance never ends, and it doesn’t take long for the list of tasks to multiply and get out of hand. Decks that aren’t maintained consistently won’t last long.
If you’ve purchased a home with a questionable deck, don’t take a wait-and-see approach. A reputable deck contractor can inspect the structure and tell you whether or not the deck is safe. Your deck may need only a few straightforward repairs, or it might be quite old and not built to current safety codes. Either way, it’s best to know for sure what you’re dealing with—and whether or not you’ll need a new deck.
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