Timber near the coast is on a clock. Sun breaks down the coating, salt and moisture get in behind it, and once water is sitting in the timber rather than on it, the deck is on the way out.
Sanding and recoating
Stripping back weathered timber and recoating restores both the appearance and, more importantly, the protection. It is the difference between a deck that lasts fifteen years and one that lasts six.
Board replacement
Individual boards replaced where the substructure is sound.
Knowing when to stop
If the bearers, joists or posts have gone, this stops being maintenance and becomes structural work — a job for a licensed builder. We would rather tell you that than take money for oiling a deck that needs rebuilding.
Common questions
- How often does a deck need oiling down here?
- More often than most people think. Coastal exposure and full sun break coatings down fast, and an annual cycle is realistic for anything not under cover. A deck that has gone grey has been unprotected for a while.
- Can you replace individual boards?
- Yes, where the frame underneath is sound. Matching weathered timber exactly is not possible, so replacement boards will stand out until they have aged in, particularly if the deck is oiled rather than stained.
- When is a deck past repair?
- When the problem is in the frame rather than the boards. Soft bearers or joists, or posts that have gone at ground level, mean structural work, and that is a job for a licensed builder rather than maintenance.