Pafford Construction

Is My Existing Deck Frame In Good Condition?

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A quality deck starts at the frame. But how do you know if your deck frame is in good condition? In this article, I am going to go over a few things to look for when deciding if you can potentially use your existing deck frame.

A few key spots to inspect your deck frame is at the ledger board (where the deck attaches to the house), posts or other wood near the ground, where deck boards meet the joists and around any spots that may be wet or have standing water.

Rot Damage:

Signs of rot include wood that is soft or spongy to the touch, noticeably ‘flaky’ pieces of wood that are splintering, cracking or splitting. If there is standing water around any of the posts around your deck on a regular basis, this may cause the wood to rot at a faster rate. You may also notice the wood seems darker, discolored or has mold or mildew. You can also confirm the wood is rotted by doing the ‘Screwdriver Test’. Poke the wood with a screwdriver and if the screwdriver penetrates the wood, this is a key indicator that the frame of your deck needs to be replaced.

Termite Damage:

Termite damage can look a variety of different ways. The wood may appear to be hollowed out or have tube-like tunnels. You can check for termite damage by tapping the wood and listening to see if the wood sounds hollow. You might also notice sagging spots on your deck boards, meaning the termites got into the joist below it and caused damage.

Building Code:

If you have an older deck, the frame might not meet the current building codes for your area. For example, up until around 2015, building code required people to use a minimum of 4×4 deck posts, where currently, posts must be at least 6×6.