2023 Deck Redo

2023 Deck Redo

This was a BIG Project. We have an 865 SQFT Two Tier Deck (Upper Deck 575 sqft, Lower Deck 210 sqft, Steps 80 sqft). I built it out of Cedar 20 years ago and designed it with a border and angled decking which looks really nice (and is stronger). Unfortunately, the end grain of the angled decking boards is not open to the air and doesn't dry out properly which causes rotting. Additionally the boards have weathered quite a bit and many of them have rough cracked surfaces. It doesn't look good and allows moisture in the boards even with re-staining every year.

This year I decided to redo the upper deck.

New Equipment and Tools

Last year, for this specific project, I purchased the Dewalt 735 Surface planer w/ feed in & out tables and extra blades. That was the only new thing for this project.

Materials and Supplies

Material costs were pretty minimum since I re-used most of the material:
Re-use the deck boards after reconditioning them (cedar);
Re-use spare wood from when I re-did the deck after removing the hot tub (cedar and treated);
New treated deck boards (x - 16' - Lowes) (minimal needed);
Wood Hardener (Minwax - Menards)(3 bottles);
Wood Filler (Dap Plastic Wood All Purpose Wood Filler - Menards)(2 tubs);
Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Alkyd Deck and Siding Primer (2 gals - JC Licht);
Benjamin Moore Arbor Coat Deck and Siding Solid Stain (2 gals - JC Licht);
Grip Fast Triple Coated #9 2 1/2" Star Head Deck Screws (2 5lbs boxes - Menards);
Caulk, Brushes, Smooth paint rollers, 120 Grit Sandpaper (Menards).

Cost

Dewalt planer (~$600), materials and supplies ~$400. No labor cost! Super cheap considering if I just hired someone to take out all the old boards and install new, my guess would be $20,000-$30,000!!

The Process

Tedious and time consuming process:
Scrape out every screw head that is filled with dirt and stain so I can get the bit to bite;
Remove and label the deck board;
Cut any rotted end grain from the ends of the boards;
Fab another small board to span the area that the shortened boards created (I had spare boards to use first and then had to buy some new boards);
Plane each board using a surface planer to remove any cupping, surface problems and the stain getting down to the bare wood (generally three passes removing 1/32" each pass);
Fill old screw holes (unless board did not need trimming and can be re-installed in the same spot) and surface cracks;
Harden the end grain;
Sand 50Grit with belt sander then vac;
1st Coat primer ends, sides and top of each board;
Sand 120 grit then vac;
2nd coat primer (5 sides again);
Sand with orbital sander 120 grit then vac (about half way through I stopped sanding and just applied the stain and it leveled out nice, I'm not doing kitchen cabinets!);
1st coat stain (5 sides);
2nd coat stain (5 sides);
Re-install! Whew!!.

Note- I just used a roller instead of my HVLP sprayer because I think it was easier, faster, less messy and less waste. Some of the boards were as long as 18' so managing the sprayer across that long a board and getting good coverage on the ends and sides would have been difficult and lots of over spray.

Final Finishing

In the fall I replaced some sections of the upper perimeter;
In the spring of 2024 (April) I put a final coat of stain on the full upper deck.
Looks great! Done!

The Result

Very happy with the results. The deck looks 1000% better and all the rot removed. Hardening the end grain, doing the sides and doing both primer and stain with all the sanding produced a smooth and lasting deck. No more water building up under the stain after each rain. No more peeling. End Grain hardened. Sides primed and stained. Should last 30 years!!

Pictures