What an Idiot -
I have posted about this before. (Please bear with me.)
The Genious who made my huge wraparound deck, (I'm betting it was the homeowner.)
1) Did not use galvanized nails, in pressure treated wood. (Not to mention, nails are undersized for the application.) Boards coming up.
2) Did not utilize adequate spacing between the deck boards. (Too tight, causes build up of debris, has to be cleaned out by hand, on hands and knees.)
3) Did not utilize correct/even spacing of the uprights on the deck rails. Would never meet Code up North. (If a child can get its head through it, Fail.) I believe 4" is Code.
4) Have now discovered, due to various upright 2" X 2" uprights on the deck rails coming loose, that the Idiot chose screws, that only penetrate apprx. 1/4" into the top and bottom rail. (And) That he used such oblique angles as to render some screw penetration to as little as 1/8". (Not good on a 2nd story level rear deck.)
No way, would I have a party with 20 people on my back, 2nd story level deck. (You'd be reading about us in the paper, or it would be on the news.) "Deck Collapse. X# dead, X# injured."
This thing (quite large) needs a tear off, and correctly built. I have the know how, but now at 58 yrs old, not the inclination to tackle it.
Don't you Love it when people who are not qualified to do something, do something?
:roll:
Rant Over.
Carry on...........................................................................................................................................
The Genious who made my huge wraparound deck, (I'm betting it was the homeowner.)
1) Did not use galvanized nails, in pressure treated wood. (Not to mention, nails are undersized for the application.) Boards coming up.
2) Did not utilize adequate spacing between the deck boards. (Too tight, causes build up of debris, has to be cleaned out by hand, on hands and knees.)
3) Did not utilize correct/even spacing of the uprights on the deck rails. Would never meet Code up North. (If a child can get its head through it, Fail.) I believe 4" is Code.
4) Have now discovered, due to various upright 2" X 2" uprights on the deck rails coming loose, that the Idiot chose screws, that only penetrate apprx. 1/4" into the top and bottom rail. (And) That he used such oblique angles as to render some screw penetration to as little as 1/8". (Not good on a 2nd story level rear deck.)
No way, would I have a party with 20 people on my back, 2nd story level deck. (You'd be reading about us in the paper, or it would be on the news.) "Deck Collapse. X# dead, X# injured."
This thing (quite large) needs a tear off, and correctly built. I have the know how, but now at 58 yrs old, not the inclination to tackle it.
Don't you Love it when people who are not qualified to do something, do something?
:roll:Rant Over.
Carry on...........................................................................................................................................
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Sam06 wrote:Look on the positive side now you can fix it right and be proud of a job well done
I know Sam.
I envision the correctly made deck, in my mind. With multiple revisions, and levels leading down to the ground in back.
It's a 3 man job though.0 -
ricci may come with a few of his brown beach bunnies and a big sack of sonic, plenty of brown water based coating to stain it with, sounds like you may have it made........ 0 -
My home I bought and moved into 4 years ago has fairly high wrap around decks that were well built and very solid. Pressure treated lumber all screwed together with long screws. My only complaint today is that the previous owner of the place PAINTED all of the decking and 4 years later all of that paint is peeling off in bits and pieces!
I have taken my pressure washer to it this summer but there is a whole lot of areas where the paint is holding on stubbornly. I want to apply a good layer of Thompsons water seal to it but with the darn paint, the treatment would be futile!0 -
Brookwood wrote:My home I bought and moved into 4 years ago has fairly high wrap around decks that were well built and very solid. Pressure treated lumber all screwed together with long screws. My only complaint today is that the previous owner of the place PAINTED all of the decking and 4 years later all of that paint is peeling off in bits and pieces!
I have taken my pressure washer to it this summer but there is a whole lot of areas where the paint is holding on stubbornly. I want to apply a good layer of Thompsons water seal to it but with the darn paint, the treatment would be futile!
I feel you Brother.
That is yet another mistake made on this deck. (They painted it.) I can not run a belt sander over it due to all the protruding nail heads. It would eat belts. Sandblasting, would be the only option. With all the problems, I've not done so.
Enough of the paint has now peeled off that I (was) going to re-treat it/cover it with Rustoleum Rock Solid, but there is no point in doing so, if my plan is to rip it off.0 -
The building contractor course that I mentioned above, I took it 23 years ago, and at that time I had already built a dozen good decks.
But since then I have built a couple dozen more. I was already good but I got better when I took this course.
One thing they hammered us on was this feature. Where the outer band, in this case a doubled 2x10, when it goes past the post, the 6x6 pt post, it must be fastened with two, 5/8 inch hot dipped galvanized bolts.
Not lag screws. Not 1/2 inch bolts.
Our teacher showed us a slide show of collapsed decks, where people died, and this was the number one problem. Jackleg carpenter nails the 2x10 to the post with a dozen 16d nails.
The problem is, when the guy is grilling hamburgers with his wife, one summer evening, the nails hold up fine. But when you have the New Years party, and 20 people are doing the boog a loo up there, drunk at midnight, the nails give way.
Also, twenty years ago they used good ole arsenic in the PT wood. They changed the formulation about 12 years ago, no more
arsenic, but, this new PT chemical will just eat up not galvanized fasteners. Like I said above when I build a deck my cordless drill gets a workout I will not put a single nail into a deck.
Here are the screws I use. These are top quality and expensive. I buy 'em at Lowes. When I was doing my addition four years ago, I was buying these screws in the 20 pound keg.
These are great screws, and highly resistant to corrosion from the pt wood.0
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