Hey guys I'm starting to install new deck boards ......... yeah ! :D I have a long way to go but I'm encouraged on how it looks so far . The cooler weather sure feels better for working outside . I'll keep plugging along and post pics as I go .


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1570577001.jpg

Milt I am ok with that , the picture frame style on my project is more about eliminating butt joints and board length efficiency . If it is not a " true " picture frame that doesn't matter to me .

I just spoke with the lumber yard that I purchased the decking from and they recommend CWF as a finish . Good to know but I am also going to talk to the local BM and SW dealers to see what they recommend .

Between my part time job , the weather and keeping up with the grand children the work has slowed down a little :D . But yesterday I installed more boards I'm down to 10 more to go and the master bedroom side of the deck will be done . Supposed to rain here the next four days :( so little to no progress will be made . But I am hoping within a week or so this side will be done and I can start on the opposite end . My goal is to have all deck boards replaced by the end of the year .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1571478004.jpg

Looks good. Don’t let the grandkids fall in the hole.

WOOHOO !!! Today I finished the first side of the deck rebuild , I think it came out great . I can tell you roughly 3 weeks of constant up and down x 1000 I'm feeling all of my 61 years :D Supposed to rain for the next 4 days :( so will have to wait for a break in the weather . Then I start on the other side and the last bit will be the walkway that joins the two . Here's a pic of today's progress . SmileWavy

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1571957786.jpg

Nice job Rick! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/clap.gif

Hey guys time for an update . I have been plugging along as weather and life allows :D Reached a bit of a milestone yesterday by removing the last of the old deck boards ! I have 8 more new boards to install and the deck surface will be done . Then as time permits I will start removing the existing ballusters and railings/posts and replace with new . But today I am having another pole barn installed which will be our daily driver parking garage so I am sure that will distract me some :) Anyway here is what I have left to go , am hoping to maybe get it finished this week .


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576498741.jpg

Hello everyone time for an update :D So my goal was to complete the deck surface by the end of the year , finally a goal I achieved :) . Today I installed the last of the deck boards man I'm glad that is done ! There are 2464 screws holding them in place :eek:

Next will be pulling all the ballusters/railings/railing posts and replacing with new . But this week I had a 24x24 pole barn installed that will become a parking garage for our daily drivers you can see it next to the house . So I will be juggling the two jobs . Anyway here's a pic of the last section of deck . I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions that you guys provided . Merry Christmas SmileWavy

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576874415.jpg

Rick - congrats! What type of fastener did you use? Also - have you posted anything about the new pole barn other than here? Wouldn't mind seeing pics along with any other intel you feel like sharing. Thanks - and I agree - great time of year for outdoor projects!

Baz the screws for the deck boards are 2 1/2 " x # 9 T25 Torx head self drilling . They have some " special " coating on them to resist corrosion and are green in color , I purchased them from the lumber yard I bought the wood from . In regards to the pole barn I haven't mentioned it other than here , after my man cave build thread I figured folks are tired of hearing from me :D But maybe I will start a thread , anyway Merry Christmas SmileWavy

Deck turned out nice Rick.
Pole barn thread is good too.
I'll bore the heck out of people with a thread of my brother's place in a couple of weeks.
Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the reply and info and for starting the pole barn thread, Rick.

Those fasteners sounds very similar to the Deckmate ones I use for my construction projects. They are fantastic!

I think I can speak for most here that we certainly are interested in any build thread especially involving a place to stow our stuff! :p

Merry Christmas back at cha!

Hello everyone wow how time flies ! The weather has not been the best for working outside but yesterday was decent so I worked on the railing structure on one end of the deck . I took 2x6's and cut them to 48 " long and they are screwed to the outside structure of the deck when completed I will also through bolt . The 2x6's are vertical . I then took 4x4's and cut them to 46 " and centered them on the 2x6 and screwed them together . Went under the deck and ran screws through the deck boards into the bottom of the posts ( great suggestion by Milt thanks ) they are quite solid . This leaves a 1 " flange on either side of the post .

I then used 2x4's laying on top of the 2x6's running from post to post to tie them together at the top , this makes a 3 sided " frame " for the hog fence . I cut the galvanized hog fence with a zip wheel to the correct size , I used 2x4's laying flat on the deck to space the hog fence up off the floor surface so leaves/pine needles could escape or be easily swept with a broom . When the hog fence was cut to size I placed it into the framework and then cut 2x4's and 2x2's and sandwiched the hog fence in place .

Everything is screwed together so can easily be undone for any future repairs if needed . So I have two 2x4's running horizontally which is the base structure for the handrail cap I think I'm just going to use 5/4x6 deck boards as the cap . My wife and I really like the look , it is very open and visually unobtrusive . Here are two pics how do you guys like it ? Today I hope to turn the corner and get at least one panel installed on the long back side , these will be full 8 ' long but cut to height . Then it's supposed to rain the rest of the week :(

The 4x4 posts will extend above the rail cap by about an inch or so , I did that to allow solar post cap lights to be installed . I will have to figure out if I want a light on every post or every other .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1580638981.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1580638981.jpg

Looks good.
Can we get a closeup pic of the post/fabric interface?
It's kind of hard to make out the definition of the different pieces of wood.

^^^ Scott the hog fence is galvanized steel just under a 1/4 " in diameter , the following pics show the sandwich of wood to metal . Plus a pic of an 8 ' section that I installed today the previous sections were about 6 ' in length . Hope this answers your question .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1580681765.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1580681765.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1580681765.jpg

Yes!
Thanks. I think you've got a good solution that won't be hard to fix if something happens to one of the panels of the hog fence.

An update that's not corona virus related :D . So today was finally a great sunny day ( been raining forever ) so I worked like a dog and completed ALL the hog fence panels . Man it feels great . Wife and I are really happy with how it looks . So now all I have left is to purchase/install the handrail cap boards , solar post lights and post caps . If the weather plays nice I hope to get it all stained next month or April . Here's 3 pics of the panels installed . We love how open it feels and looks .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584655185.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584655185.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1584655185.jpg

Don't know what kind of finish you plan on, but I've recommended a product named TWP (Total Wood Protection) on here several times. I tried several stains/preservatives on a deck I had (unscrewed the boards, sanded them, stained them, reinstalled them), and this product was far and away the best. It's more expensive but more than worth it. In Cali, we have to have water soluble products, but if you can get the oil based, it would be better. When I bought mine, oil based was still available. I did use the water based on my patio roof and supports, and it's held up for a little more than ten years so far. The only part exposed to sunlight is the support part at the end facing south into the sun. That has seemed to hold up as well as the parts that don't get sun.

^^^ It's funny you suggest that as TWP is what I have been looking at using . Online reviews are very solid and it is reasonable in cost . The oil based is available here in GA. and that's what I will use . Thanks for the feedback .

That looks like it's going to be a nice place to relax.

Very nice, Rick. Good timing to get her near completion before the real heat arrives!

Marv - thanks for the head's up on the TWP - I'm always doing wood projects and have never been happy with most of what's out there for preservatives.

I'm re-doing my outdoor shower deck this weekend. It's not a huge area ((10) 5/4"x6" boards, 8' long) and was looking at composite but holy mackeral way too expensive! So I will be using the weathershield lumber from HD.

Thanks guys yeah I am looking forward to being able to just chill on the deck 😁 . Baz I am sure you know but just in case you don't new pressure treated wood has to weather some before staining . It has to dry out so the oil/pigment of the stain goes INTO the wood vs. sitting ON the wood .

Not sure about your situation but our deck gets the morning sun and then is mostly shaded by the house roof in the afternoon . But just the morning exposure has dried out the deck boards in the few months they have been down . My plan is to give the deck boards a light sanding with some 80 grit then hit it with some deck wash .

In a perfect world I can get two weeks of no rain , that would allow a couple days of drying after the deck wash . Then a day or two to dry after the first coat and a day or two to dry for the second coat . That is the game plan but mother nature has to play nice for this to pan out 😁

Yup I'm aware of that, thanks. Just thinking ahead a bit. I'll do the demo work today and then hit HD tonight when traffic isn't as bad here or in the store.

Will do the install tomorrow. Like I said - not a big job like yours but way overdue.

Didn't realize HD would be closing this early (they changed it to 6pm as of yesterday). Glad I checked before leaving. I've always preferred going there between 7-9pm.

Oh well....guess I'll go in the morning.

T.N.N....

Hey guys today I finished the construction phase of this deck restoration man it feels great :D . Today I installed the hand rail cap boards I ended up using 2x4x12' pressure treated . By using 12 footers it cut down on the butt seams and ended up with very little waste . After installing the caps my wife and I ventured out to Home Depot and purchased solare post lights . Came home and got those installed so all 12 posts have a solar light on them . Not expecting greatness on the lights just a little mood lighting :D

So really all I have left on this portion is to sand/wash/stain which I will do sometime in the next two months . I say this portion because phase two will be extending the deck behind the parking garage I am building . My vision is step down two steps and the portion behind the parking garage will be where the gas and charcoal BBQ grills will reside along with a fire pit . Our youngest son bought us the wood burning fire pit for Christmas about 5 years ago time to put it to use :D . Here are three pics of today's progress .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1585429111.jpg

I'm really enjoying this project, looks great, Rick, thanks for the distraction :cool:

Cap I hope you and Mrs. Cap are staying safe on your side of the pond :D

Thanks, we are save over here, hunkered down and keeping busy, hope you guys are save too :)

Yesterday when I installed the solar post lights it was around 3:30 so they didn't have a full day to charge . Around 9:00 last night it was dark out and I walked the deck , all 12 lights were lit and for an advertised claim of 9 lumens they were quite bright . I actually was surprised . What surprised me more when I got up this morning at 6:00 they were all still lit and looked to be as bright as they were last night !

It is now almost 7:00 and I checked again and they are all still lit , two are dimmer than the others . These lights are nothing fancy , they were purchased at Home Depot and are made by Hampton Bay . For $19.95 a twin pack I am impressed :D . Will be interesting to see how they perform tonight after a full day of charging . SmileWavy

Hey guys I'm back :D . So now my thoughts are getting ready for stain . I'm going to wash down the house first as the vinyl siding needs it . But then the deck . So what do you use to clean the deck ? Just some soapy water ? A mix of bleach ? Deck wash from big box store ? The woods seems dry to the touch so it's ready for the stain , just need to know how to clean .

The stain we have narrowed it down to TWP oil based semi transparent . I will apply with a roller do I use a foam roller cover or traditional style ? And what nap thickness ? I plan on applying two coats either the same day or back to back days . Any other tips ?

Yesterday my wife and I went to the local lumber yard to pick up the deck stain , we ended up buying 10 gallons of TWP oil based semi transparent color # 120 pecan . Guy there said of all the stain brands they sell they get the best feedback on TWP so I am expecting greatness :D . Have to wash the house first then the deck so it will be a while before I post pics .

Ladies and gentleman I think we can stick a fork in this one ................ she's done :D . My wife and I started at 9:00 yesterday morning and got all the stain applied we finished around 5:00 man are we beat :( . This morning I just had to do the outside of the posts as it was too hard to reach through the hogs fence . Weather was picture prefect yesterday and today high 70's to low 80's and a breeze . We ended up using TWP oil based semi transparent in color # 120 pecan . So another project checked off the list now going to concentrate on the new parking garage . Thanks to everyone that chimed in with suggestions and comments , it was very helpful . And on to the pic's :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1588538570.jpg

That looks great!
Good contrast to the pics you posted in #106 above.
Tell your wife she done good.

Scott I told my wife what you said , she said " well that was nice of him " :D Appreciate the comments . SmileWavy

Wow! What a major and beautiful addition to your home. Did you end up using the foam or knapped rollers? It always feels go good to get a big project behind you. Congrats!

I applied the stain with a standard 10" wide lambs wool applicator . To me I thought that the applicator would be fairly quick/easy and it worked the stain into the boards. I did have 1/2" thick standard style roller covers on hand but didn't use them . I was surprised the applicator pad only caught on a wood sliver only twice on the entire deck. On a rougher deck surface a roller would be the way to go .

Nicely done. I like the semi-transparent stain and wish I'd gone with that. The Cabots Australian oil I used is beautiful for the covered porch but on outside exposed wood it flakes up in spots and lasts only a few years before looking ratty again.

John I couldn't decide between semi or solid for a while , I ended up with the semi after talking to some locals and just doing internet research . Our oldest son lives in the same town and his deck is also PT wood . He used solid stain ( don't know the brand ) and he has peeling issues in spots . Time will tell how long this lasts but my hope is 3 years . Any more would be a bonus 😁