rip up old decking?

C

capitalist

Hi, i want to redo 2 small wooden decks and i'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good option. I've got a picture here of the decking which looks very sad now and becoming unsafe.

As you can see, it's very worn and needs tidying up. The existing deck looks like it's tongue & groove boards with a bitumen membrane stuck over it and then pebbles thrown down which are coming loose.

Does anyone know if i can get some type of self levelling compund that i can pour straight over this that has good grip in wet weather? Do i need to form up the sides much before i pour it?

Or would it be better to rip it all up and replace with treated pine?

And can i cut off the rusted bottom brackets of the ballustrading and weld on new brackets?

Thanks for any comments.
 
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Hi capitalist,

...interesting... the way I would attack this would be to get some epoxy resin and pour it over the surface and before it goes off sprinkle more pebbles into the epoxy. I should note I haven't tried this, but see no reason why if it is done properly it wouldn't work. A far better option than total replacement.
A little hard to see how far the rust has gone in the balustrade bases, but 1st option would be to apply rust converter followed by a rust primer and then paint. Would be a good idea to lift bases and pour epoxy under them to seal from air to reduce the risk of the rust popping through from underneath at a later stage.
2nd option is ... yes cut off the bases and weld new ones on.
this will look like a repair (the weld will be visible).
If you weld on the new bases make sure there is no existing rust underneath ...... it will reappear.

good luck.

rossv
capitalist said:
Hi, i want to redo 2 small wooden decks and i'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good option. I've got a picture here of the decking which looks very sad now and becoming unsafe.

As you can see, it's very worn and needs tidying up. The existing deck looks like it's tongue & groove boards with a bitumen membrane stuck over it and then pebbles thrown down which are coming loose.

Does anyone know if i can get some type of self levelling compund that i can pour straight over this that has good grip in wet weather? Do i need to form up the sides much before i pour it?

Or would it be better to rip it all up and replace with treated pine?

And can i cut off the rusted bottom brackets of the ballustrading and weld on new brackets?

Thanks for any comments.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Cap

Maybe you could also consider tiling the area.
The rust at the base of the posts doesn't seem to have gone too far, so I would do as Ross suggested to treat the rust.

Maybe even a synthetic matting laid over the existing may be suitable enough.


Regards

Adrian See
 
Capitalist,
from what i have seen of your photos,dont waste your money on repairs
save the stairs,rip the lot down and dump in a 10 sms bin,hardwood decking,s/s steel wire the rails,25 mm cap lattice panels,100/100 hardwood posts for your main supports,i repaired a deck like this its just a matter of updating the old 60s style.
good luck
willair..
 
Thanks for the advice guys.
The rust is pretty bad with one section of ballustrading very weak and it looks like i'll have to weld on new brackets and repaint the whole thing - before a tenant falls through it.

Thanks for the epoxy tip rossv. I'm going to get some quotes for a resurface and see what products are now out there.
I considered tiles Adrian, but not sure i want to spend that much on it, plus i think they'd get too slippery when wet.
I'm not sure i like the look of that pebble mix and i'm leaning towards pulling it all up and putting down new decking. I like your description willair and i think i'll use a hardwood instead of treated pine.

I'll post some pics when i finish it.
 
Hello
I know that several months ago, the family handyman magazine printed a warning about these type of decks.
There have been several deaths where the deck has collapsed, in the article it explained the weak point being where the metal beams meet the wall of the house and is caused by severe corrosion. The houses mentioned were all built in either the 60s or 70s.
I would not hold a party with alot of people on that deck.
 
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