Decking boards starting to rot after 6ys

Lex Luthor

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this, so mods please move to appropriate if necessary.

I got a deck put down by a local company 6ys ago and noticed today when I went to stain it that a good few of the boards are on an advanced state of rot when I started poking at them. I felt a lot of give in a few boards and they started to bounce at the edge so when I picked at the wood, it crumbled away in my hands.

Its only at this side that its happened. Now we religously, annually clean down the deck and stain it, so we have kept it well, so needless to say I was shocked to see this.

At the time we were getting it, we decided to go with the smooth deck boards rather than the grooved/ridged ones as we thought they looked better and would not keep dirt in them as easy. We probably paid a bit extra for this aswell, but now it looks like the wood is not as weatherproof as we expected.

I can't see any other scenario than just having to replace the damaged boards, but do you think I have any chance for the installer in coming back and giving me a good explanation as to why this happened?

Here's a few pictures...

Lex Luthor

one more....

misschipp

Lex
Firstly did you use pressure treated wood? It should have had a slight green tint before you stained it.
Secondly, from the photos I noticed that you have an upright board at the end of them which would prevent water from running off the ends of the boards. Also is that a raised flower bed behind the upright board? If so, water would drain from this onto the ends of your boards, which would explain the rot. Maybe you could show a photo of the affected area and include the environment around it so we have a better idea of the problem.

Jac
(please note new username, previously known as turnertina)

loz

They dont look pressure treated, dont have the greenish hue as previously noted.

Not sure who did this job for you, but flat planks for decking ? and no runoff possible ?

looks like a bodge job, using standard deal planks to me.

although im no expert.

My decking is from ridged 3x6 pressure treated , with the grooves in the direction of the slight angles run off direction.

L

Lex Luthor

the company I used is very reputable
http://www.classicdecks.ie/about.htm

the wood was treated alright. The problem seems to be from the raised bed behind the wood. The water from the soil has been seeping into the plank ends for the last 6yrs and has now started to rot it. Looks like I have a few busy weekends ahead trying to rectify the problem before it gets any worse

kadman

Hi Lex,

Looks like your bank holiday weekend is spoken for now.

I think you have the answers you were looking for from Misschipp. But I am still surprised how quick they rotted if they were pressure treated, maybe they were only treated by brush application. pressure treated timber tends to last a lot longer, even in moist situations. Some of the timber around my own garden that is in constant contact with the soil is pressure treated, and is in perfect condition after about 5 years. But unless your rotten boards were inspected, its hard to speculate on the treatment process.

Its doubtful you will get any benefit from contacting the installers, but who knows. Was the deck design, raised beds ect their design or yours. You know yourself that they will not accept any responsibility after 6 years, or maybe they gave you a guarantee.

Treat yourself to a few cans after the jobs done....:p

kadman

Lex Luthor

here's a picture of the deck from upstairs to give a better idea of it

basically the deck was constructed from 11' boards. as the fence line was not parallel to the house, as the deck got closer to the house the gap between the deck board ends & fence increased. To overcome this gap, we agreed to put the board you see that is holding in the raised bed along the length and then I could put in a raised bed in behind.

Right now, my first plan is to completely remove the raised bed/all plants and the upright beam to inspect the damage at the board ends along the whole deck. Also I need to inspect the subframe.

If the boards look ok, I might just put the upright beam further out to cover the damaged ends and build a seat the length of the deck up to the fence.

Other than that, the only other option is replace all the boards or the affected ones at least

Lex Luthor

what differences are their between these 2 products apart from that the Seal only comes in a clear formula?

The Oil is also available in a clear formula so what are the purposes of both?

I want to get away from using the stain as it seems to just peel off every year. I'm thinking maybe something that soaks in will weather better.

Lex Luthor

ok, now I'm going back to my original idea of replacing all the boards with new grooved ones. I originally thought lifting the boards would be a right pain, but I was told if I get a circular saw and set it the depth of the boards, then run it along a few times, it will be a lot easier to take them out in sections.

Only problem I see is that I think the nails they used were the threaded type ones, so I have no experience as to hard these might be to remove with a crow bar...once they are in, are they very difficult to get out as this is what they were designed for?

loz

Lex Luthor wrote: »

ok, now I'm going back to my original idea of replacing all the boards with new grooved ones.

Is the frame sound ?

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Only problem I see is that I think the nails they used were the threaded type ones, so I have no experience as to hard these might be to remove with a crow bar...once they are in, are they very difficult to get out as this is what they were designed for?

Can you drill out the nails/deck screws ?


re treatment, unless you want that colour stain, why not just use a nice decking oil ?

Lex Luthor

loz wrote: »

Is the frame sound ?

as far as I know the only issue I will have with the frame is the section against the raised bed. The rest is sold....Jumping on it, etc, its rock solid.
Obviously I'll be checking it when I lift the existing boards, but it feels solid.

loz wrote: »

Can you drill out the nails/deck screws ?


re treatment, unless you want that colour stain, why not just use a nice decking oil ?

Not sure yet...I'll wait and see how easy it is to pull the first one...just wondering if anyone has any experience removing these nails

The deck oil is the next alternative.....any idea what is the difference between the oil and the seal?

Lex Luthor

just had someone over who gave me a good few ideas on how to box off the area where the raised bed is....so scap my idea of replacing the whole deck.

Any idea where I can get boards similar to the ones I have now. They are 150mm wide and about 40mm thick and rounded on 2 edges

galwayrush

Just to note, Pressure Treatment can be either Clear, Brown or Green,
But obviously if the Timber was Treated, it wouldn't be rotten by now..

galwayrush

From experience, Larch if by far the most suitable wood for Irish conditions.

Lex Luthor

just removed all the flower bed last night.....about 8 boards are rotten at the ends but I think I can get away from replacing them all and covering them with a seat....I might get a chance to post some pictures along the repair route

kadman

Hi Lex,

Well did you get the job sorted after all

kadman

Mahatma coat

upon readin this thread,

Just a few points about Treatment types

LOSP -Light Organic Solvent Protection - is Clear, but rubbish
CCA -Cuppros Chromatic Arsenate- is Green/Blue, is only envelope treatment

ACQ -Aceonne Copper Quaternarry- is Brown, this is pressure treatment.

H1 to H3 treatment types offer no protection against the elements and are primarily Borer/Termite treatments

H4 and up offer some in ground protection for the timber, it does not however magicly change the properties of the timber and mak it immune to rot.

jobrok1

Putting a raised flower bed on the deck like that that was probably the reason for the rot. It basically meant the timbers were constantly in contact with water for 6 years or so.
The rest of the decking timbers would only be in contact with water whenever it rained, basically! About half of the year at most.
So you could probably multiply that 6 years by about 3 to get a fair idea of how long the rest should last you.

You could still keep plants in the flower bed area. Build up a boxed area and just put potted plants along it. You could use a thick plastic to line the lower level of the box with a run-off area at the back and sides for any water that gets through the pots.

hippychippy

just cut off the thickness of one board off all the rotten ends and run a new board at right angles to the rest, from your pics the timber looks like softwood, I am a carpenter myself and I hate to see this kind of thing. It gives us all a bad name. There are too many guys watching diy programmes and setting up companies installing decks, timber floors etc, and then the likes of me are called in to make it right again.

turbodiesel

I also got a deck fitted by the same company in 2002. Classic decks did a great job when they fitted the deck and left the garden very tidy. I honestly did not loook after the deck very well so thats why I'm searching on here and this autumn i've seen three boards al least that need replacement that live next to a gutter and in the shade.. I power washed it maybe 4 times in the twelve years and only retreated it once when it was about 4 years old so have only myself to blame. I'm hoping to sand the top 1/8 in an inch off and retreat once i can get some new boards. Does anyone know where in the dublin area I can get replacements?