Can an Older Deck With Good Bones Get a Full Restoration Instead of a Rebuild?

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Welcome to another Q&A session where we answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Can an Older Deck With Good Bones Get a Full Restoration Instead of a Rebuild?"

Summary:

The owner describes this as one of the biggest misconceptions he encounters, since many homeowners assume that if the framing seems fine, they only need to replace the boards. He explains that the decking surface and railing are actually the most expensive parts of a deck, while the framing, though the most important part, is the least expensive. Because of that, it rarely makes financial sense to keep old framing and install expensive new decking and railing on top of it, since that framing will likely fail quickly if it's not in excellent condition. He notes it's extremely rare for a twenty-year-old deck to have framing in good enough shape to reuse. That said, when the framing genuinely is in excellent condition with nothing missing or improperly done, he's fully supportive of what he calls a resurface: keeping and inspecting the existing bones, replacing any minor defects, and installing new decking and railing. He considers this scenario rare, however, and often finds homeowners have been misled by other builders into thinking it's a viable option when it typically isn't.

Answer:

That's a good question, and honestly, I think this might be the biggest misconception and biggest mistake out there that homeowners make. It's surprising how many people tell me the bones are good and they just need to replace the boards, or that the framing's in good shape and they just need new decking. I always want to be very clear with anyone who says that. First, the most expensive part of the entire deck is the decking surface and the railing. The least expensive but probably the most important part of the deck is the framing. So to me, it almost never makes sense to keep old framing, which is the least expensive but most important part, just to save a little money, and then install these expensive new products on top of it. Those products will absolutely fail, and fail quickly, if the framing isn't in essentially perfect condition. It's extremely rare that a twenty-year-old deck, unless it's somehow been sheltered from the elements the entire time, is in good enough shape that the bones can be reused for a new deck. That said, I'm the biggest fan in the world of doing what we call a resurface if the bones truly are in great condition, everything is proper, and nothing is missing. In that case, we'll keep the bones, inspect them, replace any minor defects that need attention, and then install new decking and railing. That's a great way to still get a new deck while saving some money. But I find that situation to be very rare, and I meet too many homeowners who either believe that's a good idea for their specific deck, or, more commonly, have been told that by other builders when it really isn't the case.