Category: Decking

Save Your Deck!

Repair your wood deck, apply two new coats of stain, then you have more money for other garden improvements.

Deck Repair Decisions:
1. Top Wood plank condition and structure underneath not rotted and soft
2. Clean wood surface, free of BBQ grease, some sand deck … power wash if available
3. Ensure dry and stain coat twice for best look.

Level 2 Deck Repair is going to be expensive. Considerations are

1. Wood prices are up but taking hard look at replacing the entire deck surface.
2. Going to be some structural and rot issues which will add to the budget
3. Ok with the Standard brown wood finish color or going to stain the wood to your own tastes
4. Consider composite decking? If you upgrading from a wood deck you will not have the recommended 12″ stringer spacing needed, pushing you closer towards to a new deck redo!

Stain or Water Seal Your Deck?

Wood Deck is 3-4 years old, in great condition other than losing it pressure treated color. Sunny bleached pressure treated wood deck is being applied with 2 coats of Thompson Water seal to revive the decks appearance and to preserve from wood rot.

Refinishing the wood resulted in great revived new deck appearance!

Wood Deck 3-4 years later!

Water Seal finish was pealing off in areas calling for a new refinish repair. Otherwise beautiful finish has deteriorated away due to water being absorbed into the dry boards and popping off the water seal finish.

Because the woods surface had been clear sealed, one has to sand the decking boards to get back to the raw wood surface.

Refinished the Deck with a semi transparent stain that soaks into the wood, so that next time can just re-stain the deck!

Prefer Wood stain finish as it is easier to recoat one deck!

Wood Bridge Deck

Wood timbers create the platform structure for his older train bridge. Today’s world, wood has been passed over for stronger concrete and steel bridge construction.


Amazing the amount and quantity of wood timber needed. That’s just for one river!

Old Wood timbers from the rail lines can get recycled. Over the years have been sold for retaining walls.

One worthy note is that many wood ties have been dipped in creosote which was used to preserve the life of the railway ties. Creosote has a strong oily smell and could be undesirable near pools and patio areas.

Why Pressure Treated?

Here is a example of the cut ends of 2″ green pressure treated deck boards. Shown is the inconsistency of the treatment protection due to how porous the wood is and the lumber’s dryness.

Pressure treated lumber has the cheaper lower price point. Try to price cedar and you may be shocked at the cost of cedar today!

Wood Deck Pier, Naples FL

Naples Pier is fabricated with wood beams, wood decking, railings and 3 building structures, The wood pier is built on concrete pylons placed in the Gulf sand.

.Wood Pier wood decking has been lifted from hurricane Irma winds Sept 2017 as a result a half pier section was closed due to needed repairs – picture taken March 2018.