# Refurbishing old deck planking



## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

Nnot sure if I'm in the right forum, but...is it worth it (or even advisable) to run some 15-20yr old deck planking that has become quite weathered through a thickness planer to " rejuvenate " it? Our deck was built in the 80s(we bought the house in 2008 ) and it looks like it never got any decent annual treatment (sealant, or whatever is usually used), and I was wondering if taking up the planking and running it thru a planer would be of any use...or would too much material be removed for it to be safe to be used? Many thanks, Mark V


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

A couple of years ago I did a deck that was about 20'x25' pressure treated pine. Because of all the dirt embedded in the wood it wore out both sides of two sets of knives but it cleaned up the wood like new.


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## Johnny5 (Mar 7, 2014)

IMO, not worth the effort. The extra time it takes to try and carefully remove the existing, then go through and remove all the nails, then plane the boards and inevitably damage a couple sets of blades on nails that you overlooked isn't worth it to me. Also, keep in mind that the max recommended span for 5/4 decking is 14.5" (16" joist centers). If you have to remove a substantial amount, you may end up with some sponginess between joists. My deck is in a similar situation to yours, it will be getting composite deck boards this year. One less maintenance item to take away from time on the bike......:smile:


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## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

I think I am going to basically tear the whole thing down and re - build from scratch anyways...the way they originally did it is scary. 4x4 posts, two which are severely bowed...double 2x10 joists toe - nailed instead of using joist hangers... 2 ft spacing...planks with barely 1/8" spacing...looks like the only thing they did right were the lag bolts on the ledger board.


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## asevereid (Apr 15, 2012)

With that description in mind, I gotta say I am glad that you are deciding to tear down and rebuild.
But look at the bright side! Now you can start a deck building thread.:thumbsup:


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## Moark Willy (Jan 10, 2013)

If it's sound, why replace it? There are a few companies that sell a coating that is quite thick and will basically resurface the deck. It's not cheap, but cheaper than building a new deck, cheaper than a set of quality carbide planer blades and much faster.


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## nwoodward (Feb 2, 2014)

When I bought my little house the deck was a simple 10'x16' and never chemically treated properly so the 2x planking showed much sun and rain wear. Easiest solution on a budget was removed all the screws and flipped all the boards. I did however use 80 grit belt sander on areas residue had built up . Your going to find where the plank crossed a framing joist the board has a 'clean' spot with dark residue on either side. But in the end the deck floor looked brand new.


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