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Porches & Decks

Installing new deck boards over old deckboards?

16 years ago

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad I found this site... Great info!

I moved into a house 2 years ago with a nicely designed 2-story cedar deck, with lots of interesting angles and design elements. Total square footage is around 1400 sq. ft. The deck boards are 2x6, 24" OC and laid out at 45 degrees, so the span is pretty wide. Unfortunately, the deck boards were in fairly bad shape when I moved in, and some had been replaced with PT over the years. It was stained with a dark red opaque stain of some type.

Last fall I sanded the deck and replaced about 300 lf of board, then used a tinted water-proofer to get me through the winter. After living with the deck through the spring and summer, I've decided that I'm not happy with the cosmetics and the "patchwork" that has been done over the years, and I'm considering resurfacing the entire deck with 1x6 Ipe.

I'm fairly new to decks, so sorry of this is a dumb question... Is there a good reason NOT to attach the new boards directly over the old boards? I'd like to avoid the mess and expense of a full tear-out, and the step-down to the deck is 9" (too high for my liking), so it can easily accommodate an extra 3/4" to 1" of deck height. If I allow for sufficient drainage via holes in the original deck, and face-screw the new boards through the joists in the same orientation as the original boards, am I asking for trouble? Thanks for your advice!

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Comments (6)

john_hyatt
16 years ago
You are defently asking for trouble for a lot of reasons. J.
leigh007
Original Author
16 years ago
John, all,

Can I replace the 2x6 boards w/ 5/4x6 Ipe, and attach the boards at 45 degrees given the 24" span of the joists? If I go perpendicular to the joists, can I use 1x6 Ipe? Thanks again.
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brooklyndecks
16 years ago
I agree with John...if the cedar rots, you'll have a big problem. Get rid of the old decking. A 24" span is a stretch for 1x6 ipe, but fine for 5/4. You might even be able to span the 24" with diagonal 5/4x6. I've done it

steve
dooer
16 years ago
In replacing a existing roof top deck, we had to span 32" with 5/4 Ipe and it was fine.
colebug
16 years ago
Hello,
We're doing something similar, and wondering... Is it okay to install onto the same joists? Is there any kind of treatment that can help preserve the joists when reusing them?
Lanie
3 years ago
I bought joist tape flashing from home depot

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