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Porches & Decks

I need non-standard replacement deck boards

10 years ago

I need to replace 5 boards in my deck but I'm having trouble finding the right size. They are 5/4 (1") thick by 5 1/4" wide X 8' long Douglas fir outside wood. I believe the deck was constructed about 15 years ago. I have heard that this size was sold back then to save cost, but they are no longer produced. This is a large deck in good condition, it would be very costly to re-plank it with 2 X 6. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I can rip boards and plane them. The problem would be the weather proofing. Working pressure treated lumber would be too toxic.

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Comments (2)

nerdyshopper
10 years ago
I just finished redoing my old cedar deck. It had developed surface cracks all over. A few were cracked all the way through and I had to replace those. But for all the rest of the deck I found a product called Elmers oudoor wood filler that was stainable at Lowes Hardware. I had a kid sand and renail those boards and fill the cracks with that product. Then he resanded the filled places and stained the deck. I can tell you it was a ton cheaper than replacing the deck boards (the few I replaced cost me $400 for about 12 boards about 12 feet long in construction heart redwood). The filler doesn't match perfectly but at the age of my deck it looked fine. I used Cabot's Australian Timber Oil in flame mahogany. Everyone comments that it looks great.
nerdyshopper
10 years ago
I also suggest that you contact a lumber yard in your area, or a building supplier. Some will saw lumber to size for you. You could then order wider or longer boards and ask to have them cut to your dimensions. Good luck and let us know if you find a solution.
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