"lagman" wrote in message
...
My deck needs to be re-stained.. I'm trying to decide whether or not
to re-stain it or just replace it. There are places on the deck that
have some "give" when I step on them. What is the best way to tell?
The deck is about 17 years old.

Thanks,
Dan

If it is 17 years old and the deck boards feel spongy it's pretty safe to
say it needs to be replaced..Atleast the decking boards...You can check the
joists after removing the deck boards by poking them with a
screwdriver...You'll be able to tell if they are bad....They will be soft
and mushy...In which case it all needs to go...Also check for rot where it
attaches to the house using a screwdriver to poke around...