"benick" wrote in message
. ..

"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...

Agree. If it is only a board or two, replace them and stain the entire
deck. If a bunch, consider replacing the deck with a better grade of wood
such as redwood or ipe. This is the time to do an upgrade if you want. If
you want to use the plastic woods, you probably have to add considerable to
the underlying frame too as it needs 12" center instead of 16"