[header] How to safety check your deck [title] Make sure the deck's boards are strong. [step] Look all across the deck for damaged boards, particularly in areas where water gathers. Take an ice pick or screwdriver and push the tip into the wood.
[header] How to safety check your deck [title] Make sure the deck's boards are strong. [step] Look all across the deck for damaged boards, particularly in areas where water gathers. Take an ice pick or screwdriver and push the tip into the wood.
Once you're sure the boards are firmly stuck, pry the ice pick out of the wood. Another way to assess deck is to look up. Check some inside for holes or gaps where standing water can fill them. Look for splinters, cracks, or any holes where dripping water can surface. If the wood feels soft, splinters, or is easily penetrated, it is rotting and needs to be replaced. [substeps] Pay special attention to the gaps between decking boards as well as the deck joists underneath the deck boards. If the nail or screw break the wood, tape it to the deck with painter's tape or electrical tape. [substeps] Avoid boards that have internal holes to puncture and can be reused to fill in these holes with a deck strengthener.