“Can I Resurface my Wooden Deck?”

Question: Can I attach synthetic deck lumber directly on top of the existing wood of my old deck? I’m tired of finishing and refinishing this wood.

Answer: I’ve resurfaced a number of decks for this reason, and yes, you can do it. As long as the underlying structure is sound, resurfacing is a great option, especially when you’d like to get away from finishing and refinishing wood. Structurally speaking though, applying composite decking on top of non-rotten wood may work for a while, but it will also promote rot of the boards underneath because of the trapped water between the two layers. The edges would look weird too, with a couple of layers visible. When the wood underneath eventually rots under your synthetic lumber, you’ll have a mushy mess supporting your synthetic deck boards. Not good. This is why the best option is to remove your existing boards, then install new ones. And there are some tricks to help.

There are two tools that will help you remove your existing deck boards more easily. A nail puller is an effective tool for gripping and pulling nails that are pounded in all the way. In fact, even if your current deck boards are held down with screws, a nail puller is often an excellent tool to remove them. Two reasons why.

First, the recessed head of old deck screws are often filled with dirt and old finishing liquid gone hard, so it can be difficult or impossible to get a screw driver bit to engage. Sometimes you can pick the dirt out of each head, but that’s at least a huge job, and sometimes an impossible one.

Second, deck screws are not all that strong, and old ones are often partially corroded. Yanking on the with the nail puller you see above is likely the fastest way to get them removed. If there are any remaining screws above the top of the joists, either break them off flush or pound them down below the surface.

An even faster option than pulling or unscrewing decks is to cut them where deck boards meet the underlying joists. A reciprocating saw with a hacksaw blade is my favourite power tool for careful disassembly of the kind you’re planning. Simply saw through the nails and screws holding the deck boards down and you can remove them without damage or struggle.

One of the most important places for a low-maintenance deck is at the summer cottage or country home. Click here to learn about several other tips for building a place so it imposes minimal maintenance on you. This applies to decking as well as other parts of the summer home reality. Too many places are built or renovated without enough care about minimizing maintenance work required.