Dodgezilla

I had my deck installed about 5 years ago by Decks America which is supposed to be the best. (Around here anyways)
They have all kinds of claims about using only top of the line lumber and so-forth. Anyways, the flooring boards are all starting to splinter and you can't even walk outside without fear of getting splinters or having your socks get hung up on the fraying wood. The warranty is up so I'm stuck trying to figure out a cure.
Can I take a belt sander to it to get rid of the splintering or will I sand off the treated part of the wood causing it to rot sooner? I already had to replace one of the handrails for the same reason. I hope I don't have to replace the whole floor......

I know! I know! What's this have to do with trucks??

TomW

Ummm, you have kept the deck up and reapplied a good sealer every year, yes?

If so, call 'em and have them replace the old stuff, warranty or not. With a good sealer, you should have a "like new" deck still.

phox_mulder

Replacement wood will be delivered by truck.




phox

dieselminded

even treated wood @ 5 years with no sealer sholdnt be splintering
your talking a good while till treated wood shows signs of age usually discoloring and warping not splitering

splitering @ 5 years.................. somethings not right

REGUARDLESS of who built the deck teated wood has a warrentee all in its self .. the little tags thats on the ends of the boards are acctually your warrentee recept not sure if you dont have the tags if you can get a refund or not.

Im sure the next statement will not go unattacked but its true and anybody can research it.......................................What is treated wood treated for ??????.............................you say WATER so would I ,but its treated for paracites not water its crazy ,but true Ive lost a bet on it a while back so Ill never forget.

A few years back they quit useing arsonic to treat wood FDA reasons I guess sence then treated wood quallity has really fell below par .....but even with the new treated wood no splitering should happen @ 5 years.

I'd wager that it wasnt treated wood then it'd all make sence it would splinter in the weather @ 5 years

did the deck have a greenish look to it when new or was it more white???
Treated wood is greenish non treated is not.

Dodgezilla

I have cleaned and sealed it twice in the 5 years. I may call them and see if they will do anything for me.

Thanks

BigBlue

We built a deck at my house about 5 years ago out of treated wood. Never once sealed it. It still looks brand new.

natstayl

Right Dieselminded, pressure treated wood is treated to resist termites and wood eating pests, nothing more. Even the best *** #1 grade PT lumber rots at sawed joints where water gathers before the rot warranty expires. Water seal helps but sooner or later it rots. Splintering of the decking is another problem. I'd bet the decking that is splintering is cut with the grain running across the board instead of thru the board.
Dodgezilla, if you have any scrap left, look at the ends of the boards. It should have been 5/4" lumber planed both sides and cut with the grain running thru the board as opposed to across the board. I'd bet the boards that are splintering have the grain running more lateral. Rent a floor sander from one of the home centers, preferably a pad sander instead of a belt sander. If the cellulose is separating from the grain, the planks will have to be replaced sooner or later, but sanding/painting them will minimize additional splintering for a couple of more years. Notice I said paint, not stain.
Nat

BigBlue

Why not stain?

natstayl

Stain gets absorbed by the cellulose, does nothing to rebond the cellulose to the grain. Paint of better quality does and provides better UV protection. Water is not the problem at this point as much as direct sun.
Nat

rharveysr

There is sealer that I have used that last and last! The name of the product of Cabots and the flavor that I used was called Clear Solutions. The product was designed to withstand the weather and water that you get on the east coast. Yes its a little high but boy does it last. And it does have the UV stuff in it..
You should not be having issue with a deck that is only 5 years old. But again..with the quality of lumber that we get now days it just dont last.
I have torn out decks in Arkansas that I know had been there for 15 years and they still looked good.

Rick

Chrisreyn

We built 5 years ago and had a treated wood porch put in. We are having the same problem wiht the ends splintering, and the cause is that the framer had his kid do the deck, he ran the screws in too far and split the fibers of the wood, causing it to split and raise up.
there isnt a whole lot to do, we sanded, and refinished it in year 3, but it is still a problem.
Before y'all ask, No the framer wont replace it, he says that it was " additional work" outside his contract and isnt covered by his warranty.
It hasnt been worth pursuing beyond that, I aint the sort who likes to clog the courts with a little squabble..too much of that going on already..

If ya sand it, try as much as possible to see what direction the grain of the wood is laying, and sand with it. It helped a lot on ours when we rounded the ends of the boards slightly with some fine grit ( beleive we used 180 ) paper by hand. Hasn't splintered as much...but eventually I am going to have to replace the decking.
GOOD LUCK!

Commatoze

Up this way White Cedar is the way to go for decking and handrails. It's soft, free of pitch and resin, so it's resistant to splintering. Nice to walk on bare foot. Weathers to a nice silver grey.

Dodgezilla

Mine's not splintering on the ends. It is doing it all over where the grain just seems to be pulling up from the board. Did I word that right?
By the way, the deck still looks brand new other than the splintering problem. It also sits in the direct sun all day long.....
I may just get some indoor/outdoor carpet and put it over the deck. It's only 12'x12' square.

rharveysr

The indoor/outdoor carpet may hold enough mositure that it was cause the lumber to rot...
The lumber or deck wont have a chance to dry out after a rain..

Rick

Geico266

Put some indoor outdoor carpet on it and call it a day. Replace it every 5 years and you are good to go. No more spliters, and not you have a place to practice putting!