Deck repair question

[WildIrish]

A board on our (very small) back deck rotted, split, and broke. So I replaced it yesterday with a new piece of pressure-treated wood. I used screws, and drilled pilot holes for them, to prevent damage to the wood. I only used 6 screws, as there were only three support boards underneath (2 screws to attach it to each support).

Less than 24 hours later, long cracks are already developing in this new piece of wood! I was going to paint it with some kind of deck stain, but I'm not going to waste money on a board that's showing signs of damage already.

I'm making these images clickable, so as not to inconvenience anyone on dialup. Here's the first one, a close-up of the board:
http://oi47.tinypic.com/e7gd54.jpg

Here's a full view, to show how long the cracks are:
http://oi46.tinypic.com/2m29w9c.jpg

What should I have done differently, to prevent this from happening?


Thanks in advance for any help.

[HouseMedic]

It has nothing to do with what you did. Pressure treated wood does that sometimes. Is that a regular decking board or is it just a 1x6? The deck boards are 5/4 in thickness. The only thing I can tell you is that if you change it again you might want to let the board sit in the sun for a day to see if it splits as it drys out. When you put the board on make sure to let the bark side face up. Look at the grain on the end and check the rings.

Ron

[WildIrish]

Ron,

Thanks for your quick reply.

I had to get a 1x6 to match the other piece of wood, or else we could have tripped over a thicker board mounted next to the thinner one. Maybe I should get 2 thicker boards next time, so they would be the same height.

I'll also be sure to ask at the lumberyard, which is the bark side of each piece of wood, and I'll mark it on the boards with a pencil. I saw some knots on the other side of the wood, and put the cleaner-looking side up.

Do you (or anyone else) know what would be the best type of paint/deck stain to use on this, and the other wood in these pics? I want it to be forest green, to match our front porch and trim.

Thanks in advance!

[bondo]

are you sure that's pressure treated? looks untreated to me. I've used both and haven't had that problem. Maybe you just have a bum piece of wood. also make sure it's screwing to a flat surface and not bowing in the middle.

[HouseMedic]

Are you sure the original board was pressure treated? If they are painted they might just have been yellow pine. How old is the deck. I can't see in the picture the rest of the boards. Do you have a better picture showing the boards next to the new one. Normally you want pressure treated wood to dry out a bit before painting, or are you talking about stain?

Another thing, If you get another board try to get one with a tighter grain.

Ron

[Greg]

That looks like the stuff from the Depot. It is next to impossible to find quality dried wood. I have found that the majority of wood splits like that.

To find the "Bark side" (or crown) just look at the end of the board, you will see the growth rings, the largest circle goes up.

This may help too http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how ... or_decking

Greg

[WildIrish]

OK, I'll try to answer all your follow-up questions in one post.

Bondo (and Ron): The sticker on it says it's pressure treated, and I paid for pressure treated wood. Maybe I got pressure treated junk instead, LOL.

It's definitely not bowing in the middle, as I checked that before I started drilling. There are supporting boards in the middle, and on either side, a few inches away from the ends. There's also a supporting board across the entire front; I was going to put more screws in this weekend to secure it more firmly to that supporting board. Now, I worry that the whole plank might start splitting.

Ron: The deck was built in 1975. There's only one board beside this one, as it's a step. Here's an overhead view: http://oi45.tinypic.com/2ev4w78.jpg The new board and the one above it are the step; neither piece is bowing, and both are firmly screwed onto the supporting boards beneath them. (The board above those two is part of the upper part of the small deck. All boards are only around 81" long.)

Also, I'm certain the older boards were pressure treated, as I found out the hard way after painting them with regular outdoor paint. The paint came off within a year! I had thought the boards were regular untreated wood, but a neighbor pointed out that they weren't. He suggested using an oil-based paint next time I painted the deck.

I wanted to find out what type of paint to use; I definitely want an opaque forest green color, as I don't want the ugly old wood to show. The previous owners liked that rotting-gray wood look, so they didn't even bother to stain it. But we hate that look, which is why we painted the front porch and deck in the first place. I'll definitely take your advice about letting the (next) new board dry out before painting--how long should I let it dry out?

As far as the grain, I had no choice in the matter. I asked the employee for the wood, requested that there be no massive imperfections in it, and gave the measurements. I suppose I could ask for a board with tighter grain, but it's not like I have a great deal of options...which leads to....

Greg: I got the wood at Ace Hardware. My only other option is Menards, and the people who work there are so lazy and unhelpful that I won't shop there anymore. As it is, I had to drive 30 miles just to go to Ace. Other cities are too far away for me (I have health issues, so I can't take drive 100+ miles to get to a larger city with an actual lumberyard). *grumble*

Thanks also for the other info. I just went outside with a flashlight to check, and the bark side is indeed facing up. At least I did that right!

The sticker on the board said that it has a warranty, so I'm going to call Ace and see if they'll at least replace it with a piece of wood with a tighter grain.

[HouseMedic]

As you can see in the other old board it also has almost the same cracks which most likely have been there since it was fairly new also. That is one of the biggest problems with pressure treated wood. When they treat it, it is basically submerged in a chemical bath in a closed tank then put under pressure to force the chemical to get inside of the wood. As the wood drys out again it splits, cups or twist. I have seen new pressure treated 4x4 post twist a full 180 degrees making them useless. As for painting I would let the new board dry out about 30 days before painting with a paint or solid stain (better in mu opinion) that says is useable on pressure treated wood. As for the rest of the deck before I would paint it I would pressure wash it to get all of the dirt and impurities off of it so the paint sticks to it. Just make sure it has at least three or four days to dry out after washing it before painting.
Good luck with it and I am sure you will come out OK.

Ron

[WildIrish]

I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference, when it comes time to paint. I appreciate all the useful advice, Ron.

Thanks to everybody who responded to my post. You've all been very helpful.