Deck Job: Replacing Wood with Composite 

It's a pleasure to watch a man work that knows what he's doing and is not trying to rip off somebody.

Great 👍 job, only thing I would do differently is add some waterproof membrane on the tops of the joists and flat boards.

Nice work you're a fast worker I would have saved that lumber for another project.

Should have hit those steps with some fascia boards. otherwise, very good job!

Joist tape!! If you’re going to install decking that has a 25 year warranty, you’ve got to protect the framing underneath, especially now that you have hundreds of holes from the old nails that were removed. The nail holes allow water to bypass the pressure treatment right into the heart of the joists. Butyl deck tape (Spax, Trex, Reeplar, Felizshop, etc.) helps your framing last as long as your decking. It also promotes sealing around new fasteners (just don’t overdrive into the concealed fastener clips). It’s also best to install the additional framing for the “picture frame” boards vertically with at least a 1/4” space between joists so you can tape the tops and promote drainage in between. Hope this helps you DIYers out there build a better deck that will last a good long time.

I don't see what is the purpose of showing this video... you don't give any tips, like what screws did you use, how did you insert them.

I dismantled my 25 year old 16' x 25' wood deck and believe me it is not as easy as he makes it look. Mine was screwed down and I "crab walked" two crowbars to pop the boards out. Some split and some were harder than others. I couldn't believe what accumulated under the deck. Never again. I'll just clean the concrete and use it as a patio and make a composite landing 3' x 6' with one step coming off my sunroom and call it a day.

Frame it 12in on center for non wood products boys. Been puttn em in since they came out w it.

Even more satisfying at 2X speed.

Looks beautiful!I had my 12 x 16 deck redone about 10 years ago with Azek. I was so tired of cleaning and re-staining every 3 years. I also replace all of the railings with white painted aluminum so that I can pressure wash each spring without blowing all the paint off. I asked the contractor to use the Azek Side Loc tool when fastening the decking so that all the screws are invisible. That was a good choice in my opinion because screw holes tend to fill up with dirt and look like black dots. They also ran rubber strips along the top of the joists, wider than the joists, to protect top of the joists from rot. It was a big investment but it has paid off in time and effort for me. It has held up well and still looks beautiful.

Hmmm love the smell and feel of scorching plastic decking. Who needs ceder.

Thanks for a great video. I learned a lot. Carry On Sir.

Dude you're a beast but where are your knee pads? Beautiful workmanship..

No flashing tape on flat areas where picture framing joints are. That's horrible, any standing water on pressure treated wood will rot after time. This is why I flash tape all top sides of everything. I have had a deck last over 20 years to this date with absolutely no rotting.

how was your knee caps after this job good video invest in some knee protection next time lol

That looks like more than a 12 inch span. I thought the composite materials required a 12" spacing of joists.

Nice job!

should have waterproofed the wooden support beams while you had the boards off.

A lot of work but done incorrectly. People looking to do this please watch other videos so you dont make the same mistakes. Good luck to this man and his new deck.

The only thing I would say is you should really wear knee pads. Otherwise incredible work.

Good job. Looks great 👍 thanks for show us

How old is this deck? I didn't see any rot on the joist and no joist tape added on it to prevent any rot.

So so so…. I am in the process of doing this as we speak….400 sq feet bi level. Using Wolf PVC. Lesson learned 1…..retro fitting a mix of old and new joists will test your patience’s. Why….the old wood probably shrunk about a quarter inch over time. A 1/4 inch here and there will make you crazy. Lesson Learned 2…..You MUST go from 16” OC to no more than 12” OC…so you are net adding joists. Lesson Learned 3……over engineer it….I went from nails to all screws. Lesson Learned 4. Your stair stringers also need to go 12” OC or less….and buy precut stringers from HD or Lowes. PVC isn’t cheap, nor extra wood for joists and whatever. Supplies(wood screws, brackets, cortex screws, joist tape)…I’m in for about 1,500$ for supplies alone. Aall in right now about 10k….yes….10k$….and I am doing all the work myself.

Why are you using nails and not screws on the framing?

I'm so glad i was smart and spent the extra money and bought Eon ( all plastic top of the line) back in 2003. A 20 footer was $33, today top of the line is about $115 a board. it's still the only way to go. Pressure washing and staining every 2 years sucks and end up costing more..I know a few people replacing their decking and the redo is very exspensive

Nice you were able to leave it 16’’ and not move the joist to 12’’ ????

Looks really nice! This video popped up in my feed because of the RU-vid algorith and my viewing of other similar videos. I am looking to do the same with my decks and need some tutorials and such. One question I have for you is about the placement of the field boards. One guy says not to line up the ends of the boards (recommended 24" offset) and then I see many professionals doing like what you did with the ends all lining up on the same joist. Is there a right or wrong to either methods?

This has to be the fastest guy working ! look at them speed!

Joist Tape

nicely done! you should use joist tape next time, it’ll stop water from getting into all the old nail holes and rotting out the wood another thing i did when i redid my deck was to dig under the rim joist that was in contact with the ground so there was a 3-4” gap then added about 2” of gravel. i know PT lumber is rated for ground contact, but all that wet soil will rot it out eventually

Very impressive, but I hate to tell you that deck will not last. Will all the nail holes that you pull out from deck joist, you forgot to put in a roof rubberize table at least the width of the joist before you install tree decking. Water will sipped i the joist old nail holes and side of the joist. I hope you don’t get a call back to replace all the joist again. Good luck.

You don't get paid by the hour, obviously.

Trex decking is deadly if you walk on it when snow or ice is on it.

Great video. Just started demo on mine. Did you run into any issues with reusing the holes in the joists from the nails you pulled? If so, how did you combat?

To much plastic in the world, I'll stay with wood

Any reason why you didn't use weather shield along the top edge of the framing?

Nice floor ugly handrail

Another how to where all the joists were level and even..Lucky you! Bet majority of redoes arent as lucky!

Great video, Keep it up 👍Subscribed and Like 👍 #7 from me

How much does replacing old wood from an old deck with these trex board normally cost? average wise.

a $10K upgrade that adds 2K in value to your home

How about all the rotten stringers that's what I have a problem with

We replaced our redwood deck with Timber Tech composite @ 12 years ago. With an occasional wash it still looks as good as the day it was installed ... and it looked great then. Only drawback we have found is that it can be a little slippery when wet.

Haven't found any composite that holds up to the hash climate of the coastal areas.

No joist tape, flashing, ir water proofing. You just wasted your time

After spending the day in ER with my wife after being hit by a drunk driver, I realized a good majority of us will be victims of gravity. No one ever thinks that, as they toil away. Just reminded me when you "thanked" gravity for knocking the camera over. Thanks for the vid. Building a dock with composite starting today, and one day, replacing all my decking with composite.

Nice job! What material is the beam of the new deck?

No matter what sealent or paint Ive used wood rots at a alarming pace, deck faces the north and in the shade all day and often stays damp. I want to build a deck with composit. At 2:57 why nail??? Square drive deck screws and a nice milwaukee or makita cordless screw gun would be easier and maybe faster. Deck turned out nice.👍

Thinking about doing this to my deck. My only question, wouldn't the joists have to be 12 inches apart in order to use composite? I was told it would otherwise start sagging shortly after we walk on it.

Can you tell me about how much you spend on this size of deck? I plan to budget for my deck DIY and where do you get this board from?

NO knee pads?!?!?! You must got some strong ass knees

The composite decking material looks great. However, I have seen carpenters protecting the deck foundation with butyl tape and/or other water protection coverings so that the structural lumber doesn't wetrot like the wood decking.

looks great but damn you must be rich! We don't waist wood from where I'm from. That was good wood for another project.

Plastic crap period , looks like crap in 4 years ,you can never match it .redwood is still the best choice if built correctly it will last 40 years new uv stains require less maintenance

fascinating! loved your vid style - sped up, key captions when appropriate. good job!!

We spend all that time watching you rip out boards, just to skip halfway into the composite wood install.

The 2x6s you removed are better than what you can buy today. You did an excellent job. A shame they left the crappy old railings.

Like laying floor vinyl, do you have to rip certain end boards to fit? Aww…never mind. I just saw where you cut the ends even and made a solid border. Nice!

A little voice might be helpful! I wished I worked that fast.

Nice job, looks great. I don't recall you mentioning, but what color(s) did you use? I'm looking into doing mine.

Power tools are our friend. A nailer really speeds things up. Also, hire a haul away vendor. Where I live, he will do all the hard work of loading the container for a nominal fee.

It's so perfect, I teared up at it's beauty. Um which store might I find a man that can help me do carpentry in GA? 🥰🤣🤣

Clean...

You skipped to half way on the new decking. Can’t even see how you started it

I looks great ,but for an amateur like me it would be nice just to see some of the work at normal speed so you get an idea how to do it exactly, thanks

Everyone that I see who is redoing their deck Do Not Wear Need Pads.

You cannot beat the those composite deck boards!😮 Glad I had them installed 5 years ago and went to big box store, the 16’ were around 3X the cost now! Ouch!

Must have cost about $100,000.

Two words…..Joist Tape. Otherwise nice work.

Never use a wrap material. This stuff grows like mad. I had spaces up to half inch that are now closed tight. Mine failed and was replaced twice by company. Even cracked and broken it is better than wood.

Can’t See what you’re doing🥲

you should use stainless steel screws.

If at all possible never butt composite

Cutting stair stringers on the ground? You're working uphill.

Built a 12' x 16' in-ground deck between swimming pool and the sliding doors, using synthetic planks made of cedar saw dust and polyethylene. This provided a level no-step walk between door and pool; very nice indeed. These planks were double sided, allowing them to be turned over if one surface were damaged, and I spaced the support joists at 12" centres. This deck was rock-solid! The surface finish was patterned as you might expect from seasoned wood, providing an anti-slip surface when wet. With an occasional cleaning every couple of years with soap solution and scrub broom, the deck looked as good as new when we sold the house 10 years later.

wow i wish i could redo a deck in 12 minutes

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but why isn't it an issue that the joists had nail holes from the original deck boards?

At 8:18 in the video you put a final piece in. Did you have to cut it lengthwise to make it fit in that space?

They always twist and sag

joist tape... ...cheap and great

On a sunny day is the deck hot underfoot?

My toxic trait is that I think I can do this

Just finished a similar job out at Lake Cushman client was very happy with the finished product.

This was on 16” centers?

This is just me. Think that if I were dismantling that deck, I would start first removing those planks by the house first, then working my way out to the ending. This give you a more secure working environment and your more prone to not fall or get hurt or have a mishap. Maybe I'm wrong on this.

Where are you located?

What was the sledge hammer for when putting the new boards down?

Amazing..all by himself ! great job

👏👏👏👏👏👍🇧🇷🇧🇷

That railing has to go.

What brand composite decking is it?

I would hire him by the hour

One thing to add: get ready to shell out $40+ per 12 foot length of 1x6 (depending on brand). And they are not a stiff as dimensional lumber - it bends as you walk over them.

Is the composite slippery when wet?

Where did you dispose of the PT wood?

A lot of decks Nationwide need that done

Man! You work fast. 🤓

The Dutch angle, also known as Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle, is a type of camera shot which involves setting the camera at an angle The primary use of a Dutch angle is to cause a sense of unease or disorientation for the viewer.

Were the joists of old deck 16 oc?

Wow!!!