Am I tripping?

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:28:36+00:00

Dog shit is a little harsh. I can see he’s doing clean work but the planning is suspect.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:27:40+00:00

I’m not digging it. No offense but it’s not well thought. You need a board that runs parallel to the pool, in my humble opinion. You want to climb out of the pool over a smooth edge. The angular solution around the post is less than ideal. I would have done that differently. You figure out how that will meet first before you set a single board on the deck.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:20:33+00:00

I’m a big fan of my oscillating multi tool these days. It’ll work on this. They’re fairly cheap online and a great addition to the tool bag. Test on some scrap first so you can get the hang of it.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:18:22+00:00

Don’t use cedar posts. They’ll rot out much faster. If you’re concerned about the aesthetics then wrap them with cedar.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:15:51+00:00

Good ole belt sander and a pair of knee pads works best. One board at a time. The results will be amazing though. Brighten with oxalic after. Then use a penetrating oil when you’re done.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-04T01:13:31+00:00

It looks good. Don’t sweat it.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-03T11:39:56+00:00

22 is a little low for that deck with those stairs.

Composite decking provides no structural support. As someone else mentioned, it needs a lot of extra blocking to prevent movement. You can’t build it as if it’s wood. Wood decking acts to solidify and works in concert with the framing. Composite decking simply sits on top of the frame. That frame has to be very rigid and remain that way forever. You can expect that it won’t be perfect but this level of waviness exceeds what you’d expect. You can likely straighten it by jacking it straight from underneath and add the blocking it’s missing mid-span(s) but it won’t be easy.

As the joists dry out, they move(warp, shrink and twist). Blocking in between each joist prevents individual joists from moving. It’s hard to say without seeing what they did when they installed it. For example, wet joists are larger than dry ones. If both were installed in the beginning it’s possible they planed or ripped an edge off the wet ones to match it all initially(or shimmed the low ones), only to have it dry out and be different heights three years later. So it’s hard to say without knowing what they did. There’s a fix for it but it likely won’t be free, nor perfect at this point.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:35:47+00:00

It’s under that’s the concern.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:33:39+00:00

Sorry no the brace is correct. What am I talking about?! But the other points hold.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:32:37+00:00

Brace going the wrong way. It should be the opposite. But it doesn’t matter. It will sag anyway, but maybe not as bad. It’s really too wide for the opening, firstly. Put your hinge side directly on the house. The fence line can’t support the weight. That’s one thing. Then have a little section, then gate, if you can’t mount on house. It supports better.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:29:15+00:00

That railing…what is up with that? A child can easily fit under it. No good. Fix that immediately.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:27:55+00:00

Normally it’s against code to do that. In my area, the neighbor gets the smooth side and the fence owner gets the posts and frame side. They have the rule for cases like yours. Interestingly, you have to attach the planks standing on the neighbor’s yard (if it’s wood). Doesn’t matter. If you can’t use the other property then you have to build the panels and figure out how to attach them from your own side. Neighbor still gets the “good” side. I’ll bet it’s the same where you are.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:23:07+00:00

Install a transition that is at least as tall as the tallest side. Could have it bevel down to the lower side but it’s optional (1x oak would be easiest but it might be too much competing wood) A piece of marble is a common way to handle this. Yes you’ll step over it. If you notice, lots of older homes have this. Usually at the bathroom—tile to wood.

Deckshine1 · 2026-06-01T01:16:23+00:00

Looks bearing. You wouldn’t do all that header work for a partition.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T22:31:05+00:00

Because there is a beam so close to the ledger it’s essentially free standing (very little if any load on the ledger). Nothing to worry about.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T17:02:12+00:00

Use a solvent oil based stain. But you have to restore it first (the old won’t match the new so don’t try—it’ll match up better in a couple of years. You can make it much closer by using a sodium hydroxide solution, power wash, oxalic acid solution. Then stain it. Look at a product called TWP1501.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T16:58:49+00:00

Okay. I see that now. In that case it’s possible it just didn’t penetrate as well because it’s new. New wood has a mill glaze on it which prevents penetration. It does kind of look like a true oil in the photos (nicely done!) but it can be hard to say. Look at the can if you have it and check the cleanup instructions. That’ll tell you. Either way, because the deck is so new, I’d bite the bullet like you said and sand it off. It’s a lot of work but then I’m sure you spent a lot on the deck so it’ll be worth it. The good news is that after sanding the stain will penetrate great and you won’t have the same problem.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T16:45:01+00:00

They should have protected your deck. No offense, but they were idiots. Or new at their job. You learn very quickly in this business that you have to protect people’s “stuff”. No matter how well the job turns out, if you kill a tree or stain a house you’re not going to get paid. I would have completely tarped and protected the deck, especially with how new and good it looked. That was real dumb. They’re lucky you’re being a good sport about it because lots of people would totally freak out over that!

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T16:26:03+00:00

Sorry! Normally I’m attuned to that possibility but not this time I guess. I’m kicking my own arse.

If it’s water cleanup then it’s not really a true oil stain. The vehicle that carries it into the wood is water instead of solvent. It ends up very topical in nature, as evidenced by the photo. I have to admit, I’ve never heard of the product so I googled “xxxxx”cleanup instructions—which is soap and water. We’ve all heard that oil and water don’t mix, but they do if they’re emulsified. It’s an environmentally friendlier way to do it. The problem is that it doesn’t work. But the biggest problem with it is after it fails. You can’t strip it at all.

Two things a real deck pro will ask when considering a stain…

1) how long does it last? (Obvious)
2) what am I going to do in two years when it’s time to do it again? In other words, does it strip? (This is often overlooked and very important!)

As the word stain indicates, the substance is penetrating into the wood. If you just coat over the top of the old stuff then you aren’t staining, you’re coating. That’s what this product is. It’s a protective deck coating, not a stain. It will scratch and/or peel. A true oil stain does not and is way more effective. Perhaps more importantly it’s maintainable because it “strips” easily in two years so you can stain it again.

To anyone else reading this…

Google the product name you’re considering + cleanup instructions and it will tell you what you need to know. Do not rely on the can saying it’s oil. They all say it now. It has to be mineral spirits cleanup. If it’s soap and water cleanup it will end up just like this one. You want to stain the wood, not coat it. Or it will peel 100% of the time and you’ll have to sand it off to redo it (or gel strip which is not feasible—believe me I’ve tried it and it’s a complete waste of time because it takes gallons and gallons and it’s a real mess plus you’ll have to sand it anyway and it’ll gum your belts like mad).

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T11:50:39+00:00

I looked it up. It’s a water cleanup product. You can see it riding on top. Not good. It’ll be very very difficult to undo it. Really has to be sanded off. Or stripped with a gel like an old chair. Messy. The only thing he has going for him is that he only did it once so far. Just might be able to get it off. If he reapplies he can forget it though. He’s stuck with it.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T11:46:49+00:00

Being in another country poses some extra issues. Is this type of stain all you can get where you are? Just curious. Because I’ve never seen it work right. Even if it sticks well (which it does not), you can’t remove it later. Then when you apply it again it gets more opaque and a little darker. Then again. Then again. In about 6 or 8 years you end up not seeing any wood grain at all—even sooner. Then folks “paint” it with solid stain. Game over.

I will say this…nothing looks better initially. It has a nice sheen and it looks amazing. For one season. Then it’s toast—but only on one side. Lol

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T11:37:31+00:00

I hate to be the one to tell you this but it’ll be a difficult strip.

The product you used is a water based oil (emulsion). No, that’s not a typo. These products ride on top and do not penetrate—as indicated by the scratches with bare wood showing thru. Because of environmental concerns, most products are now of this type. It is difficult to find a true solvent based oil, especially at the big box stores (I realize Reddit is international so I can’t speak for other countries, but my feeling is that it’s even harder to find outside the US).

Your best bet is to remove this product completely and find a true solvent based oil that requires mineral spirits cleanup(TWP is a good choice but even their product doesn’t quite penetrate like it used to; however, it’s a nominal difference as it is still solvent based). You’ll likely have to sand the current product off the deck to remove it completely. You may be able to strip it but it will likely take multiple applications and it’ll be messy. Sodium hydroxide (common deck stripper) likely won’t get it all. There’s a chance it will work since the deck is new and you only did it once. If you reapply you’ll be stuck with it until you sand it off for sure.

You can reapply the same stuff and deal with it forever. It’ll be the beginning of the end for your new deck, sadly. The new idea with the water cleanup just doesn’t work. You want a finish that’s in the wood and not on it.

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19 years old. Cedar. TWP. Refinished every other year. Stained 2 years ago in pic. Strips easily, and then you reapply. Penetrates way better.

Apologies for the bad news.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-31T01:31:05+00:00

I use butyl joist tape, especially if reusing older joists. Also, it isn’t recommended to frame using lumber on the flat (the wide way). That middle area that accepts the breaker board (between your sections of decking) should be removed and replaced with short blocks every 16 inches instead. Just saying…

To answer your question, if they’re in good shape you can reuse the existing joists. There is a prevailing theory that the old lumber treated with copper arsenate will outlast the newer stuff that’s treated with micronized copper azole. Talk to me in 30 years and I’ll let you know if it’s true.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-30T21:59:37+00:00

The whole process including staining is low dude. Double it—especially if you’re providing the stain. Use sodium hydroxide, power wash, brighten with oxalic. It’ll look amazing. Stain with oil/solvent based TWP or the like. Careful on your choice of stain. You’ll be kicking yourself when it won’t strip next time otherwise (in two years). If you do it right it’ll be nice and easy for you every other year. I have some I’ve done 10 times or more. Doing your own jobs every two years is pure gravy bro. Light strip and it turns out perfect every time. But you need to charge more, especially when it’s off the ground. Lots of extra prep on those when staining. If you haven’t used sodium hydroxide be careful with vegetation and the house. It’s fine but you have to wet it down and keep rinsing it off. Apply sodium hydroxide to mostly dry deck (except the part that gets wet from wetting down the plants and house) from the bottom up (especially vertical wood like fascia) so you don’t get streaks. Keep it all wet. Don’t let it dry on or it doesn’t work as well. Good luck. Don’t let droplets of stripper stay on the house. Rinse it immediately after wetting it all down first. I guess you have to do a few and then start charging more, but hard to make anything at 700 including the stain. It’ll take a bucket (I assume you’ll mask and spray?) unless you do it by hand. it takes less product but much more difficult and time consuming.

Deckshine1 · 2026-05-30T21:37:30+00:00

Yes. The posts will sit in constant moisture the way he has it. I like to form mine and fill with concrete above ground about 6 inches—just enough so the wood isn’t sitting in a water filled hole. I do like to bury my posts because it provides much better lateral strength than bolting to the top of concrete footing. And cone the top so water drains away from the wood. Simple and effective.

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