A Weather-Proof Deck

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In sheet goods siding or on a masonry wall or foundation there is no cladding to snug the flashing up and under. Bed the upper edge of the flashing in a continuous bead of waterproof adhesive. Staple top of flashing onto wood sheathing, or set into a groove chiseled in ceramic or made by chipping mortar from joints in block or brick. Coat the top of the seam well with more adhesive. Check and, if need be, refresh the adhesive every fall when you button up the house against winter cold.

Snow Country

In the north, snow and ice can build up at the junction of deck and house wall. In warm spells it will thaw partially and slush will flow between ledger and foundation, then refreeze, swell, and force the ledger off its support. (That's in part responsible for the problem in my deck.) Fasten ledger to house through a series of spacers or freeze blocks that provide expansion space in the joint. From scrap ledger board stock (2" x 10" or 2" x 8" PT lumber) cut as many squares as you have joists. (Or build up squares from exterior-grade plywood the same width as the ledger is wide. Tack squares together in pairs to make 2"-thick freeze blocks.) Marking carefully, remove squares of cladding as needed to attach the blocks to the house sheathing under where the ledger will attach. Locate blocks between joists and fasten securely as indicated above. Affix a strip of flashing 2" wider than the freeze block above each block location. Attach blocks in a bead of caulk and add more caulk to make a fillet (like on a window pane) all around. Fold flashing down over block, and fasten ledger through the metal sheet with lags that are long enough to pass through ledger and freeze block and into the sheathing. Fasten on hangers and proceed.

Build well and carefully, then keep the wood in shape with an annual cleaning and rot- and waterproofing, and your deck will stand the hard test of time.

At the Lumberyard

The EPA recommends that you not handle PT lumber so fresh from the processor that it is still wet, and that you wash your hands after handling any of it. So, when you go for deck materials, take a pair of gloves and leave the small children at home. If you do buy still-wet PT (it will be weighty and a bright copper green), stack it loosely in the weather till it loses the heavy, water-logged heft and the color fades to a dusty green.

Warranties

Pressure-treating firms that are members of a wood-treatment association will stamp or tag each board with their own guaranteed rating. Many larger lumberyards buy locally produced no-name/no-tag PT and sell it at bargain prices. Any of it is only as good as the yard's reputation.

Let's face it, a 25- or 40-year "guarantee" isn't worth a whole lot. How many of us will be living where we are now in the year 2021 or 2036? How many lumberyards or PT makers will be around to honor the guarantee—which is a "limited warranty" that's worth no more than the retail price prorated over the guarantee period (and not adjusted for inflation). Plus, you need the original sales receipt, after a quarter or almost half century. If you could locate it, the register ink would have faded and the carbon-flimsy crumbled to dust.

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