My deck is over 20 years old. What should I look for in evaluating the state of my deck?
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Look at your deck first to see anything obvious Rotted deck boards ,deck posts not plumb,rails etc…
water damage on an untreated deck will show fast signs of damage.
Check your footings if theres no galvanized post base supporting the 4x4 or 6x6 post rot will start
Check the flashing under the ledger board ,the board connected to the house that supports the joists to see if it needs repair
Check to see if you need any new hardware to strengthen or re-support your deck. ie: hangers, hurricane ties, timberlocks or ledger locks
Check to see if the stair stringers are in good shape
check your steps for any checks cracks rot
Also check to see if the deck moves more than 2 inches in any direction by pushing on a post or the side
treat your deck with thompsons deck sealer every 3 yrs
I agree with @dbcarpentry. One thing I would add is to remove a couple of decking boards next to the house wall. Rotted deck joists are usually worst in the area adjacent to the nails/screws, right below the decking boards, and are not that easy to spot from below. Adding cap flashing over the deck joists will eliminate this problem in the future.
Thanks @dbcarpentry @innovobuilders for the helpful information. What do most people do with their decks that are this old? Do they just replace pieces here and there or is something more substantial needed?
The deck feels solid, but the wood appears to be untreated for some time.
In my case, most of the people end up replacing the decking boards, fixing wood damage as needed, and replacing the railing. But if you want to bring everything up to current building and safety standards, then you can build it brand new. One advantage of the latest is that you can also change its size, design to support your hot tub or fire-pit, and overall, add needed flashing and supports to avoid damage to the house structure.
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do you have a ballpark estimate or formula for how much a new deck will cost?