deck rotting issues

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Toss out the wood. Change to concrete.

Concrete on a 2nd story deck? Sounds super expensive

 

[boggen]

Toss out the wood. Change to concrete.

walk out basement, has concrete almost to lake, this is deck directly over walk out basement and concrete below. with stairs leading down.

 

[newbury]

Another vote for composite decking. There are many brands and range in cost from about $1.75/sq ft to $6/sq ft. Decks.com. Composite Decking Price Comparison
About 15 or so years ago right after Trex came out I was building a small platform for an 8x12 shed base.

I'm about as cheap as it comes, so I went to Home Depot to buy PT 1x6's 12' long. Saw the Trex and they had a price on it about 10% more than the 1x6 PT.

So I bought enough to do my project. Liked it and went back a few days later with the idea of redoing my 12x16 deck and found they had mis-priced it and it was about 6 times as much.

That platform is in a shady damp area where I can expect almost anything to rot and it looks just a little faded after all this time.

I've read since that some brands don't hold up as well so research is required.

Since then I replaced the 12x16 deck with PT and have to seal it about every year or two.

 

[bigtiller]

Cover the deck with outdoor carpet.

 

[boggen]

Cover the deck with outdoor carpet.

would that not move mildew/fungus/bacteria/rotting from between the boards to on top of the deck boards?

 

[bigtiller]

would that not move mildew/fungus/bacteria/rotting from between the boards to on top of the deck boards?

I don't know.

My folks put outdoor carpet on their 15 year old redwood deck. It was on the north side if the house. It dried up pretty fast after a rain. After 5 years a hot tub was put on the deck. Four years later the house was sold. I never smelled or heard anyone complaining about bad smells or mold.