My Composite Deck Boards Are Rotting in Places Can I Treat it

Repair the Rotted Boards

• 1

  Walk over the composite deck and identify all rotted areas by circling them with a piece of chalk. Test any suspicious areas by scraping them with a screwdriver. If the wood comes up with little effort, the boards have rotted.

• 2

  Walk to the end of the first marked board and look for a light depression, which indicates the location of a screw. Insert a power drill into the screw head and back it out of the composite board. Walk to the opposite end of the board and remove the screw there, as well. Grasp the board and pull the entire thing out of the deck.

• 3

  Repeat the process to remove all remaining rotted composite boards in the same manner.

• 4

  Install replacement boards in the same location as the ones you removed, attaching them with 1-inch galvanized deck screws at each end. Cut the composite boards to size, using a standard circular saw.

Seal the Composite Deck

• 5

  Sweep the deck, using a broom and then fill a bucket with 1 gallon of water and 2 to 3 tablespoons of a deck cleaner. Apply the cleaner to the deck, using a long-handled scrub brush. Scrub the surface to remove stains, then rinse it clean with a garden hose.

• 6

  Wait until the composite decking dries for at least three to four days, before sealing it.

• 7

  Remove the top from a garden sprayer, and fill the tank with a waterproofing sealant designed for composite wood. Close the sprayer up.

• 8

  Walk to one side of the deck and squeeze the sprayer trigger to apply a coat of sealant over the boards until they all appear wet.

• 9

  Wait until the deck boards absorb the first coat but still appear damp. Apply a second application of sealant in the same manner.