How to Remove and Replace a Redwood Deck

Demolition

• 1

  Remove the railings by putting a prybar between the upper rail and the post and leaning on the prybar, pulling the rail away from the post, taking the nails with it.

• 2

  Remove the nails from the railing using the claw side of the hammer. Pry the balusters away from the lower rail using the pry bar. Unscrew the railing posts from the deck frame, using the philips screwdriver.

• 3

  Keep the wood you are disposing of in one place in an organized fashion. Collect the old nails in a safe place, as nails left on the ground can be dangerous.

• 4

  Remove lattice from around the base of the deck, if applicable, by prying it away from the decking piers using the pry bar. Remove steps from the deck by inserting a prybar between a tread and the stringer.

• 5

  Push down on the prybar to pull the tread away from the stringer, taking the nails with it. Repeat this for each of the treads. Remove the stringers from the deck by inserting the prybar between the stringer and the frame of the deck and pulling on the prybar. Pull the stringer and the mounting bracket away from the frame, taking the nails with it.

• 6

  Insert the prybar between an old joist and a decking board. Lean down on the prybar to pull the decking board away from the joist, taking the nails with it. Repeat this process until all of the deck boards have been removed. Remove nails from the old wood using the claw end of the hammer and keep them in a safe place.

• 7

  Insert the prybar between an old joist and the bracket where it meets the frame. Push on the prybar to pull the joist away from the beam, taking the nails with it. Repeat this process until all of the joists have been removed. Do this carefully as the joists are heavy and will fall when pulled away from the beams. Have a second person hold onto the joist to control how it falls to the ground.

• 8

  Unscrew horizontal beams from the brackets that hold them on the top of the vertical piers. Do this carefully as they will fall when removed from these brackets.

• 9

  Unscrew the piers from the post anchors and remove them. Do this carefully as the piers are heavy and will fall when unscrewed from the post anchors. Keep notes on the height of the piers and where they were.

Construction

• 10

  Cut 6-by-6 redwood piers to the same height as the former piers. Put them into the old post anchors and screw them into place. Put the new piers in the places of the old piers. The new piers should be the same height as the old piers. If the deck was 6 feet off the ground, cut the posts to six feet. Some posts might have to be taller than the others, to compensate for sloping ground. It depends on your yard.

• 11

  Cut 4-by-6 beams to the proper length to span between the tops of the piers. If the old deck was 8-feet by 10-feet, cut these beams to be 8 feet long. Mount the beams to the top of the piers by putting a metal mounting bracket between the pier and the beam, and putting nails through the predrilled holes in the mounting bracket.

• 12

  Cut 2-by-6 boards to the same length as the old joists. If the old deck was 8-feet by 10- feet, cut 2-by-6 boards to 10 feet long. Mount the joists across the beams every 16 inches, measuring from the center of one joist to the next. Mount them using metal brackets by placing a bracket between the beam and the joist and putting wood nails through the predrilled holes in the brackets.

• 13

  Cut 2-by-5.5 boards to the same length as the old decking boards. If the old deck was 8-feet by 10-feet, cut the 2-by-5.5 boards to 8 feet long. Mount the decking boards the joists by laying them perpendicular across the joists and putting two nails through the board into the joist at every point the board crosses a joist. Ensure the boards are aligned tightly together. Trim the edges of the deck straight using the circular saw by cutting a straight line along the edge of the deck where the boards end.

• 14

  Sand the deck using the power sander, starting with a coarse grit sandpaper, moving to a finer grit. If the redwood is rough, begin with a 36 or 60 grit paper and then use 60 to 80 grit paper; for smoother boards, just use 60 to 80 grit paper. Finish the deck with a sealant in the color of your preference to protect against water damage.