Your Annual Deck Safety Check

Why once a year

In a Fairfax County NewsCenter article on deck safety, county building official Jay Riat recommends that owners evaluate their deck annually, have it inspected regularly by a licensed contractor, and have older decks inspected more often. The same article, citing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, notes that collapses and failures of decks, porches and balconies account for thousands of injuries each year. Decks change slowly, and a yearly look catches problems while they're still repairs.

The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) promotes May as Deck Safety Month with a 10-point Check Your Deck checklist, and says that if your deck is 20 years or older, it's time to take a serious look.

What you need

• A flashlight.
• A screwdriver or awl for probing wood.
• A tape measure.
• Your phone, to photograph anything that looks wrong so you can compare next year.

The walk-through

1. Wood: rot, splits and insects

Check boards, joists, beams and especially posts where they meet the ground. NADRA's test: if a screwdriver pushes ¼ to ½ inch into the wood, or it feels soft and spongy, decay may be present. On composite decking, Fairfax's checklist adds mold and delamination.

2. The attachment to the house

Make sure the deck is securely attached. Look for bolts in the ledger, flashing along its top, and no rot or staining behind it. See our ledger guide for details.

3. Fasteners and hardware

Look for rust or corrosion on screws, nails, joist hangers and post brackets, and for fasteners that have loosened or backed out.

4. Railings and guards

Push on every guard post and along the rails. They should feel solid. Check that balusters are tight and that a 4-inch object won't pass through any opening.

5. Stairs

Walk them. Look for loose or cracked treads, rot at the bottom of stringers, and any step that's a different height from the rest. Check the handrail is firm.

6. Lighting

Stairs should be lit. Check fixtures work and that any outdoor outlets and wiring are in good shape.

7. Clean it

Sweep debris out of board gaps, where it holds water against the framing. Clear leaves from under the deck. Clean and reseal wood as needed.

8. Grills, fire and furniture

NADRA's checklist covers grill placement and fire safety, and furniture that's damaged or overloading one area. Keep grills clear of railings and the house.

9. What's on the deck

Fairfax's checklist says no hot tubs or pools on the deck, and don't overcrowd it. A deck built for normal use isn't built for a filled hot tub.

10. Trees

Look for overhanging limbs that could fall on the deck, and for roots or growth crowding posts and footings.

Keep a record

Take the same photos each year from the same spots: the ledger, a few joists near the house, each post base, the stair stringers and the guard posts at the corners. A crack that's longer than last year, a post that's leaning a little further, or rust that's spreading are easy to miss from memory and obvious side by side. If you ever call a contractor, those photos make the first conversation much more useful.

What to do with what you find

• Cosmetic wear (faded boards, a worn finish): clean and reseal, or plan a resurfacing.
• A few soft boards over firm joists: board replacement.
• A loose rail or baluster: repair soon.
• A guard post that moves, a rotted stringer, soft joists, a nailed or unflashed ledger, or leaning posts: stop using that part of the deck and get it looked at.

Prefer not to do it yourself, or found something you're unsure about? Deck Defenders' free deck safety inspection covers the same areas: ledger and flashing, posts and footings, framing, boards, railings, stairs and connectors. We'll tell you what we found and, if work is needed, give you a repair or replacement estimate.