What can you advise on repairing cracks before weather proofing wood decks?
Question:Deck was painted over or stained to provide weather proofing but want to restore for maximum life .
Answers:
Remember, wood always expands and contracts. So if you put filler in a crack, you will now have two cracks (one on each side of the filler!) as the wood moves. You have to clean and refinish every three years at best to maintain the beauty and integrity of the deck.
You might try a good HIGH quality latex filler. It will expand and contract with the heat variants in the deck and will take stain well if you get the right kind.
Why not just take out the decking that's split and replace it? The only other thing I could suggest is to remove the board, open the crack a bit and squeeze in Gorilla glue. Clamp the split together with a screw clamp and let it sit for 24 hours, then scrape/sand off the glue squeezeout and replace the board on the deck.
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