I made a mistake about 35 years ago. I put a cedar deck on the back of the house. The wood was second growth - maybe third or fourth, but using composites would have been a better choice - except that they didn't exist back then.
I've done my best to make it last by keeping the cracks free of debris, but over the last five years, a few boards have started to rot. Most people would replace the whole deck. But I am not most people, and to save trees, you shouldn't be either.
Instead of replacing the deck, I have replaced a few boards - about 3% of the deck so far. I've added a few extra joists and beefed up a few underdeck supports too. The "new" wood came from a deck somebody was replacing, so they don't match perfectly, but I could stain them if it were an issue. Most decks wear out this way. A board here, a joist there, and replacing rather than repairing has big costs - for your pocketbook, and for the environment.
My three east side neighbors wanted a new fence, and would not let me repair the old one. The boards were rotting against the supports in places. So they bought the materials, I did the labor, and I built a new fence for one of my kids with the salvaged full one inch by eight-inch cedar boards from the old fence.
To make the salvage board fence last longer, I put a small salvaged board roof over it. Water is Oregon's best friend, but it has a big impact on the longevity of outdoor construction. Keeping things dry can help them last longer.
We all know that repair is usually greener than replacement for appliances, clothing, and furniture. Expand your vision of what can be repaired, and save 97% of the trees that would have been cut down to build that new deck.
I'm John Fischer with Living Less Unsustainably.
