Deck Repair You Can Do Yourself

Our Douglasville paint and construction company does deck repair for our customers in the greater Atlanta area. Decks are favorite gathering areas but they are also exposed to the elements 365 days a year and can develop problems that you simply can’t ignore.

We’d like to pass on some tips to fix common deck problems that may seem like they need professional attention but are easily remedied by the homeowner with moderate skill and a few power tools.

The Bouncy Deck

When you Vinings deck puts a bounce in your step when you would prefer a solid surface instead, you need stiffen it up to give you the confidence in its safety. Usually this problem occurs because of long joist spans between beams. The surefire solution is to add another beam and posts but that’s a major task.

There is another way that involves some time but is fairly easy to accomplish. You can add blocks of solid wood between spans. Start with the centerline of the deck and measure the space between each joist. Using the same size wood as the joists, cut “blocks” equal to each of the distances so they will fit snugly. Ideally they will be so snug you will need a hammer to tap them in. When you have the first row installed check the deck for bounce. If there is still a problem add a second row of blocks on the side of the centerline that is still not solid feeling. Read more

At some point in time every homeowner, from Vinings and Smyrna to Roswell and Alpharetta, will experience one of life’s little annoyances that takes the form of a hole in an otherwise perfectly fine wall or ceiling. The hole won’t be very big as it likely has been caused by a doorknob slamming into the wall or a golf fanatic practicing his or her swing indoors or a kid performing his “kung foo fighter” moves. Never the less, you will need to know how to properly patch drywall.

Fortunately patching a hole in wallboard isn’t all that difficult.

Every “big box” home improvement store carries a wallboard patch kit that will include some variant of flimsy material with an adhesive backing. The idea is to slap it on, prep the surface and paint. Voila the hole has disappeared…but it hasn’t. The hole is simply covered up, not gone.

Patching Drywall Like a Pro

When we take on an interior paint job it’s not all that uncommon to find damage to a wall or a ceiling. We don’t slap on a patch. We believe in restoring the wall to its original condition and that means patching the hole with a piece of wallboard that is the same depth as the wall, usually 1/2″.

If you want to make a permanent patch for your drywall this is what you are going to need: Read more