We fix decks that have gone loose, soft or unsafe: split and lifting boards, joists and bearers rotted on top, stairs that move and balustrades that wobble. Most decks don’t need replacing. They need the failed parts fixed properly and matched to what is there.
A deck repair is usually one or two of these. We check all three while we are there.
Boards lift when the nails or screws lose their grip, and split as they dry out and wet up through the year. We pull the failed fixings, refix with longer screws into sound timber, and replace the boards that are split or soft. On one Geelong deck that meant 24 lineal metres of new treated pine boards.
Rot usually starts on top of the joists, where water sits under the boards. Screwing a board down into soft timber only drops it below its neighbours. We fix new treated pine alongside the old joist or replace it, refix bearers with joist hangers where they have pulled away, and tape the joist tops before the boards go back.
Stair stringers pull away from the deck, treads crack and balustrades work loose at the posts. We refix or replace stringers, and rebuild balustrades to the original profile or to a new one in merbau.
A springy board means a loose fixing or a soft joist under it. We lift a board and look before we quote, so the price covers what is really there.
Nails work loose as the timber moves and catch bare feet. We punch them back down, or swap them for screws where they won’t hold.
A widening gap between the deck and a path or ramp is a trip hazard. We cut a new board to fill it and pack it out to sit level.
A loose stringer makes every step move. We refix it with long batten screws through the treads, or replace it if the timber has gone.
If most of the frame has gone soft, repairs stop being good value. That is a deck replacement.
The problem spot, the whole deck and the steps tell us most of what we need.
On site we check the joists and bearers under the problem, not just the surface.
You get a written quote for the repair and a note on the frame’s condition.
Repaired with matching boards, nails punched and the deck safe to use again.
Broken boards cut out and replaced with 24 lineal metres of 90 × 19 mm treated pine, and every nail punched down. 2026.
The old balustrade came off and the sound posts stayed. A new merbau balustrade went on to match the original profile, with 70 × 19 mm screening. 2024.
Loose boards on a commercial roof terrace. We fixed treated pine alongside the joists, screwed the boards down into it, swapped 50 mm screws for 75 mm, and reported on the frame underneath. 2025.
A main bearer refixed with joist hangers to lift a sagging section back to level, joists refixed with batten screws and 18 balustrade battens replaced. 2024.
A loose stair stringer refixed with 150 mm batten screws through the treads. 2024.
A repaired deck often needs a fresh coat next, and a tired deck sometimes needs more than a repair.
We repair decks across Geelong, the Surf Coast, the Bellarine and Golden Plains. Pick your town to see everything else we do there.
Send us a photo or give us a call, and we will come and check the frame and give you a free estimate.
