Replacing a Wood Deck with Composite Decking – 7 Easy Steps

The weather and climate can play havoc with your wood deck, and sooner or later, you’ll likely find yourself replacing a wood deck with composite decking. But what do you do if your deck sub frame is still structurally sound underneath? The good news is that you don’t have to replace the entire structure to make the switch from wood decking to handsome, durable, ultra low-maintenance, environmentally sound capped composite decking – you can reuse the existing frame and attach NexGEN capped composite decking for a whole new deck!

Inspect Your Deck: The first step is to make sure the existing deck frame is, in fact a candidate to replace wood decking with capped composite. This means checking the footings for heaving, checking the condition of the existing wood frame for rot or splintering, ensuring the structural integrity of the deck by checking the spans and sizes of the joists and beams, and evaluating the overall condition.

Out With the Old: Carefully remove and discard all old decking and railing. Avoid damaging the existing wood you’ll want to reuse. After removing all of the wood, you may still have stray screws or nails left on the frame – as they’re not needed, remove them as well for a clean start.

Don’t Forget the Stairs: If your deck has stairs, save the stair stringer – the notched boards that form the stairs – so you can cut a new set of stringers. By using the old stringers as a template, you can ensure consistency and identical height.

Get on the Level: Check that all joists are level and even with each other. NexGEN capped composite decking needs an even surface, and after a few years, your original frame may have twisted or torqued. Shim or shave the joists as needed to make them all level and even.

In With the New: Install your new NexGEN capped composite decking using our hidden fixing system for fast, blemish-free installation.

Finish It: Well done on replacing a wood deck with composite decking. You can now add on any custom features you may be looking for – stairs, posts and rails, plastic lattice, or any other feature that may give your deck its own unique look.

Kick Back and Relax: Enjoy your new splinter-free, sustainable deck!

Replacing a wood deck with composite decking is a breeze – it’s no harder than replacing it with new wood decking. The big difference is that replacing your old wood deck with new capped composite material instead of wood again means you’ll never have to deal with warping, rotting, oiling, sanding, or fading again. By switching to capped composite for this deck replacement, you can make sure you won’t have to replace your deck again for decades to come.