Deck Repair and Restoration in Columbia, MO
Most decks do not fail all at once. They go soft in one corner, the stairs start to flex, a rail wobbles when you lean on it, and one spring you put a foot through a board near the grill. Caught early, nearly all of that is a repair rather than a replacement — and a repair costs a fraction of a rebuild.
We repair decks across Columbia and Mid-Missouri regardless of who built them. Some jobs are a handful of boards and a rail section. Others need joists sistered, a ledger re-flashed or posts reset. And some decks are genuinely finished, in which case we will tell you that instead of taking your money to prop up a structure that is not safe.
What We Repair
Rotted and splintering deck boards
The most common call we get. Boards go first where water sits — along the house, under planters, at the base of stairs, and anywhere the end grain is exposed. Replacing individual boards is straightforward. If more than roughly a third of the surface is gone, re-decking the whole thing over a sound frame is usually the better value and gives you the chance to switch to composite.
Soft, springy or sagging joists
If the deck flexes when you walk across it, the problem is underneath, not on top. Joists rot from the top down where water gets trapped between the decking and the frame. We sister new lumber alongside the compromised joists, or replace them outright, and add flashing tape on the joist tops so the new frame does not go the same way.
Loose or improperly attached ledger boards
This is the one that actually hurts people. The ledger is the board bolting your deck to the house, and it carries an enormous share of the load. Decks built with nails instead of structural bolts, or with no flashing behind the ledger, are the single most common cause of catastrophic deck collapse. If yours was nailed on, or if you can see staining or rot on the siding behind it, get it looked at before you host anything on it. We re-bolt with proper structural hardware and flash it correctly so water sheds out instead of running behind.
Wobbly railings and out-of-code stairs
Railings loosen as posts and fasteners work back and forth over years of temperature swings. A rail you would not trust a child against is not doing its job. We re-secure or rebuild rail posts with proper hardware, and we bring stair rise, run and railing height up to current code — which matters both for safety and if you ever sell the house.
Settled or heaved posts and footings
Mid-Missouri clay moves, and a post set on a shallow footing or straight into the soil will shift with it. If one corner of the deck has dropped or the whole structure has racked out of square, the footings are usually why. We reset posts on properly poured footings below the frost line.
Repair or Replace?
Be honest about the age before you spend money
Putting a few hundred dollars of boards onto a deck whose frame is failing is money you will spend twice.
Repair usually makes sense when: the frame and posts are sound, damage is limited to boards, rails or one area, the ledger is properly bolted and flashed, and the footings have not moved.
Replacement is the better value when: joists and beams are rotting across the structure, the deck was built without proper footings or ledger attachment, it has racked noticeably out of square, or you have already paid for the same repair more than once.
We will give you a straight answer at the estimate. If a repair will genuinely get you another ten years, that is what we will quote — and if it will not, we will say so and price a new deck instead so you can compare the two properly.
Safety Signs You Should Not Ignore
- The deck moves, sways or feels bouncy when several people are on it
- You can push a screwdriver into the wood at the ledger, posts or joist ends
- Rust streaks, missing fasteners or visible gaps where the deck meets the house
- Railing posts that move when you lean on them
- Stairs that flex, or treads with visible cracks or soft spots
- One corner visibly lower than the rest, or the frame out of square
- Staining, peeling paint or soft siding on the house directly behind the ledger
Any of these is worth a look before the next time you have people over. An inspection is free and takes about half an hour.
Maintenance That Prevents the Repair Call
Most of the decks we are called out to could have lasted considerably longer with a little routine attention. Once a year, ideally in spring: sweep out the gaps between boards so debris is not holding moisture against the wood, clean and re-seal treated lumber, check that railing posts are still tight, look at the ledger and the siding behind it, and clear anything growing against the underside. Planters sitting directly on boards are a reliable way to rot a deck — put them on feet.
Why Call a Local Columbia Crew
Deck repair is diagnosis before it is carpentry. Anyone can swap a board; knowing whether the board is the problem or a symptom is what saves you money. Missouri's freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers and expansive clay all work on an outdoor structure in specific ways, and we see those patterns every week across Columbia, Ashland, Jefferson City, Fulton and the surrounding towns.
We are based at 1310 E Prathersville Rd in Columbia, and because we also build new decks, concrete patios and retaining walls, a repair visit can turn into a proper plan for the whole space if that is what you decide you want.