Does Your Deck Feel Bouncy Or Sway When You Walk On It?

If you have either of these problems with your deck we will give you a couple ideas on how to fix these problems. Even though your deck maybe strong and well built if it is bouncing or gives you the feeling of swaying back and forth when you walk on it You'll always wonder if it is safe. There are few simple things that you can do to your deck to help remove the sensation of bouncing or swaying. let's begin by addressing the bouncing deck you'll need to be able to get to the framing underneath the deck the first option would seem to add some additional posts and running a beam down the center of the deck to give added support this is a big job, prior to going to that extreme add a row or maybe two of solid blocking this blocking would be short pieces of the same dimension lumber that your floor joists are made of, these short pieces will be placed perpendicular to and between the floor joists. Add the first row of blocks The down the center of the deck and go on the back and give a try if you're not satisfied or you still have a bounce try adding another row of blocking. If your deck it seems to sway when you walk on you may need to add some diagonal braces to the framing under your deck. The obvious solution is to add bracing to the support beams this will work however in many applications this can look tacky. An invisible way to add bracing is to use two by fours and run them diagonally under your deck. Adding them to the bottom of your floor joists will add a lot of stability to your deck. Attach the two by fours with 3in. deck screws. Add a few cross braces and give your deck and try you can always had a few more braces and if necessary had some braces to the support posts. While you're working on your deck is a good idea to check for loose nails, as a deck goes through the cycles of wet and dry seasons nails can be worked loose. If the first solution that comes to mind is too simply drive them back in unfortunately this is the short term solution the best remedy is to remove the offending nail And replace it with a deck screw this will eliminate the problem forever. If you break off the nail head You can try using a vice groups pliers to pull out if you can I get it out drill a pilot hole next to the nail and drive a screw into it, the screw head will cover the nail.