Theodore Decker: Deck ownership provides life lessons hidden amid pretreated lumber

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Sixteen years ago, columnist Theodore Decker bought a house with a deck. He hasn't stopped repairing it since.

Not long after we moved into this house, the couple behind us tore out their big beautiful deck and put in a fairly basic concrete patio.I realize that, had I asked Frank why, he would have said something along the lines of,"You'll see why."Most decks need fall maintenance to last through winter and beyond

I knew nothing of decks or their maintenance then, but even I could see that this one hadn't been kept up. A neighbor told me that a previous owner had thrown it up fairly quickly before a move, apparently to add some value. One corner post had sunk by a few inches, but the rest of it had stayed level.No matter, I figured. I would get that done next summer and that would be that.In the past 16 years I have become intimately acquainted with the quintessential human folly, the backyard deck.

You watch, I told her. One day I'll yank out the last board and replace it, only to start all over again. Life is too short to waste on cheap deck stain. There are many opportunities to save money by going generic. Deck stain is not one of them. Buy the good stuff and revel in the knowledge that you'll get maybe three years out of it, despite the label's claim of 10 to 15 years. Go generic, and you'll be re-staining by August. That's a guarantee.

 

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