My deck board split right down the middle during a cookout last weekend

I was grilling in the backyard when I heard a loud crack and felt the board give way under my foot. It was a 16-foot pressure-treated pine board I installed myself just two years ago, and the split went from one end to the other. I had to quickly put down a scrap piece of plywood as a temporary fix before someone got hurt. Has anyone else had deck boards fail this fast, and should I be checking the whole structure now?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellas5611d ago

Oh man, that's rough! I had a board snap on my old deck, not a full split but a nasty crack that almost tripped my dad. It's so scary when it happens underfoot like that. Honestly, with a split that bad, I'd be checking every board for cracks or warping, especially if they're all from the same batch. Might be a bad piece of wood or something.

clairew6411d ago

How old was that deck when the board snapped? Makes me wonder if there's a certain age where this stuff starts happening more often.

perry.skyler6d ago

My neighbor's deck gave out at 15 years. Pressure-treated wood only lasts so long before rot sets in.