Deck Repair & Restoration in Lakewood, CO

The inspection order is structure, safety, surface. The ledger — where the deck bolts to the house — is the connection that matters most, because ledger failures are how decks come off buildings. Post bases at grade rot from the inside where you can't see. Railings take the load of a person leaning exactly when it matters most. I check all of that before we talk about boards and stain, because new decking on a failing frame is money in the wrong place.

Deck railings and stairs are part of this page on purpose: guardrails, stair rails, balusters, and posts that are part of a deck system get repaired as deck structure, to deck loads — not as trim. A wobbly deck rail isn't cosmetic; it's the thing someone's grandmother leans on. Re-securing one properly usually means getting into the framing connection, not just driving a longer screw into the same soft wood.

Restoration is where decks in this climate earn their keep. High-altitude UV grays a deck in a couple of seasons, but gray doesn't mean gone: if the boards pass the screwdriver test, a proper wash at wood-safe pressure, a sand where it needs it, and a penetrating stain buys years of life and completely changes how the deck looks. I'll tell you honestly whether yours is a restore or whether the boards are too far gone to hold a finish.