Every few years the calking between the outside deck boards need to be recaulked. The old caulk gets hard and brittle from the UV and breaks away from the wood, creating paths for water to get below the boards and eventually rot the deck below. It's a rotten job especially when the heat index is crazy hot. Yesterday I took off my sandals while working and burned the bottoms of my feet from the hot deck. Crazy hot.
Up to the point of starting last Friday I did my research on how to remove the old caulking and purchased the tools of choice. Waste of money. None of it worked and I basically had to use ground down screwdrivers and an X-acto knife to pull it out. As the old gardening song goes "inch by inch, row by row". So, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and all I got done was the front deck and side decks just down to the steps. Less than half done. I drank more Gatorade than the whole Oregon football team playing in the Rose Bowl.
The good news was that wood repair was minimal although when the caulking is all done I may go back and fix a couple of cracks and perhaps replace a couple of partial boards. All in all, considering the age of the wood and the climate it lives in, it's going to look pretty decent when it's all done.
Today is a down day. We covered the deck with plastic in case there is rain. Let's hope the wind stays down so the plastic stays in place. Tomorrow I'll mask off the boards and then let the caulking begin. I figure 20+ tubes with the caulking gun. The tendons in my carpel tunnel will be screaming by the end of the day. After caulk dries the tape gets pulled off and lastly the decks get sanded.
All buttoned up waiting for a new spurt of energy
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