I just purchased a house with an aging deck. The deck surface seems okay, but I'm really worried about the footings underneath. Some of these footings are rusted badly—they crumble when I touch them. I'm wondering if this is a safety hazard and if they can be replaced. What exactly are these footings called, and should I be concerned since only the outer pieces are affected? Also, I notice that some other parts have been replaced already.
2 Answers
Removing the posts shouldn’t be too difficult if you’re comfortable with that. Once you’ve got them out, just grab new brackets and bolt them in. By the way, those footings are called pier footings.
I did something similar recently. I jacked the deck up, took out the old bracket, and found it was just nailed into the concrete. I drilled a new hole for a 'Simpson Strong-Tie' bracket, which comes with rebar ends for better support. Then I used quick-setting anchoring epoxy to secure it. Just make sure your pier is deep enough to handle your local frost line, if you even have one—digging out and re-pouring could be a hassle if you don’t have to!
Awesome, thanks! I can jack up the deck to take out the posts and put in new brackets. I've never attached anything to concrete before, though—any tips on what I need for that?