Built a deck this year. All boards pre finished with messemers. Glued to and screwed to wood framing w/ titebond sub glue. All miter joints got a #20 biscuit w/ titebond 3.
Now the callback. All the joints opened the same way. Open at the long point only. (All of them!, except the 2x4 top rail) I can assure you all the miters were prom night tight when I left, and I revisited the deck 3 months after completion and it still looked great.
Now it looks like a hack job, I'm going to fix it:sad:, but what caused this? What happened here? Major headache. :sad: Anyone dealt with this before? I've had joints open here and there before, but never all of them!!!!!!
Framing drying out, typically it would be a consistent gap. Not open on the long end of a miter.
Looks more of a deck board shrinkage issue. Maybe a little too green when installed, maybe winter time dryness, maybe both.
Perhaps the decking was too dry?
Built a deck this year. All boards pre finished with messemers. Glued to and screwed to wood framing w/ titebond sub glue. All miter joints got a #20 biscuit w/ titebond 3.
In your case wood picked up moisture & grew in plank width after install.
There's nothing you can do to prevent this! It's wood, & it's seasonal!
Around here it's always the reverse...the short point of cut opens up because lumber (mostly pt) is wet when installed. It's mostly about the change in plank width.
I'd brag to the customer about how what with all that rain the miters only opened up 1/32 of an inch. That's true craftsmanship!
You can redo it, but what will you do when that wood dries out a little and the inside of the mitre opens up? I understand wanting perfection, but fine antiques, and Steinway pianos, and floors, and everything else made of wood, moves. It's a deck.
CarpenterSFO said:I'd brag to the customer about how what with all that rain the miters only opened up 1/32 of an inch. That's true craftsmanship!
You can redo it, but what will you do when that wood dries out a little and the inside of the mitre opens up? I understand wanting perfection, but fine antiques, and Steinway pianos, and floors, and everything else made of wood, moves. It's a deck.
I'd cut them open and round over the edges.
Tom
In your case wood picked up moisture & grew in plank width after install.
There's nothing you can do to prevent this! It's wood, & it's seasonal!
Around here it's always the reverse...the short point of cut opens up because lumber (mostly pt) is wet when installed. It's mostly about the change in plank width.
Or I'm sure one of the festool junkies will tell you that you should have used a domino. Haha
This is exterior. Things move.