Fixing an old steel dock

[Scoot]

My mo-in-law has an old steel dock that has dockboards that are beginning to rot away. I hate the idea of replacing all of the boards because I think it'll be a fair bit of work and also be pretty pricy. I found the right boards, but they are $135 per board. We need ten of them to do the whole dock, and that's a pile of money for a junky old steel dock!

Are there any other reasonable alternatives? Has anyone ever put composite decking material over the top of a dock like this? Are there other treated wood options for the dock? Thoughts and suggestions appreciated!

[iffwalleyes]

We have had treated deck boards on ours for years. Stain it every 4-5 years and i am sure we are going on 20 years or more on our dock. The composite would be a great option i think.

[Jameson]

Got a pic of what you need? Dimensions? I might just know where some fairly cheap used dock decks are at with a lot of years left in them.

[Scoot]

Thanks guys. No pics and I don't think I'm going to get there for nearly a month...

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Scoot,

$135 per board! what size are the boards? That is nuts!

Use treated lumber with a coat of water proof sealer. My dock has been in for 20 years and still looks great!

Cliff

[LightningBG]

Scoot,

$135 per board! what size are the boards? That is nuts!

Thats what I was wondering. Using virgin redwood or something?

[Scoot]

Yeh, that's what I thought too! It's some special dock board that's made for the dock.

When you say you used treated lumber with a sealant of some sort, can you give me exact specs on what you used?

[MinnesotaMike]

Scoot,

I have a steel dock and just finished replacing the board pieces.

I used treated decking boards from "M"

I believe it was 1" x 6" for the decking and I used 2" x 4"'s for the stringers.

Good Luck,

Mike

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Scoot,

I have a steel dock and just finished replacing the board pieces.

I used treated decking boards from "M"

I believe it was 1" x 6" for the decking and I used 2" x 4"'s for the stringers.

Good Luck,

Mike

I used 2"X 6" and 2"X 4" stringers, but the treated decking would work fine and is lighter if you need to remove the decking in the winter! I used Armor-All water proofing sealer on both sides of the wood.

Cliff

[Scoot]

Thanks again for the replies, fellas!

Sorry for being dense here, but can you give me a little more info: when you say the stringers and the deck boards, I'm confused on which way you're running each of them. Are you running the stringers cross ways (i.e., you're cutting the stringers at about 4' and putting them perpendicular to the length of the deck) and running your deck boards down the length of the ceck in long (e.g., 20') sections? Or, are you running long stringers underneath and cutting a bunch of short (e.g., 4') deck boards?

Also, my brother just finished his deck at his house and he put a treatment on the deck when he was done that looked like Rhino Lining. It looks and feels nice. I wonder how that might work on the dock? Thoughts?

Thanks again!

[LightningBG]

It's tough to say on the stringers without seeing how your frame is built.

Are the decking panels removable (separate from the frame), or are they all permanently secured?

Roll in dock or comes apart in sections?

Any possibility of finding a picture on Google Image of a similar style dock?

[LightningBG]

Thanks again for the replies, fellas!

Sorry for being dense here, but can you give me a little more info: when you say the stringers and the deck boards, I'm confused on which way you're running each of them. Are you running the stringers cross ways (i.e., you're cutting the stringers at about 4' and putting them perpendicular to the length of the deck) and running your deck boards down the length of the ceck in long (e.g., 20') sections? Or, are you running long stringers underneath and cutting a bunch of short (e.g., 4') deck boards?

I think pretty much all dock (that I've seen) have the decking running perpendicular to the length of the dock, so 4 footers for the deck boards. Stringer length would be determined by the style of dock.

[Scoot]

Are the decking panels removable (separate from the frame), or are they all permanently secured?

Roll in dock or comes apart in sections?

Any possibility of finding a picture on Google Image of a similar style dock?

The dock board sections are 4'x 8' and come apart, seperate from the rest of the dock.

It's a roll in dock and is 80' long.

I searched google and didn't see anything quite like it. I've seen this style of dock many times though, so it's nothing unusual.

There's a chance I'll get out there on Monday (change of plans), so hopefully I'll be able to size things up and take a few pictures...

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Scoot,

Running the 2' X 4' the long way and the 4" decking board across.

Be sure to use the recommended type of screws for the treated lumber! Regular screws do not hold up well in treated lumber.

That treatment should work fine on the dock if it works on an outside deck! As long as it is not slippery!

Cliff

[Scoot]

Excellent- that's helpful!

Cliff, one more question then I'll quit pestering you. You said you used 2x6's and Minnesota Mike used 1x6's. I'm just curious if you think I'll need 2x6's or if 1x6's would work OK?

Also, would it work to run the stringers the other direction and put the 2x6's (or 1x6's) length-wise? If I can get the stringers in right it seems like it'd be a lot less work doing it that way...

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Scoot,

The treated 1" X 6" deck boards are really 1-1/4" X 6" and will work fine!

Very hard to say if running the boards in the opposite direction will work without knowing the frame layout of the dock. Basically all the 2" X 4" does is hold the decking together.

Cliff

[Scoot]

Thanks again fellas!

[MinnesotaMike]

Scoot,

I'm going up this weekend and will take some pictures.

My neighbor also just redid his decking, I'll take some pictures of that also, he did it a little different than mine.

Good luck,

Mike

[Scoot]

Sweet! Thanks again MM- much appreciated!

[LightningBG]

some problems with running the decking parallel with the length of the dock is 1. splinters while walking "with the grain", and 2. Stubbing toes or tripping if the ends of any boards come up. 3. not sure if it would be more slippery or not.

running a ton of short boards really isn't that much work. can set them up on a miter saw and knock them all out (with a stopper used as a jig if possible). or you can get all the boards down, slightly longer than needed, then cut the ends off all at once with a circular saw. (with a chalk line or pencil line)

[Surface Tension]

What the guys have described is how you want it done. They are removable sections.

Space the stringers so they fit on the outside of the frame with a little clearance in case they warp. Don't trim the deck boards flush with the stringers, leaving min 1/2" overhand is much more appealing.

Green 1" 1/4 bullnose is what I'd use, be sure to put the crown of the board up.

Some will fasten the sections to the frame and some don't. If there is a chance the water could come up and float the sections away then you'll want them fastened.

One thing I'd add is don't space deck boards too far apart. If you have a dog that likes to jump off the dock, too big a spacing is a disaster. Green treated will shrink when dry so use a pencil as a guide for you width.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Aboot the only thing I can add is when you get your green treated lumber, let it sit outside in the sun a bit if time allows. It will shrink over time and "Weathering" it a bit before you install shrinks it a little. This means that much less shrinkage after install.

When I built my deck I cut all the deck boards and let them sit outside for a week in the sun. Much less shrinkage after install than I expected.

[delcecchi]

What I would add is that if you are going to be lifting the sections to remove them from the dock in the fall, use cedar. That green stuff is heavy, much heavier than cedar. And cedar will last a long time. Mine is pushing 20 years and is still good. I have two sections I made of green wood before I realized. They are still like twice as heavy as the cedar.

[Scoot]

Excellent, excellent info! Thanks fellas!

I'm finally getting the idea here... Frank, given your description as I'm understanding it there are two stringers- one on each side of the outside of the dock. However, that seems like a long way for the deck boards to span (just over 4') without a stringer in the middle. Do you do something in the middle of the deck board to provide support so they don't bow or bend?

[Surface Tension]

Before I hit reply to a long post I've typed out I'll save it and wait till you post a pic of the steel frame. But yes you'll need to support the center. Instead of the word stringer I'll substitute that with cleat. What I'd like to see is any cross supports below the top of the frame so you can fit the cleats inside. That is a cleaner look and your deck sections 4' instead of 8'

[delcecchi]

Excellent, excellent info! Thanks fellas!

I'm finally getting the idea here... Frank, given your description as I'm understanding it there are two stringers- one on each side of the outside of the dock. However, that seems like a long way for the deck boards to span (just over 4') without a stringer in the middle. Do you do something in the middle of the deck board to provide support so they don't bow or bend?

My dock is 4 feet. I used cedar 2x6 dock boards with nothing in middle and they are fine. No noticeable flex. The span is only like 3 feet across the rails.