Resurfacing is the most tempting deck project there is. The frame is already standing, the shape is already right, and swapping a tired surface for a clean one changes how the entire backyard feels without moving a single post. When the structure underneath is genuinely sound, it is one of the best returns on effort a homeowner can get outside, and it happens faster than a full rebuild ever will.
The catch is that new boards make an old frame look new without making it any stronger. So the first move is always a look underneath at joist condition and spacing, the ledger connection, and the footings, because installing a long-lasting surface over framing near the end of its life is the most expensive way to postpone a rebuild. The contractors we connect you with check that before quoting boards.
Resurfacing is priced by area, by material, and by whatever the frame needs before boards go on. Deck size and height above grade set both material quantity and how much of the work is done from a ladder rather than from the ground. Decking choice is the widest variable, and railing type often costs more than people expect once the surface is settled. Stairs are their own scope because treads, stringers, and landings all get touched. Any joist blocking, footing work, or ledger correction found during the inspection is added before the first board is installed.
No, and any contractor telling you otherwise is selling. Composite needs far less than wood, since there is no re-coating cycle, but it still needs regular cleaning, it can stain, and pollen and organic debris left sitting will show. The real advantage is that you are cleaning a surface rather than maintaining a finish that keeps failing in Utah sun.
It gets hot in full sun, especially in darker colors and especially on south and west exposures at Utah elevation. It matters most if you have kids or dogs using the deck barefoot in the afternoon. Lighter colors, shade, and how the deck is oriented all help, and it is worth deciding before you pick a board.
Only if the frame supports it. Joist spacing has to suit the material, joist tops need to be sound and flat, and the ledger and footings need years left in them. Some frames need added blocking or tighter support before composite goes down. That evaluation happens before the material conversation.
Often enough that it should factor into your choice. Dry summers, intense sun, and freeze-thaw winters are hard on finishes here, and the south and west faces of a deck always go first. Wood decks need periodic cleaning and re-coating to stay ahead of it, and skipped cycles show up as gray, split boards.
Ground-up decks laid out for how you actually use the yard, then built from the footings up. Footing depth below frost, a flashed ledger at the house, joists sized for real spans, and stairs and guards detailed for your height above grade.
Learn more →When boards rot, posts shift, or the frame bounces underfoot, the fix depends on what is underneath. A contractor opens up the ledger and looks at the footings first, then tells you plainly whether you are repairing a sound structure or replacing a tired one.
Learn more →Shade changes the math. A roof or pergola adds wind and snow loading to framing and footings that were never sized for it, so a cover gets designed as a load path running from the top down through posts into ground that can hold them.
Learn more →Guards and stairs carry more code detail than the rest of the deck combined, and older ones often would not pass today. Post attachment, infill spacing, tread and riser consistency, landings, and a handrail your hand can actually close around.
Learn more →New build, repair, cover, railings, or resurfacing, tell us which and we will take it from there.