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Prashun Patel
08-24-2009, 8:41 AM
I have a Trex deck and the railings (Designer Series) have started sagging. Is there a way to install blocking underneath the rails once installed????

Neal Clayton
08-24-2009, 8:57 AM
not to poke fun at your deck shawn but i sure do wish people would get over the idea that anything made of plastic is in any way superior to wood, because every time these lawsuits come up, that's proven to not be the case (http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpressrelease/inftrexlawsuit.html).

every time a new plastic building product comes out some lawyers get a big fee, some unfortunate homeowners get a couple hundred bucks out of a settlement toward the couple of thousand lost on their home, and everyone else gets a landfill with some more plastic in it.

Karl Brogger
08-24-2009, 10:08 AM
Add more joists with joist hangers. I'd probably get a jack of some sort to push them up into place as well.

What are they set at now? Is you decking at an angle?



The only thing I don't like about composite decking is that it is slippery with snow or frost on it. Its durable, requires zero maintenance, and if the deck is framed properly it does not sag. To me the only option for wood on a deck is ironwood, and that's not a cheap route to take.

Paul Ryan
08-24-2009, 10:40 AM
I built 2 decks on my house back in 06. A 16x16 green treated and a 9x22 timber tech. The timber tech ran 2 1/2 times what the green treated did. If I had it to do again I would not spend the money on the platic decking. My biggest complaints is it scratches really really easy, my dog has scratched it all up running off of it chasing critters. The other complaint is staining, you have to pressure wash it to clean it and then the stains from water, dirt, and other things don't come off. And the railing isn't nearly as strong as the real wood. The plastic can crack and split easy if too much pressure is put on it. In order for the railing to be as strong you need more posts than on a wood deck. My advice save the $$ and buy a compressor and spray gun and stain your deck every other year.

Shawn,

Pictures of how the railing is constructed may help us come up with a solution.

Prashun Patel
08-24-2009, 11:13 AM
It's not the deck, it's the railing. I can't get to a camera right now. But the railing is Trex material - 4x4 posts with decorative upper/lower rails spanning 6ft, and then 2x2 Trex ballusters between the rails.

I believe the solution is to put 2x2 support blocks at mid span between the lower rail and the deck. The question then is how to wedge the blocks in. If I get no counsel, I'll likely use an car jack and a mallet...

Any better ideas?

Randy Cohen
08-24-2009, 11:59 AM
a pry bar. I had to do this with the wood railing on my porch/deck. measure the sag and put a block that is slightly thicker than your measurement under the lower railing in the middle of it. the block will be between the lower rail and the decking.

Dave Johnson29
08-24-2009, 7:18 PM
I have a Trex deck and the railings (Designer Series) have started sagging. Is there a way to install blocking underneath the rails once installed????

Pythagoras...

Skip the hinge if you don't mind wrestling with two lengths of wood.

Prashun Patel
08-25-2009, 8:23 AM
Thanks all for the great ideas. I love this forum.