The master bedroom balcony decking has been in need of attention for a while. Years of moisture and sunlight have accelerated the red cedar’s decay. So at last the time has come for undecking the balcony, removing the failing decking to make way for new balcony decking.
Pam took charge of this project which required some delicacy to ensure thorough removal of the cedar decking without inadvertently puncturing the waterproof membrane underneath. Demo (see video below) was reasonably simple given the wood’s decay.
The old decking sections were designed to be removable for maintenance and replacement, but given each panel’s ungainly size and fragility, it was easier to further dismantle and transport individual boards.
The underside of the panel above reveals long term moisture damage. The same is evident in the panel below.
In addition to replacing the red cedar with garapa which is considerably more weather resistant, some design changes will be incorporated to better evacuate moisture from rain and snow.
With some help from Tony and Hroth, Pam made quick work of demoing the old panels and undecking the balcony. Here’s a closeup of the spongy red cedar.