Most decks in the Twin Cities were built in the 1980s and '90s, which means a lot of them are now thirty to forty years old. The good news is that a tired-looking deck doesn't automatically mean a full teardown. Sometimes the frame underneath is fine and only the surface has failed.
The first thing we check is the ledger — the board that attaches the deck to your house. This is the single most important connection on the structure and the most common point of failure. If it was nailed instead of bolted, or if it was never flashed and water has been running behind it into the rim joist, that has to be corrected no matter what else we do.
Second, we check the footings and posts. Minnesota frost heave is brutal on shallow footings. If posts have shifted, if the deck is noticeably out of level, or if the post bases are soft at ground contact, the substructure needs work.
Third, we probe the joists. Surface graying is cosmetic and normal. Softness you can push a screwdriver into is not. Joists that are sound can carry new decking for decades; joists that are punky can't carry anything.
Fourth, we look at the railing. Codes have tightened significantly since most of these decks went up, and an original railing is frequently too low, too widely spaced, or not attached strongly enough to be safe. Railings usually get replaced even when the frame is saved.
If the ledger, footings, and joists check out, resurfacing is a genuinely good deal — new decking in composite or cedar plus a new code-compliant railing on a sound frame costs far less than a full rebuild and lasts just as long. If they don't check out, we'll tell you straight rather than building something new on top of something failing.
Call All Siding MN llc at (763) 302-9215 for a free deck inspection and honest recommendation.