Ways To Deal With Splintered Boards On Your Dock
Posted on: 15 July 2021
When the wooden boards that form the top surface of your dock begin to splinter, it's important for you to take action right away. Ignoring this problem will likely cause the wood to continue to splinter over time, but the immediate concern is that someone walking barefoot on the dock could sustain a foot injury. If you lack the experience or time to tackle this repair work yourself, look for a local company that specializes in dock repair. They'll be able to send a contractor to assess the situation and discuss some options with you. Here are some potential solutions for your splintered dock boards.
Sanding And Refinishing
If the splintering issue isn't major, the contractor may suggest rectifying the problem through a process of sanding and refinishing. The contractor uses a power sander to sand the surface of each of the splintered boards to remove the splinters. This process leaves each board as smooth, if not smoother, as when the dock was new. Next, the contractor coats the sanded boards in a finish of your choice. This might be a semi-transparent stain or paint, depending on how you want the dock to look.
Replacing Select Boards
Depending on the severity of the splintering issue, your dock repair contractor may not be able to fix the issue through sanding. In this scenario, they might recommend replacing the boards. If only some of the boards are splintered, it might be possible to solely replace them. This will be more affordable than replacing all of the boards, which would be desirable if your dock is on the larger side. Your contractor will note the size of the boards that require removal, and then buy new boards of the same size and the same wood to ensure that everything matches once the job is done.
Switching To A Different Material
If this isn't the first time that your dock boards have splintered, you might be concerned about this issue occurring again in the future. One option is to consider having your repair contractor remove all of the boards and replace them with something else. Some people favor aluminum tops for their docks, given that problems such as splintering won't occur. Composite boards can also be a good choice. Provided that the posts and the support structure of the dock are in good shape and do not require work, this repair would be fairly quick.
Reach out to a professional who provides dock repair services for more information.
Share