Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Deck plank re-spacing?

At the back of our house we have a T-shaped deck that is about 500 square feet, and built fairly close to the ground (about 1 foot above a gravel base). I bought the house with the deck already there.

I think the 2x6 decking planks are installed too close together. They are about 1/16" apart. We have a lot of large (40 ft. high) evergreen trees in the back yard, and little needles blow off the trees onto the deck. Instead of going down through the deck planks, the needles get stick and accumulate between adjacent planks, and then they hold water and deteriorate.

The wood planks are generally in good shape (about five years old) but I think they will tend to rot on the sides due to the wet rotting pine needles.

So I am thinking it would be worth the effort to pull up the planks and re-seat them with about 3/16" between them. The planks are held down with screws so it should be easy to remove the screws and then reattach the planks with wider spacing.

While I have the planks loose I could stain/seal the planks on all four sides, as the top surface of the deck needs re-finishing anyway.

So does this re-spacing of the planks sound like a worthwhile project? I am retired and have the time to do this.

Do you know how old the deck is and what the material is?
If the decking is fairly new, you can expect some shrinkage as the wood ages. Typical spacing for new deck planking is probably around 1/8".

I think the planking is redwood, and it is 5 years old.

htgc1,

At 5 years old, you are probably fine with removing the deck boards, sealing them (and seal the tops of the joists while you are there!!) and putting them back with wider gaps. Given that it is spring and the boards probably still have a lot of moisture in them right now, 1/8" to 3/16" gap is going to be fine. In the middle of August, that gap will be 1/4" to about 3/8".

You're in Maryland -- Redwood is grown in Humbolt and Del Norte counties, in the extreme northwest corner of CA, and no place else. If your deck is redwood, either the builder owned a trucking company or had more money than he knew what to do with. I seriously doubt that it's redwood. (I live about 150 miles from the redwood groves, and it's becoming too pricey for me and my customers!!)

How about taking a skill saw and running it down the spaces.. Open them up a bit.. Would be a lot easier than taking them all up and re-setting them..

It'll look like "Stuff" -- and none of it will be good stuff.

It'll smell like "Things", and my dog leaves better smelling "things" in the yardl