Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Replacing floorbaords and railings

The previous owner of my house never took care of the wood surface. As a result, the boards all need replacing as well as the railings. The railings bow outward because he built sizeable planters filled with dirt. The weight has pulled the railings away from the deck.

My plan is to keep the original posts, remove the railings and then begin installing new floorboards starting at one end and working my way to the end. Next, I would place new posts for the railings.

Am I headed in the right direction, or does someone need to detour me down a more logical street?

Additionally, when building new railings, how do I go about it?


Thanks in advance for assistance.


TOPGUN

you might want to look for instructions for building a deck--available at home centers or online.

basically, you are removing everything that is rotted, correcting any flaws in the design of the original framework, and then constructing a deck & railing per standard procedure.

be sure to use the right wood---pressure treated for the underpinnings, and then a good deck wood for the new deck and railing. cedar or redwood or outdoor wood are standard choices.
Also check out composite products like Trex.

be sure to apply the appropriate waterproofer when you are done---i like the Cabot products. Even pressure treated wood needs a waterprofer applied to prevent redoing this job in 5 more years.