Featured Project: The Fence and Deck Doctor

The builder ordered extra-long decking for this project -- 18- to 20-foot boards -- to provide a deck with no joints, the rationale being that rotting eventually sets in at the joints. He advises that if joints are necessary, to bevel them, then glue them together to make the joints almost invisible.

Bolts in the railing posts were covered with custom wood caps, made from the same species of wood as the deck. This technique makes for almost invisible caps that have to be tapped in with a hammer because of the tight tolerance. The process elevates the deck to the level of furniture making without a lot of time and effort expended, the builder says.