Let’s be honest: most decks don’t “suddenly” go bad.
They start with a little creak when you walk across, a soft spot you avoid with your bare feet, or a railing that wiggles just enough to make you nervous. From the top, it looks like an “old deck problem.” Most of the time, it started as an installation problem that’s finally showing itself.
A deck isn’t just a flat place for furniture. It’s a small outdoor structure bolted to your house and holding people off the ground. How it’s built on day one decides whether it feels solid 15 years from now, or needs a full tear-out long before it should.
Here’s how bad installation shows up in real life, and why it’s worth caring about what’s under those boards.
What Your Deck Is Trying To Tell You
Before we talk about footings and hardware, let’s start with the symptoms you actually notice when you walk out on your deck:
Creaking deck boards
A bounce or springy feeling in the middle
Boards that feel soft or spongy
Railing that moves when you lean on it
Stairs that flex or feel uneven
Those are your early warnings. They don’t always mean the deck is about to fail, but they do mean it’s time to look closer at the structure you for things you may not see from the surface.
Rot: The Quiet Deck Killer
Rot almost never starts on the pretty side of the deck. It starts where moisture hangs out and wood can’t dry properly:
The bottom of posts where they meet concrete or soil
The tops of beams and joists where water sits after a storm
The ledger where the deck attaches to the house
This rot can be introduced by common installation mistakes like setting posts directly into concrete or soil, or failing to properly install flashing on ledger boards.
Over time, you end up with:
Posts that look fine from the side but are mushy at the base
Joists that crumble when you poke them with a screwdriver
A ledger that’s pulling away from the house, or separating just enough to let water in
From above, you might just hear creaks. Underneath, the main structure could be quietly decaying.
Not Just Old Deck Noises
A well-built deck shouldn’t feel like a trampoline.
Creaks and bounce often come from:
Joists spaced too far apart for the deck board type
Undersized beams
Missing or improper joist hangers
Loose or rusted fasteners
If the deck was framed “light” to save material and labor, it may have felt semi-okay when it was new. Add years of weather, a few heavy gatherings, and some mild rot in the wrong places, and that underbuilt frame starts to move.
You can sometimes stiffen a sound frame with extra blocking or added beams. But if the structure itself is undersized or compromised, simply replacing the top boards won’t fix the core problem.
The Importance of Quality Boards
Installation isn’t the only factor. Material choices matter too.
When a deck is built with cheap materials and hardware, here’s what tends to show up early:
Cupped and twisted boards that collect water
Deep cracks that hold moisture and speed up rot
Fasteners backing out because the wood is too soft or the screws were low quality
Hardware rusting quickly
Picking the right materials will help your deck stand up to wear and weather for many more years. If you choose trusted deck board brands like TimberTech or Trex then your deck surface will stand up to the elements like no other.
Code, Safety, and Warranties
Deck codes aren’t there to make life difficult; they’re there because people stand, walk, lean, and sometimes jump on decks.
Proper installation has to account for:
Railing strength - should resist a person leaning or bumping into it
Consistent stair dimensions - uneven steps are a major trip hazard
Load capacity - enough structure under the deck to support people, furniture, and snow where applicable
On the product side, many decking and railing systems advertise long warranties. Those warranties usually assume:
Correct spacing and support underneath
Approved fasteners and hardware
Installation in line with the manufacturer’s instructions
If a deck is built in a way that doesn’t meet code or manufacturer requirements, warranty coverage is often limited or denied when something goes wrong. The product might be fine, but the installation wasn’t.
Our professional installers at Apex Exteriors prioritize proper, water-tight installation procedures when doing a deck project. Check out our calendar to book out a free quote for your deck project to get it done right or send us a message to talk about your project.