Great points on the moisture meter, hadn't thought of that myself. I've mostly been eyeballing things and giving the railing posts a shake every spring. Honestly though, I should probably step it up—your grill story hits home. Had a similar issue behind my outdoor furniture set...turns out leaves and debris were quietly trapping moisture underneath. Now I'm thinking twice about leaving stuff parked in one spot all year round.
"turns out leaves and debris were quietly trapping moisture underneath."
Yeah, that's sneaky stuff. Had a similar issue myself last year—thought I was doing fine just visually inspecting and giving the railing a good push here and there. Then one day I decided to move some planters I'd left in place for months...found some nasty rot hiding right beneath them. Makes me wonder, how many hidden issues do we miss by just relying on a quick glance or shake test each spring? Might need to rethink my own routine...
Yeah, it's funny how easy it is to overlook stuff like that. I remember a few years back, I was helping my brother redo his deck. He'd been pretty diligent about checking the railings and stairs every spring, but when we pulled up some of the boards to replace them, we found a whole mess of rot underneath. Turns out, water had been pooling in one corner because of a slight slope issue he never even noticed. It looked totally fine from above, but underneath was a different story altogether.
Honestly, I think most of us DIYers have had at least one of those "uh-oh" moments. It's just part of the learning curve. The good news is, once you've had that experience, you're way more tuned in to potential trouble spots. Now every spring, I make a point of moving furniture around and checking under planters or anything else that's been sitting in one spot for too long. It doesn't take much extra time, and it gives me peace of mind knowing I'm catching things early.
But yeah, visual inspections alone can be deceiving. I've learned to trust my gut—if something feels even slightly off or spongy underfoot, it's worth taking a closer look. And hey, finding these issues early usually means they're easier (and cheaper) to fix. So don't beat yourself up too much about missing it before—it's all part of the DIY journey.
"visual inspections alone can be deceiving"
Good point, but I'd argue visual checks can actually be pretty effective if you're thorough enough. Have you tried using a screwdriver or awl to probe suspect areas? I do this every spring—especially around joints and ledger boards—and it's surprising how often it reveals hidden rot or soft spots that look totally fine on the surface. Visual inspections aren't foolproof, sure, but paired with a quick probe test, they're usually enough to catch most issues early.
I get what you're saying about probing suspect areas, but how deep do you usually go with the screwdriver or awl? I've done visual checks pretty regularly, but honestly never thought to poke around much. Last summer, I noticed a small soft spot near the railing that looked totally fine at first glance. When I finally poked it, the screwdriver sank in way easier than expected... ended up replacing a whole section of decking. Definitely learned my lesson there.
Also curious—do you just check once a year in spring, or do you recommend more frequent inspections if your deck gets heavy use or harsh weather? Seems like moisture and snow could speed things up quite a bit.
