Replace posts resting on deck

[deejay_brago]

Hello!

I need to replace some posts that support part of the overhanging roof. I assume the posts are glulam beams and I plan to replace them with similar ones unless anyone has a better suggestion. A neighbor mentioned that one could use pressure-treated wood. Besides not being as aesthetically pleasing, I'm wondering about the durability and load-bearing capacity of pressure-treated wood compared to glulam?

My second consideration is the installation of the posts at the bottom. The way they are mounted now should probably cause unnecessary moisture retention at the bottom? Is there a good solution that is more stable than the current one? They are screwed into the deck, which then stands on concrete pillars. What type of post base would you recommend?

 

[pdov]

I think it looks good construction-wise. It looks more like neglected maintenance. How rotten is the post, meaning can you push a screwdriver into the bottom or is there still fresh wood a bit in? If it resists and there's fresh wood, I would scrape it clean, prime it thoroughly with oil, and paint it again.

 

[Rickard.]

It is definitely planed timber, so the paint has difficulty adhering well, which is why it looks the way it does.

Avoid treated posts because they are hopeless to work with as they are either crooked or will become so.

Make sure you choose the right paint; a post should be painted like a fence with a paint that can release moisture as you paint all sides.

 

[deejay_brago]

It is definitely planed wood, so the paint has difficulty adhering well which is why it looks the way it does.

Avoid pressure-treated posts as they are hopeless to work with since they are either crooked or will become so.

Make sure you choose the right paint; a post should be painted like a fence with paint that can release moisture since you paint all sides.

Thanks for the reply! The bottoms of the posts were cracked when we moved into the house 3 years ago. I repainted them and a fence around the patio after 1 year, and then I noticed the paint cracking again. The paint I used was recommended by the paint store and they were well aware of what I was going to paint. I'll make sure to get the right kind of paint this time!

Is it advisable to scuff up the surface a bit on the new posts to make the paint adhere better?

 

[deejay_brago]

I think it looks good construction-wise. It looks more like neglected maintenance. How rotten is the pillar, i.e., can you push a screwdriver into the bottom or is the wood still healthy a bit further in?
If it's resisting and the wood is healthy, I would scrape clean, prime with oil thoroughly, and repaint it.

Thank you for your response! They are quite worn out anyway, so I've decided to replace them. I've been looking for similar post shoes online but can't find anything. The posts are 115x115 mm. After reading a bit more here in the forum and other places, I understand that you'd want to avoid the bottom of the post coming into contact with anything to prevent water from staying there.

Is there a better way to attach the posts to the deck without rebuilding the whole deck? I think that ideally the posts should have been mounted directly into concrete supports under the deck from the beginning instead of resting on it.

 

[deejay_brago]

It is certainly planed wood so the paint has difficulty adhering well and that's why it looks like it does.

Avoid pressure-treated posts as they are hopeless to work with since they are either warped or will become so.

Make sure you choose the right paint, a post should be painted like a fence with paint that can release moisture since you paint all sides.

What type of paint would you recommend for these posts?

 

[pdov]

Thank you for your response! They are quite worn, so I have decided to replace them. I've been searching for similar post shoes online but can't find any. The posts are 115x115 mm. After reading a bit more here in the forum and elsewhere, I understand that it's preferable to avoid the post's lower edge coming into contact with anything to prevent water from remaining there.

Is there a better way to attach the posts to the deck without rebuilding the entire deck? I think the best solution would have been if the posts were originally attached directly to concrete supports under the deck instead of resting on it.

The type of post shoe currently there is a U-shoe with a bottom plate, available from Joma and Hilti.
https://www.joma.se/byggbeslag/ovriga-stolpartiklar/u-sko
https://www.hilti.se/c/CLS_FASTENER...LEMENTS_7135/CLS_WOOD_CONNECTORS_7135/r431393
It should be a good solution and not something you would need to replace. I think it might be due to incorrect paint and/or other poor maintenance. The bottom plate supports the post, and water shouldn't remain between them if the bottom plate is slightly smaller than the post. This is what it says in Joma's catalog:

 

[deejay_brago]

The type of post shoe that is there today is a U-shoe with a base plate, available from, for example, Joma and Hilti.
[link]
[link]
It should be a good solution and nothing you would need to replace. I think it is due to the wrong color and/or other poor maintenance. The base plate supports the post, and water should not be trapped between them if the base plate is slightly smaller than the post. This is what it says in Joma's catalog:

[image]

Thanks for the reply! Posts and U-shoes are ordered so it will surely be great when it's finished