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So I tried to fix a wobbly deck step with just a shim and a prayer
My back step was rocking bad, like a seesaw. I grabbed a cedar shim from the garage, hammered it in, and called it good. Next day, my buddy stepped on it and the whole thing gave way. The shim just pushed the old, rotted wood apart. Cost me $80 in new pressure treated lumber and a Saturday. Lesson: bandaids don't fix rot. How do you guys check for rot before you even start a quick fix?
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simonlee6mo ago
My neighbor had a similar thing happen with his fence post. He kept packing dirt around it when it leaned, but it was just mush underneath. The real trick is the screwdriver test. Just poke the wood in a few spots, especially where it meets the ground or another board. If the screwdriver sinks in easy or you can pull out chunks, you've got rot. That soft, crumbly feel is a dead giveaway. It means the wood's strength is gone, and no shim in the world will save it. You gotta cut out the bad section and replace it.
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