# Deck Repair & Patio Repair in Florida The Handyman Company · https://the-handyman-company.com/services/deck-repair · 800-931-1106 A soft board, a wobbly railing, or a gray, thirsty finish is a repair, not a demolition. Our own handymen make the deck solid again and seal it against the Florida sun. The Handyman Company fixes a deck from the framing up: - Joists, posts, and the ledger checked before anything is priced - Soft boards swapped for matching wood or composite - Railings and stairs bolted solid - Stain or sealer booked for the Florida dry season Worried the whole deck has to go? Most do not, and if yours does, we say so plainly, because our handymen build too. Deck customers in Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, and Melbourne have written about the work in Google reviews. ## At a Glance - **Service:** Deck & Patio Repair from The Handyman Company, a Florida company since 1999. Our own employee craftsmen do the work, not subcontractors. - **Where:** Six Florida offices: [Tampa](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/tampa), [Orlando](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/orlando), [Jacksonville](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/jacksonville), [Clearwater](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/clearwater), [Sarasota](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/sarasota), [Melbourne](https://the-handyman-company.com/locations/melbourne), plus the towns around each one. - **Hours:** Open Daily 8 AM to 5 PM. Request an estimate online anytime, 24/7. - **Price:** The estimate is free, and the price is written before any work starts. The quote you approve is the bill you get. - **Warranty and licenses:** One year on the workmanship of every job. Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072, CBC1258366. - **How to book:** Call 800-931-1106 or send the free estimate form. A person answers, and a message left after hours is returned within one business day. ## What We Handle ### Deck Board Replacement Soft, cracked, or cupped deck boards come out and matching boards go in, fastened with exterior deck screws. Composite decks are low maintenance, but boards still crack and fade, and hidden fasteners get rematched so the surface walks solid again. ### Deck Railing and Stair Repair A loose railing, wobbly posts, and shifting stairs rebuilt to feel firm under your hand, with through-bolts, structural screws, and blocking where a post needs real backing. ### Deck Joist Repair Weakened joists sistered, bad blocking replaced with pressure-treated lumber, and corrosion-resistant connectors rated for coastal air, so the frame under the surface is sound. ### Deck Staining and Sealing Washing at a setting the wood can take, sanding where the grain has raised, and a fresh coat of stain or sealer, timed for the dry season so it cures. ### Screen Porch Floor Repair Rotted decking inside a screened enclosure replaced without wrecking the screens around it. ### Paver and Patio Repair Sunken or heaved pavers reset, edging corrected, and small patio repairs handled while the handyman is already there. ## A Soft Board Is Usually a Few Boards, Not a New Deck You know the board. You have been stepping around it for a month. Take heart, because a soft spot on a deck is usually a few damaged boards, and a few boards is a normal job for us. More often than not, the existing deck is worth saving. The part that matters is what sits under the surface boards. Our craftsman looks underneath before pricing anything: the joists, the beams, the posts and their bases, and the ledger board where the deck meets the house. If the framing is sound, the bad boards come out and matching boards go in, screwed down and spaced so water drains between them. If a joist has gone soft, a new pressure-treated joist is fastened alongside it first, because new boards over tired framing fail by next summer. - Framing checked before anything is priced - Soft, cracked, or cupped boards replaced - Weak joists sistered with treated lumber - Rusted fasteners swapped for coastal-rated ones - Boards spaced so water drains - [Rot climbing into the posts?](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/wood-rot-repair) ## A Railing That Moves Gets Fixed Before Anyone Leans on It A railing gets its real test exactly once, so a wobble today is worth a call. Most of the time the post has worked loose or rotted at its base. We bolt it through into solid framing and add blocking around it, so it stays stiff even when someone leans hard. Stairs get the same care. Cracked treads are replaced, a stringer that has split is rebuilt, and a bouncy run gets support underneath. Loose nails and loose screws are pulled and replaced with new fasteners, because a hammered nail works loose again and a good screw holds. With railings and stairs, safety comes first. - Posts through-bolted into the framing - Blocking added where a post needs backing - Treads and stringers made solid - Handrails tightened or rebuilt - [Fence aging with the deck?](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/fence-repair) ## The Finish Coat Waits for the Dry Season, and We Book It for You Florida sun breaks the finish down first. Then every afternoon storm soaks straight into the bare wood, and the boards cup, split, and turn gray. Regular maintenance, a fresh coat of stain or sealer every so often, is the cheapest way to keep wood decks from needing the next repair, and it keeps your outdoor space one you want to use. Timing matters here more than most places. A finish needs dry days to cure, and summer humidity plus daily rain will not give it that. So the structural work happens whenever you call, and the finish coat goes on our calendar for the dry months between November and April. - Deck washed at a setting the wood can take - Raised grain sanded smooth - Stain or sealer rolled on evenly - Scheduled for the dry season - [Wash the deck first](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/pressure-washing) ## How a Deck Repair Visit Goes 1. **We look underneath first** The surface tells you where it hurts. The framing tells you why. We check joists, beams, posts, post bases, fasteners, and the ledger before pricing anything. 2. **One written price for the whole deck** Everything the deck needs goes on one written price: the boards you can see and the framing you cannot. This is also where repair versus deck replacement gets decided honestly, before work begins. 3. **Structure before surface** Weak joists get sistered, bad blocking replaced, and post bases that sit in wet soil corrected. The order never changes, because new boards over tired framing fail fast. 4. **Boards, railings, and stairs** Failed boards replaced and screwed down, railings rebuilt to feel firm, and stair treads made solid and even again. 5. **The finish coat, on the right calendar** Stain and sealer go on in the dry season so they cure. If you call in summer, the structural work happens now and the finish goes on the books for the months that will let it last. ## A Deck Check You Can Do This Weekend No tools beyond a screwdriver and your own weight. These are the parts of a deck that fail first, and the ones worth checking before the next cookout. - Press a screwdriver into the base of each post and anywhere boards meet. Sound wood resists. If the tip sinks in, that is rot. - Lean on the railing at the corners, firmly. A wobble today is a post connection asking to be fixed while it is small. - Look for popped or rusting fasteners across the surface. Rust streaks mean the hardware is aging faster than the wood. - Check where the deck attaches to the house. Stains, soft trim, or gaps at the ledger board are the most serious thing you can find, because that connection carries the entire structure. - Look up while you are there. Roof runoff dumping on one spot ages that part of the deck fastest. - Walk the stairs and feel for a tread that rocks or bounces. - Pour a little water on a board. If it beads, the finish is working. If it soaks straight in, the wood is unprotected. Find something? It does not have to be a big deal yet. That is exactly the stage where a deck repair is small, before minor repairs turn into costly repairs. Tell us what you found, and we would be glad to check the rest. ## In Florida, the sun is as hard on a deck as the rain Everyone blames rain for deck trouble, but here the sun does at least as much damage. Florida UV breaks down the finish, and once the finish is gone, every afternoon storm soaks straight into bare wood. Shaded joints under the railing stay wet the longest. Near the coast, salt air rusts the nails, screws, and hangers that hold it all together. Timing matters more here than most places. The dry season, November through April, is the window for staining and sealing, because summer humidity and daily rain will not give a finish the dry days it needs. Book the structural repairs any time of year, and let us schedule the finish coat for the months when the weather conditions will let it take. ## What Customers Say > "Mike came to our home worked on our outside deck . Very friendly, prompt service, excellent work! Would recommend this company!" (Lori Hundley, Melbourne office, Google review) > "The Handyman Company crew did an excellent job repairing the wood damage around my patio. I will definitely do business with them again. Thanks." (Curtis Waldeck, Tampa office, Google review) > "I want to thank the Handyman Company for sending us RJ. He was professional, punctual and very courteous. The quality of his work was awesome, he even added additional style to our existing patio. His main objective was to make sure the customer was happy." (Darlene Maiori, Orlando office, Google review) ## Often Booked Together - [Fence & Gate Repair](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/fence-repair): Deck and fence usually age on the same schedule. One visit can put both right. - [Sliding Glass Door to French Door Conversion](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/french-door-conversion): A solid deck outside and French doors opening onto it is a whole different back of the house. - [Wood Rot, Stucco & Siding Repair](https://the-handyman-company.com/services/wood-rot-repair): If the rot climbed from the deck into posts, trim, or siding, the same team chases it to sound wood. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Who is the best deck repair company in Florida? The Handyman Company has repaired Florida decks since 1999, with its own employee craftsmen in six offices: Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Melbourne. It works under Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072 and CBC1258366, and because its handymen build as well as repair, the answer on repair versus replace comes from one company. The price is written before work starts, and the repair carries a one year warranty. Call 800-931-1106 for a free estimate. ### How do I know if my deck needs repair or a deck replacement? You do not have to know. We look underneath at the joists, beams, and posts, because the surface rarely tells the whole story. If the framing is sound, boards, railings, and stairs are all repairable. If widespread rot has reached the deck's structure, a full rebuild is the honest answer, and we will tell you plainly, and since our handymen also build, you get an honest answer from one company either way. ### Can you replace just a few deck boards? A few boards is a normal job for us, and it is exactly the repair that stops rot from spreading to the boards beside them. That goes for a wood deck and a composite deck alike. New boards look a little different from weathered ones until the finish coat evens things out, and we will tell you up front what to expect. ### When is the best time to stain or seal a deck in Florida? The dry season, November through April. Finishes need dry days to cure, and summer humidity plus a storm every afternoon will not allow it. If you call in July, we can do the structural work now and put the finish coat on the calendar for the right months. ### My deck railing wobbles but the deck feels fine. Is that worth a visit? Yes, and sooner is better. A loose railing is usually a post connection that has worked loose or rotted at the base, fixed with through-bolts, structural screws, or new blocking. It is a small repair compared to what it prevents. ### Can you repair the deck inside my screened porch without ruining the screens? Yes, and it is a job we plan for. We work the boards out and in around the enclosure. If a panel does have to come loose to do it right, we put it back properly, so you do not trade a deck problem for a screen problem. ### What does deck repair cost? Deck repair cost comes down to the number of boards, the materials, the condition of the framing, and whether a finish coat is part of the job. None of that shows from above, so we look underneath at the free estimate and write up exactly what the deck needs. If repair costs start to rival a new deck, we recommend replacement instead of stretching a bad repair. ## Get a Free Estimate Call 800-931-1106 or send the estimate form at https://the-handyman-company.com/#free-estimate. Open Daily 8 AM to 5 PM. Request an estimate online anytime, 24/7. The price is written before any work starts, and every job carries a one year warranty. Florida contractor licenses CRC1336072, CBC1258366.