Porch Decking Mitered Corners Dilemma

2 years ago I replaced all the decking on my porch. I couldn't afford the tongue and groove decking that was down previously, so instead I bought 5/4 X 6 pressure treated and installed that instead. I left the gap between the boards as suggested but I did not think to do that on the mitered corner where the porch wraps around my house in the front. This is the focal point when coming up on my front porch. I want to paint the floor this year (another question for a different post on the best paint for PT wood) but I want to address the issue that I have with the mitered sections which opened up within 6 months of putting the decking down.

My questions are as follows: What would be the best way to open up the gap between the mitered boards o keep the spacing equal to the other boards (about 1/8"-1/4" gap from one board to the other)? Could I snap a few chalk lines to allow me to put down a straight edge to carefully use a router to open up the gap evenly? Would this (using a new sharp bit of course) give me a nice clean opening? I notice that the gap changes very slightly from winter to Summer, and with my hopes of painting this porch flooring this Spring, would it be the best time to open the gap evenly, or should I have done it in the Winter (which means I would have to wait another year to paint, or re-paint after I open them up if Winter is the best time to do this).

I hope the picture shows my dilemma. When I first put the decking down the miters were perfect and I was pretty proud of myself. Now I look at it every day and kick myself in the butt for not leaving the gap in the first place.

I'd rather leave the boards as they are instead of tearing them up if that turns out to be the suggestion.......I hope not

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

I would set a circular saw to the decking thickness and tack a straight edge to the deck and run it straight through. It might take more than one pass to get the gap you want.

 

Would you see a problem with doing this in the warm weather? Will the gap close up evenly you think when it gets frigid again next Winter?

Also, when I get to the corner of the house (outside corner) and the corner of the porch wall (inside corner), how should I continue to gap I am creating with the skil saw if I can't get the saw close enough to these 2 corners. Should I use a multi-max tool that has a flat blade that oscillates?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Also looking for the best deck paint to use on the pressure treated decking if anyone has a comment on that as well. It is a completely outside application on this porch Thanks.

 

The gap may close/open with weather/humidity changes but the slightly off angle will still be there. If you cut it straight with a skil saw and straight edge you'll have to use a multi tool or remove the boards to get the one or two up against the house.

Hopefully you want to stain the deck. It's never a good idea to use paint on a deck! What type of stain to use depends on the look you want. Toners or translucent stains are almost see thru but generally hold up better than clear sealers. Solid stains look similar to paint and usually hold up the longest against the elements. Semi-transparent is somewhere in the middle.

You will almost always find better deck stains at your local paint store as opposed to a big box paint dept. Price is a good indicator of the quality of the stain.

 

Thanks for the comments. I will take your advice and get a stain that covers as much as possible to look like paint. I didn't want to leave the pressure treated look. I'll probably go with a dark gray if I can find it locally.

All this time I was figuring on using a router to gut the gap evenly on the boards. Now that I have had 2 recommendations on using a skil saw, then that's the way I will go. I do have a multi tool that I can use when close to the house. I'd rather not take up the boards as they are rather long.

My main goal is to open up the gap and reduce the angle that shows without opening it up as wide as the widest gap is. Just enough to cut down on the look of the mitered boards. I spent so much time getting all the angles right but never expected them to open up at an angle like that. I'm probably the only person that even notices it but I see it every time I leave my house and come back home, so I need to get it done.

Thanks for all the help.

 

Solid stains can be custom tinted to most any color you want.
IMO the width of the gap isn't a big deal but where the angle is off, that would bug me