The rather large planter boxes adorning our deck were showing their age from the moisture of the soil within and the effects of the elements from without.
Some of the outer boards were loose and rotten so I decided to take one apart to see if I could repair it. We had been debating whether to scrap some or all (3) of them.
I figure there is about one half ton of dirt in each box so it is impossible to move them without emptying them out. As part of my deck board inversion project I was eager to access the boards under the box so the only way is to shovel out the dirt. I only had to replace 2 of the boards under the planter and neither one was because of damage under the box itself.
Once I began to tear one of the boxes down, I could see that they are nicely made and they hadn't really deteriorated as badly as one might have expected considering they are over 35 years old. The effects of years of water intrusion is very evident but the plywood inner wall was not de-laminating and other than looking bad, the wood was mostly intact. A galvanized inner liner was in very good condition.
This is the second box we have moved and I was again surprised at the excellent condition of the deck boards underneath. In spite of the fact there is a drain tube which allows the boxes to drip right on to the deck boards, there was absolutely no sign of rot.
Wendy and I both agreed that the boxes are too good to scrap so we'll work them into our project.
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