Should 24“ deck joist spacing be reduced to 16”

decking

I just tore off the old decking from my cabin's deck. The joists are set 24" on center as opposed to the 16" on center that were in the specs. Should I take all the joists out and replace all of them, or add a new joist between each existing joist? The deck is about 12 years old and some of the joists have to be replaced due to rot.

Best Answer

The wider spacing is less rigid, you may feel a little flex as you walk. I do not like the flex so I used 16" centers. Also , if you use 2 X decking instead of the recommended 5/4"decking, it will be more rigid and last longer. My 2X decking is 20+ years old in good shape in a warm ,wet location; I have replaced about 5% because of rot ( under planters).