Anacortes Roofing Old Town Anacortes covers some of the town's oldest residential blocks, close to downtown and the waterfront, where a lot of homes date back decades and plenty of them still have an original deck — or a replacement deck that's now overdue for another one. Add in what this stretch of Skagit County deals with every year — salt air off the water, driving rain that comes in sideways more often than straight down, and a moss season that runs most of the calendar — and a deck here works harder than the same structure would somewhere drier and more sheltered.
Composite decking has become the go-to choice for a lot of Old Town homeowners replacing a tired wood deck, and there are good reasons for that given the climate. But "composite decking" covers a wide range of products and a wide range of installation quality, and a correctly built deck in this neighborhood looks a little different from a generic install dropped onto any lot. This page covers what Old Town homes actually need from a composite deck, what a correct installation involves, and why it matters that we already work this specific part of Anacortes.
What This Neighborhood's Climate Puts a Deck Through
Salt Air Off the Water
Old Town's proximity to the water means a steadier dose of salt-laden air than a lot inland of downtown gets, and a deck sits directly in it with no roofline or wall to take the brunt. Salt accelerates corrosion in exposed metal — screws, joist hangers, post brackets, railing hardware — and a corroding fastener loses holding strength well before it looks obviously bad. That matters more on a structure people stand and walk on than it does on, say, a gutter bracket.
Driving Rain, Not Just Rain
Storms coming off the water don't just fall straight down here; wind pushes rain sideways and drives it up under railings, into ledger connections, and between deck boards that aren't gapped right. A deck surface that would shed water fine on a calm day can still trap moisture the moment wind gets involved, and in this part of Skagit County, wind-driven rain is closer to the rule than the exception during the wet months.
A Moss Season That Doesn't Really End
Mild temperatures and near-constant moisture give moss a long growing season here, and horizontal deck surfaces are usually among the first places it takes hold, since they hold water longer than a vertical wall and stay damp between rain events. Shaded decks and north-facing surfaces are typically first to show it, and any decking material with even a little surface porosity gives it something to grip onto.
Why Composite Decking Fits Old Town Homes
Composite decking earns its place in this climate because it doesn't depend on regular sealing or staining to keep moisture out the way wood does, and a good cap layer resists the staining and surface breakdown that salt air and constant moisture cause over time. For a homeowner who wants a deck that looks good without a yearly maintenance ritual, that's the main appeal — not that it's maintenance-free, but that the maintenance it does need is mostly washing rather than refinishing.
It's also a practical fit for older homes in this neighborhood specifically, where a deck replacement is often happening alongside other exterior work. Composite doesn't need to be re-coated on the same schedule as siding or trim, which means once it's installed correctly, it's largely off the maintenance list for years at a stretch — useful on a property where there's usually something else competing for attention.
Not All Composite Decking Is Built the Same
The biggest performance gap in composite decking comes down to whether the board is fully capped or not, and that gap matters more here than it would in a drier climate. Uncapped composite has wood fiber exposed at the surface and takes on moisture and staining faster in a wet, salty environment. Capped composite wraps that core in a plastic shell that resists moisture absorption and surface staining far better, which is why it's what we recommend for the vast majority of Old Town installs.
| Decking Type | Moisture & Salt Air Performance | Moss Resistance | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully capped composite | Strong — cap layer resists moisture and staining on all sides | Good on most lines | Occasional washing |
| Capped on top/sides only | Decent — exposed cut ends and fastener holes can still take on moisture | Fair to good | Occasional washing, attention to cut edges |
| Uncapped composite | Moderate — wood fiber at the surface absorbs moisture over time | Fair; more prone to buildup | Periodic cleaning, shorter practical lifespan here |
| Cellular PVC (for comparison) | Excellent — no wood fiber at all | Strong, smooth surface | Occasional washing, higher upfront cost |
Color and finish matter too, though less than the cap question. Lighter colors show less contrast when pollen, salt residue, or moss spores land on the surface between washings, while darker colors tend to run a bit hotter underfoot on the rare sunny day but hide grain-pattern boards well. None of that changes the underlying performance — it's a preference call once the material category is settled.
What a Correct Composite Deck Installation Involves
The decking boards get most of the attention when homeowners picture this project, but in this climate, the framing, fasteners, and drainage details underneath are what actually determine how long the whole structure holds up. A build done right here includes:
- Framing material rated for sustained moisture exposure, sized correctly for the span and load rather than reused from whatever was there before
- Stainless steel or coastal-grade corrosion-resistant fasteners and hardware throughout, not standard-grade hardware that starts corroding in salt air within a few seasons
- Hidden fastener systems on the decking surface where the product supports them, reducing exposed metal and giving a cleaner walking surface
- Correct board gapping for drainage and material expansion, so wind-driven rain and standing moisture can actually drain and dry between boards
- Proper ledger board flashing where the deck ties into the house — one of the most common places moisture gets into the structure on a poorly built deck
- Joist spacing matched to the specific decking product's span rating, since composite products vary in how far they can span between joists
- Grading and airflow underneath the deck so moisture doesn't sit against the framing between storms
Skip any one of those and the deck usually still looks fine on day one. The problems — a soft joist, a loosening railing post, fastener corrosion staining the boards around it — tend to show up a few winters later, not right away.
Decking Onto an Older Home's Existing Structure
A lot of composite deck projects in Old Town aren't new builds — they're replacements of an aging wood deck attached to a home that's been standing for decades. That brings a set of considerations that don't come up as often on newer construction. Ledger connections on older homes were sometimes done to standards that wouldn't pass inspection today, and ledger flashing in particular is worth a close look before new decking goes on top of an old structure, since that's the connection point most likely to have let moisture into the house framing over the years.
Existing framing on an older home also isn't always sized for a modern composite product's span and load requirements, and it's not unusual to find joist spacing or beam sizing that needs adjusting rather than reusing as-is. We treat the substructure as part of the job on a retrofit, not just a base to build decking onto, which sometimes means more framing work than a homeowner expects going in — but it's the difference between a deck that lasts and one that's only as good as what it was built on top of.
How Our Process Works
We start with a site visit to look at what's actually there: existing deck and framing condition if it's a replacement, drainage and grade around the area, sun and wind exposure through the day, and how close the site sits to the water. From there we talk through composite decking options that fit the budget and how the space actually gets used, and we're upfront about which product lines we'd recommend for this specific location versus which ones we'd steer away from.
Permitting in Anacortes and the rest of Skagit County generally follows standard setback, structural, and elevation requirements, and we handle that as part of the job. Once permitted, the build follows the sequence above — substructure and framing first, sized and fastened for the site's actual exposure, then the decking surface, railing, and any stairs or trim work. We finish with a walkthrough covering what the specific product you chose needs going forward, which for capped composite is minimal, but not nothing.
Keeping a Composite Deck Looking Right in This Climate
Even a well-built composite deck in the right material needs a little routine attention here to get its full lifespan out of it. A short list worth keeping in mind:
- Rinse or wash the deck surface periodically to clear salt residue, pollen, and organic buildup before it works into the cap layer
- Keep gaps between boards clear of leaves and debris so water and airflow can move through the way the design intends
- Check railing posts and fastener hardware once a year for early corrosion or loosening, ideally heading into the wet season
- Trim back overhanging branches or plants that hold moisture against the deck or block sun and airflow across the surface
- Address any soft framing or standing water underneath right away — that's a structural issue, not a cosmetic one
Why It Matters That We Already Work Old Town Anacortes
A crew that mostly builds decks further inland can still do competent work, but an Old Town project has variables that come up here more than elsewhere in Skagit County — corrosion-grade fastener requirements from sustained salt exposure, ledger and framing conditions tied to the neighborhood's older housing stock, and a moss season that runs longer here than in more sheltered parts of town. Working this neighborhood regularly means we're not guessing at any of that on your project. We've seen which composite lines hold up against this specific combination of salt air, driving rain, and moss, and which framing and fastener details on an older home are worth the extra time rather than an upsell.
That familiarity also shows up in the smaller judgment calls — knowing what an old ledger connection is likely to look like once we open it up, or being straightforward about what a deck in this specific location realistically needs to last versus what's just an extra line item.
Whether you're replacing a tired deck, planning a new one, or just want an honest read on what your Old Town property would need, we're happy to take a look and lay out the options plainly. Reach out below for a free, no-pressure estimate.