Help ensure that your investment stands the test of time by using these easy tips to ensure that your brand-new deck looks amazing for each and every summer barbecue. Here are four ways you can ensure that your deck will last through summer looking just as good as it did when it was brand new.
Choosing the best product for deck protection prevents many problems, and it makes maintaining a deck easier than ever. Keep reading these best tips to protect your wood and make your deck maintenance a whole lot easier. By following these 5 tips, you will be able to maintain the beauty and the feeling of your deck for years. Below, we are going to cover some steps that you can take to keep your beautiful deck looking new and fresh in the summer.
The first step in keeping a wooden deck looking its best is cleaning it well. You can clean or refinish a wood deck back to its original beauty without having to totally repair or replace it. If your decks wood is looking dull or covered with a layer of smoky buildup, a power wash may be in order to help bring the deck back to its natural splendor.
If you own a wood deck, then you know that pressure washing is one of the best ways to help it stay looking and feeling like new. They will even be able to do the right kind of pressure wash for your deck, which does not hurt the boards.
If you have a wood deck that is been pressure-treated, you still want to apply sealant to keep it from taking in stains and protecting it from sun damage. Using a roller, apply two thin coats of stain over the deck, making sure that no pooling occurs. The removal is important so that your new stain layer can soak into your decks wood. If you decide later on to stain the deck again using a different stain, you will have to remove all of the stain with stripper or a sander first.
The best preventative action you can take to safeguard your wood deck is using a wood sealant. If you would like help sealing the deck, you can use our eco-friendly, long-lasting wood sealant to keep the elements away from your wood deck. Decks require an annual stripping to allow protective sealers to penetrate the wood more deeply. When sealing the deck, be sure to use the correct product for the correct wood.
You can stain your deck using anything from a clear wood preserver which shows off the grain, to a darker stain that has a more robust finish. Choose your deck stain depending on the wood of the deck and how old the wood is.
Semi-transparent finishes will protect your deck from sun damage, while also adding some color to your wood, if this is important to you. To make sure that yours looks just like it did when it was new, apply a layer or two of a quality, semi-transparent, semi-opaque, or full-gloss deck stain.
To help keep the stain from building up, be sure to regularly sweep the deck so leaves and debris do not build up. If you decide to power wash instead of scrubbing, be sure to use low pressure. Whether using a specific deck-cleaning product or mixing in conventional cleaning solutions, make sure you thoroughly rinse your deck off with the hose to get rid of any clean residue. If you have deck that is clearly stained and muddy, then you will want to apply deck cleaning solutions.
If the cleaning does not get the job done in eliminating damage from the previous summer or the winter months, you might want to consider sanding the deck prior to adding a new protective layer. Once the deck is cleaned, look over it and determine any areas in need of repairs. Take time each year to wash, scrub, repair, stain, and seal the deck so that you are protecting it and keeping it long-lasting.
Consider if you will need to seal the deck after giving it the initial spring cleaning. Since decks are exposed to elements all year long, it is best to set a maintenance schedule that protects the deck and avoids costly repairs. It is also important to clean your decks for safety reasons, the accumulation of mold or weeds could make decking slippery and can even cause the boards to break.
Just as you would do when power-washing, push down on the boards using the wood grain, and use a plastic shovel and mop, which is less likely to cause damage to your decks surface. If that is the case, hold loose nails, brush away exterior stains, clear away any loose debris, and brush the deck down with a broomstick. Brush away any excess water after rainstorms so that moisture does not damage your decks wood.
For smaller areas, use commercial deck cleaning products and a scrub brush, or bleach diluted with water and a hose. Basic cleaning, such as weekly brushing away loose mud and debris, will help keep the natural shine on the deck. You might have heard that effective sealing causes water to sprinkle across the decks surface, but while it is true that the wax additives in stains create a preliminary sprinkling effect, good staining will still protect the wood long after this effect has worn off.
