How To Treat Wooden Decks

An outdoor deck is one of the places of pride for any homeowner. If you want to keep your deck looking like new, there are certain steps you can take to ensure that your deck lasts for years to come. If you have been wondering how to treat a wood deck, here are some ways. 

The first thing that you want to do is to get deck cleaning materials. If you bought the house with deck already stained, it is best to actually strip the stain and sealant from the surface of the deck and start from scratch. Once you’ve removed the pre-existing stain or sealant, apply a cleaner that is made specifically for cleaning wood decks. Ingredients to look for include chlorine bleach, which may appear on the label as calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite, and oxalic acid which is good for removing iron stains. If your deck is made from cedar or redwood, a cleaner with oxalic acid will be best. 

Once the deck is washed and cleaned, protect the wood by applying a water repellent. A water repellent is a wood finish that penetrates the wood with waxes or oils that are specifically designed to prevent water from soaking the wood. When water repellents are regularly reapplied to the surface every year or two, it can also help to stabilize the wood. This means that wood’s tendency to warp or crap is significantly reduced. 

With a brand new sealant on your deck, the next thing to do is to keep up regular maintenance. This includes a good sweep every week or every other week, some homeowners prefer to do this even more frequently. At the end of a season, it is recommended to do a deep washing of the deck. This means removing all debris from the deck, removing all plants, fixtures and furniture from the deck and giving the deck a proper sweep. After this, using a power washer or soft brush to scrub the deck will be sufficient. 

If you own a plywood deck and notice that it is suffering some damage, give us a call or fill out a quote form so that we can assist you!