Why you should protect your deck from stains – 5 proven ways to make your deck last longer
In the United States, there is a growing desire to use outdoor spaces for recreation, dining, and entertainment. Examples of these spaces include outdoor kitchens, lavish patios, and expansive decks. Wood and composite decks still require routine maintenance and upkeep, even though deck life can be informal and laid back.
Even treated wood eventually deteriorates, and after just one season, the effects of water, humidity, and sun exposure may make your attractive wooden paradise appear soiled and aged. Here are five ideas for how to treat your deck with the respect it deserves.
5 Ways to Protect Your Deck
Be Attentive
- It’s simple to believe that a solid wood deck should be resistant to the weather for a number of years, at the very least. Decks do, however, sustain a lot of damage throughout the course of even a single season.
Because there is no above protection, water remains on the wood longer, and the sun’s rays can be more intense and harmful. Your deck can also prematurely age due to foot and pet activity and moisture issues brought on by landscape plants and other obstructions to optimum air movement.
- Injuries can result from nails that have partially peeled their way out of deck flooring over time. Bird feces, filth, and pollution can stain and change the finish. Boards may stretch or fracture. Dirt and leaf litter may build between the baseboards.
Even if these things don’t all occur at once, keeping a close lookout for signs of pest activity, mold growth, worn-out stair treads, puddles, and shaky railings will assist you in comprehending how your deck is deteriorating and create a plan for efficient seasonal care.
Regularize Your Maintenance
- By anticipating possible problems, you can maintain your wood or composite decking looking great for longer. Clean your deck often. Keep leaves, especially damp ones, from piling up. Avoid allowing bushes to go too close to your deck, especially if it’s on a shaded corner of your home.
Keep deposited trash out of the spaces between the deck’s flooring by using a five-in-one painter’s brush. Get rid of food stains or bird detritus as soon as you see them. If there are potted flowers on your deck, rotate or elevate them sometimes to allow for ventilation underneath.
Understanding Deck Products
- Your deck might have been built with aesthetics in mind, but sustaining it requires following instructions. Although it seems quite indestructible, wood is not. When you choose a certain stain or protection or use a power washer, you’re utilizing strong solvents and machinery.
Products for maintaining decks are intended for usage in a certain way. If they are not used in compliance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, almost all of them will result in issues. It may seem corny to emphasize the need to read the directions on the items you use carefully, but doing so can save hassles that you don’t need when managing your deck.
Clean Your Deck
- No deck preserver will work well unless applied to a clean deck, and preparing a deck for its routine application of waterproof sealer can be difficult without the proper equipment. Many professionals use power washers with cleaning and pretreating supplies to loosen grime and eliminate tiny wood particles.
Oxygen bleach is one of the most widely used and efficient pre-treaters today. It has a foaming action that reduces the amount of cleaning necessary and is a green and neutral option for the environment. Other widely used alternatives include TSP (trisodium phosphate) and chlorine bleach, both of which can be harsh and harmful to the environment.
Maintain Deck Sealing
A deck that is not protected will quickly decay. Even though power-treated wood is resistant to decomposing and bug infestation, water exposure will still cause it to split and break. Applying a decking restorer is the sole way to protect your deck with time effectively.
On the market, there are sealants, stains, and paints made specifically for use on decks. They have quite diverse aesthetics, yet they shield composite and wood decks from UV rays, fungus development, and excessive moisture. Some also have fire retardants in the design.
Need more tips on how you can make your deck look as good as new for longer? Get in touch with the DU Pont Deck Builders experts, and we’d be glad to assist you!
