Wood Deck Maintenance

Wood deck maintenance is a necessary project you must undertake if you want to keep the beauty and structure of your wood deck intact. Depending upon the environment you live in, the quality of the wood and elemental exposure will determine just how much maintenance your deck will require. Generally every one to three years you will need to refinish your deck to maintain it properly, recommended is every two years. There are various different materials on the market to help in your wood deck maintenance.

Wood Deck Power Washing

The first part to wood deck maintenance is removing the finish as best as possible that is on the wood deck now. This is achieved by power or pressure washing the deck with a power or pressure washer. There are various types of power or pressure washers on the market that you can purchase or rent very inexpensively. Getting a quality power washer is recommended. They come in gas and electric with gas being the most popular. For decks the recommended psi would be at least 1800 to 3000 psi and flow rate of 2.5 gal per min would suffice. There are various colored tips that you add to the gun that will determine the fan of the water coming out. This must be carefully chosen so that the stream of water is not so concentrated that it digs into the wood of the deck. Always keep the gun in motion like a pendulum across the surface of the wood deck when squeezing the trigger. There are many cleaning solutions that you can add in a bucket that will have a small hose going from the pressure washer to the bucket so the solution will come out with the water. Once power washed the deck will need to thoroughly dry before sealing or staining.

Wood Deck Choosing Stain

There are many different brands of stain on the market as well as types of stains. Depending upon the look you are going for will determine the type of stain you want on your wood deck. Most stains have a sealant to keep water from soaking into the wood and preserving your deck. There are Oil Based and Water Based stains that vary from transparent to semi transparent and solid finishes. When a deck is new you can use an Oil Based Stain but after that the best product to use are the Water Based Acrylic Stains.

Wood Deck Clear Sealants

Clear sealants should be of an Oil Based nature and when using this product you may need to maintain your wood deck on a yearly basis. These clear sealants can give a nice orange tinged look to your deck. What you choose is really based upon the look you want to achieve.