What Does It Take To Maintain A Deck During The Year?
Having a deck for your home can be amazing because of all the outdoor experiences you can have. However, maintaining it is extremely necessary if you want to get the most out of it and have it last as long as possible.
Take Proactive Steps To Handle Elements That Can Soil Your Deck
You will need to sweep things like dirt and leaves regularly as any buildup of these can become wet and begin to grow mold. When water puddles form, you should clear them as soon as possible to stop them from attracting pollen and fungal spores that will discolor the wood.
Don’t place planters directly on the deck as they can trap dirt and moisture, leading to damage. When it comes to your grill, you’ll want to put a large tarp under it and a grease trap under the opening to prevent grease from staining your deck.
Annual Cleanings Are Essential
To clean your deck, you will need to start by thoroughly sweeping it. Sweep with the grain to get as much of the dirt out as possible. While you may be considering a leaf blower for the job, it most likely will not get all of the ground-in dirt that a broom will.
Use a moderate to hard stream of water from a garden hose to spray down the deck. Do not use a pressure washer as this could gouge the wood. Then, using a commercial deck cleaner that will attack mold, mildew, and oxidation, scrub the surface of the deck with a soft-bristled brush in the direction of the grain.
You’ll want to work in small sections, rinsing the deck as you finish. Once the entire deck is completed, allow it to dry for up to 48 hours.
Reseal Your Deck At Least Every Two Years
To protect your deck from swelling due to things like the rain or shrinking due to exposure to the sun, you will need to seal it at least once every two years. You’ll need to lightly sand your deck to start.
When it comes to choosing your sealer, an oil-based option is going to be more resilient but it will be trickier to work with. A tinted sealer has the benefit of being more aesthetically pleasing, but it will fade very quickly.
Sealant can be applied with rollers, brushes, or a sprayer; however, controlling a sprayer can be quite difficult.
As tempting as it may be, do not under any circumstances use deck paint as a sealant. It is not built for it and will break down quickly under foot traffic.
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