It is one of those ironies of our business that otherwise fiscally responsible home owners who take great pains to, say, maintain their automobiles with regular oil changes and tire rotations, each year throw away thousands of dollars of their own money by failing to take even modest steps to preserve their outdoor living spaces. So today we’re going to focus on one of the most comment – and easiest to avoid – pitfalls of home ownership: degradation and even loss of a wooden deck.
QUICK TIPS FOR A HEALTHY DECK
Quality Counts: Use good quality, brush-on seals/stains. Saving $50 now may cost you thousands later.
Block the Sun: The sun is your deck’s enemy. Use awnings, umbrellas, and shade trees to help protect your deck.
Use Screws: Use screws vs. nails when possible. They last a lifetime, do a much better job of holding things together, and are inexpensive.
By their nature, wooden decks take a beating from the elements. Winter brings deep freezes, snow and wind; spring brings thawing temperatures and punishing rains; summer has its unrelenting heat; and finally fall arrives to cool things down and start the process over again. Meanwhile you and your family are pounding away at the deck with your feet, leaning on its rails, and occasionally staining it with an endless array of outdoor activities (tumbling glasses of red wine spring to mind).
The good news is that a few relatively easy steps can be taken to protect this key investment and deliver many added years to your family’s enjoyment of your outdoor living spaces (not to mention saving big bucks on deck replacement).
Cleaning
Stains, mildew, mold and simple dirt can quickly foul a deck’s appearance. Use a simple solution of one cup bleach per gallon of water and a scrub brush to give your deck a quick cleaning. For especially dirty decks, you also might consider a power wash using a compressor, but be very careful to use the correct nozzle heads to avoid stripping the wood. We also recommend that if you go the power wash route you give the wood a few days to dry and then sand, stand and seal (see below).
Stain and Seal (with a touch of sanding)
This is one of the single most important and aesthetically rewarding steps you can take to protect and resurrect your deck. Assuming your deck is more than a few years old, your deck is probably starting to show some signs of weathering (bleaching, staining, nail pops, rough spots, etc.). The good news: All of these can be remedied for the cost of a night at the movies and a good dinner.
First, let’s fix any nail pops. Because of all that aforementioned weather change, contracting and expanding wood (along with the steady drumbeat of feet pressing down on the wood) tends to force the nails loose. Time to break out the hammer and either drive those suckers back into the wood or, if they’re rusted or bent, replace them.
Next, sand down any rough patches using a belt sander and 80 or 100 grit paper. In general we do not recommend that you attempt to sand down the entire deck. It is extremely difficult, time-consuming, and usually incomplete (picture yourself hand-sanding all of those rail posts one by one). And the good news, again, is that so long as you keep your deck clean, stained and sealed the need for too much sanding won’t arise.
Now onto the fun, highly visible stuff. First, remember that when it comes to staining and sealing, these are usually one and the same thing. All outdoor wood products seal for moisture and UV (e.g. the sun’s rays aka the Mother of All Deck Damaging Agents). Most add color or stain which adds to the effectiveness. Important: Avoid cheap products. Generally you get what you pay for, especially spray on brands. They don’t last and our experience is that the good ones require brush application.
By the way, if you’re not sure you need to do any of this? Take the sealant test. Pour some water on your deck. If the water beads up, your deck is properly sealed. If not, it’s probably time to reseal it.
Step Repair
The steps of your deck take the biggest beating of all, both because they often are the gateway to the deck and because their limited size means there is greater pound-per-square-inch pressure. Most steps at some point will require some buttressing and you can do this either by adding additional screws through the steps to the support beams or installing metal brackets.
Board Replacement
Over time even the best-tended decks may lose a board or two through severe cracking. Board replacement is relatively simple, the easiest path of all often being simply to flip the targeted board and reinstall upside-down. If a new board is necessary, simply measure the length, width and depth (don’t forget that one!) and note the the wood type (most decks are constructed of pine). The new board will of course look out of place compared to the others, but chances are that if you’re replacing a board the entire deck could use the sand, stain and seal treatment listed above.
For additional recommendations, guidance or expert advice, contact Core and we’ll be happy to have one of our Outdoor Living experts visit your home for a free consultation.
