Wood decks, if left to the ravages of nature, can soon deteriorate from that clean, shiny wood surface that you so liked when your deck was new to a dingy, gray, mildew and dry-rot infested ugly. If you take care of your deck, you can prevent this from happening.
If the majority of the damage is to the deck's surface, there is immediate relief on the way with the ways of cleaning and resealing that I will describe below. However, before you get started, you should check the underside of the deck to be sure that dry rot hasn't already made its way through the deck.
Checking for Dry Rot and Making Repairs
Dry rot is a fungus that grows on wood that has been wet and is in the shade most of the time. If nothing is done to stop it, it will spread and destroy the wood, causing the structure to fall apart. Seek it out diligently. It will hide in hard-to-reach places, like under the deck where the boards and timbers meet. Use a screwdriver or something similar to poke at the wood and look for a texture like cardboard that doesn't give much resistance. Don't trust painted boards that look good. Dry-rot can hide under a layer of paint and be hard to find until you poke at it.
Deck boards and support beams that are badly broken need to be replaced. If the damage isn't too bad, you can chip away the loose wood fibers and use a fungicide like Bora Care or Shell-Guard to kill the fungus. Many people say that using antifreeze to treat the area works very well. If a big part of a piece of wood is broken, you might want to cut it out and replace it with a tight-fitting plug that you epoxy into place. (When working with epoxy, make sure to follow safety rules.)
Cleaning the Deck Surface
Even after a single season, untreated new decks can lose their sheen and turn dingy gray if not properly maintained. Frequently, ultraviolet rays are to blame. Grime, mildew, and mold can significantly diminish the visual appeal of a deck.
Before you begin actual surface cleaning, ensure that your deck has adequate drainage. Using a pressure nozzle on a garden hose, clean the crevices between the surface boards. (Despite how tempting it may be, refrain from using a pressure washer. Even when used sparingly, the strength of the spray can harm the wood's fragile fibers, leaving your deck looking grainy and fuzzy.) Use a putty knife or saw blade to clean the cracks between the boards of any tenacious dirt, allowing water to drain. This is particularly critical close to a residence, where winter snow can retain water and form a pool a few inches deep.
The following step is to apply a wood cleaner containing oxalic acid, such as Wolman DeckBrite Wood Cleaner & Coating Prep or Armstrong's Wood Cleaner. The oxygen bleach products are safe for use around plants and animals because they do not contain chlorine. Hydrogen peroxide, sometimes in liquid solution or in dry form with soda ash, is the primary component. As the solution penetrates the wood, oxygen ions decompose mold, algae, and grime. If you are primarily dealing with mold, you can also create your own cleaning solution by combining 3 quarts of water, 1 quart of oxygen bleach, and a quarter cup of liquid dishwasher detergent. Utilize the ammonia-free option. The oxygen bleach will kill the mildew, while the detergent will help remove it.
After allowing the cleaning solution to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, scrub the surface with a medium-firm brush, either on a push broom-style pole or, if you're like me, on your hands and knees. The final step entails cleaning it with a garden hose.
Apply a Quality Deck Sealer
Wait until your deck is completely dry before applying any kind of sealant or stain to it. The second step is to pick a day for which you have a high degree of certainty that it will not rain in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Because the sealer will not penetrate the wood if another paint or stain is applied on top of it, you should not attempt to apply additional stains or sealers. This can be verified by sprinkling a little bit of water onto your deck. After 15 minutes, if the water is still beading and remaining on the surface, you will need to return and remove the stain that is already there.
When it comes to selecting a sealant, there are a few different elements that should be taken into consideration. It is not recommended to use natural oil sealants because the oils might color the deck green or even black. Additionally, the natural oils provide a food source for mold and algae. The majority of clear sealants do not offer much defense against the damaging effects of UV rays.
Pigmented sealants are among the greatest options because it is the pigments themselves that are responsible for absorbing UV radiation and reducing the discoloration that is commonly seen on wood decks. Epoxy sealants, such as DEFY Epoxy Fortified, contain compounds that can either reflect or absorb the sun's damaging rays, depending on the application. It is available in a variety of colors, including natural pine, cedar, and redwood, and has a formulation that is based on water. Tinted finishes provide color without covering the original wood grain, whilst semi-transparent stains add even more color while still revealing some of the wood's grain. Tinted finishes are the more popular option. The protection offered by the semi-transparent stains is superior to that offered by tinted finishes.
If you are sick and tired of cleaning and treating your wooden deck every few years, it is possible that you are ready to consider an alternative solution, such as painting. A new paint that is a mixture of water-based urethane and acrylic resins, such as the Sears Weatherbeater Ultra, is an excellent option but can be difficult to apply. This paint comes highly recommended. One benefit is that the coating will not need to be replaced for a very long time.
Decks can be a lot of work to keep up with in terms of care, but they are well worth the effort because they provide years of enjoyment.
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