Pafford Construction

Maintenance: Keep Your Deck Looking Brand New

While there are many factors to consider when thinking about the longevity of your deck, let’s start with the most basic: Maintenance and Care. The simple act of cleaning your deck a few times a year will keep your deck looking brand new. You can also add sealants or stains every now and again to protect against the elements. In this article, we are going to walk you through how to maintain your deck over the years, as well as talk about some of the products we like using for our own decks!

Washing & Cleaning Your Deck

When you get a pressure treated deck, the wood overtime can start to look weathered or worn. It can grow mildew and even algae if there is standing water on the deck regularly or if it doesn’t get a lot of sunlight. Ever notice the wood gets a gray hue to it after a few years? You can prevent that to an extent with cleaning your deck! 

Pressure washing your deck a few times a year can help keep it from looking like it is growing mildew and help keep the coloring of pressure treated boards for longer. You will want to use a deck cleaning solution and pressure wash on a low pressure setting. Remember: You don’t want to damage the wood with the high pressure water! 

If you don’t have a pressure washer, or you want to be extra careful, you can get a scrub brush and some mild soap or deck cleaner. Use a garden hose to spray the deck off once you have finished scrubbing to ensure the deck is free of any debris and soap. This allows you to scrub away any mildew without the danger of damaging the wood’s surface. 

Sealants & Stains

Another option for maintaining your deck is applying a sealant or stain every few years. When you first get your new pressure treated deck installed, the wood usually needs a few weeks to a few months to dry out. There are different factors that come into play with drying pressure treated wood. One being the time that has passed since the wood was treated, another is how much sunlight your deck gets. In general, the more sun hits your deck the faster it could dry out. Temperature and weather conditions are other factors.

You may be wondering how you can tell if your deck is dry enough: sprinkle some water onto the deck, if it takes about 10 minutes or less for the water to absorb, then the wood is dry and ready to be stained as soon as possible. If you notice the water did not absorb and is pooled on the top of the deck, it needs more time to dry. 

If your deck is a bit older and the wood has already started to become discolored, you may want to wash your deck first. This was mentioned earlier, but washing the deck can help get any discoloration off the boards so the stain sticks better. 

Deck sealants are generally a transparent coat that absorbs into the wood and applies a thin layer of protection against moisture while allowing the wood’s natural grain to show through. By applying a sealant to your deck, it adds another barrier to protect it against wood rot. However, sealants do not protect the wood from sunlight so overtime the wood will fade from the UV rays. 

On the other hand, deck stains protect against water damage while also adding a pigment to the wood, protecting it against UV rays. Deck stains come in different opacities, from semi-transparent to solid. The more pigment in your deck stain, the more protected it is against the sun.