Has your once-beautiful wood deck unfortunately succumbed to years of rain, sun exposure and repeated freeze and thaw?
Read on to find out how to not only restore and revitalize it, but also how to maintain it to avoid having it fall apart on you.
A Well-Maintained Wood Deck is An Attractive Wood Deck
Ideally, a wood deck should be cleaned once or twice a year to keep it looking its best, to stop the surface from becoming encrusted with dirt, and to prevent moss growth.
Once spring has arrived, use a push broom to scrub the deck with soap and water. If you have a pressure washer or a device specially designed to refresh the deck’s surface, this is the time of the year to employ it, so don’t hesitate.
You can likewise treat the wood with a stain, oil, or sealant. This will make it more weather resistant. If your deck is newly built, take the time to sand the surface before you clean it.
You can give the timber extra durability by applying a waterproofing treatment. There are oils available developed specifically for exotic woods.
What to Do If Your Deck Has Turned Grey or Green?
Has the damage already been done? Don’t fret, there are ways of restoring your wood deck’s original lustre!
- For a deep clean, you can use water and black soap. Simply scrub the solution onto the wood’s surface and rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- If you need something stronger, you can employ bleach (but only once a year). Add 10 centilitres of bleach to one litre of water. Clean the wood with a push brush moving the bristles in the same direction as the wood grain. It is important that you rinse well once with warm water and again with a solution of water and vinegar. Take care to protect your skin and eyes!
- You can use a brightening product followed by a saturator to bring back the wood’s initial colour.
How to Get Rid of Moss?
It is also common for wood decks to be dotted with moss, a kind of mould. There are a few options available to you to remedy this:
- White vinegar is your best friend! Use a sprayer to apply it directly to dry moss.
- To both kill moss and brighten the deck, dissolve 30 grams of sodium bicarbonate in one litre of water. Splash the solution all over the wooded surface, let sit one hour, scrub with a broom and rinse.
- Alternatively, combine two tablespoons of sodium percarbonate with three litres of hot water. Scrub, leave on about 15 minutes and rinse with clean water.
- Citric acid is excellent for cleaning wood decks and eliminating moss. Mix two tablespoons of citric acid with three litres of water, apply the solution, wait three full days, scrub, and rinse.
And now, all that’s left for you to do is choose the wood deck restoration method that best suits your needs … and enjoy the pleasures your backyard has to offer all summer long!