Freshen Up Your Deck!
Let’s face it – a nice deck is always the centerpiece of a great backyard. It helps you host great summer parties and gives your guests (and family) a nice place to sit and relax. And for those of you that aren’t fortunate enough to have a composite deck, it’s bound to need quite a bit of upkeep over a long summer of events.
Photo by Creativity103 via Flickr
As a rule of thumb, you should perform maintenance on your deck once per year. If you haven’t gotten around to it this summer, this article will help you get started.
Clean it!
Before you attempt to make any repairs on your deck, you should always clean it. Depending on the size of your deck, it probably makes sense to get your hands on a pressure washer. They easily remove dirt, grime and wood fibers with little to no effort.
Photo by Shmoomeema via Flickr
Carefully and evenly move the pressure stream side-to-side to blast away the seasons. This assures an even clean throughout your deck.
Prep it!
With the deck cleaned up, you can now start to clear the vegetation from on and around the deck. Make sure weeds and plants growing from beneath the deck are cleared and that shrubs surrounding the deck have been pushed back.
Cleaning up the vegetation helps uncover possible problem areas that weren’t visible before and helps sharpen-up the look of your backyard.
Fix it!
You should now have a deck that’s clean and free from unwanted vegetation. With everything cleared, you’ll want to search your deck for loose nails, rotting wood, cracked boards, or any other major problems.
Nails that have popped up can simply be hammered back down. Cracked/rotted wood should be replaced.
It’s extremely important to take your time searching for problem areas as these can ruin your decking overhaul.
Stain it/Seal it!
Choosing the correct sealant for your deck depends on the type of weather your deck will be exposed to and your own personal preferences. That’s why it’s important to carefully choose what sealant you use as it can make or break all of the hard work you’ve put in.
Photo by kevinmarsh via Flickr
Visit your local hardware or paint store to talk to a professional about their deck-sealant recommendations. They’ll usually be able to match your deck up with a stain that’s compatible with your climate, wood type and deck wear.
As deckstainhelp.com says, “Just because a deck stain performs well in the Northeast part of the country does not mean it will perform well in the high altitudes of Arizona”
So take your time when shopping for deck stain, it’ll pay off down the road.
Expand it!
Once you’ve completed the repairs and maintenance on your deck, it’s a good time to take a step back and look at the finished result. Does it satisfy your needs? Is it big enough? Does it have all of the features you want?
It’s never too early to start planning your next deck expansion project, so take the time to think about how you could make it better. More room for your summer parties is never a bad thing.
Conclusion
With all the work you’re putting into your backyard, it just makes sense to do the same for your deck. Use this article as a starting point for deck care and expand on it as you go along.
Don’t let your deck go to waste by not properly maintaining it — clean it, improve it and enjoy it!
