| Cleaning and Sealing Decks |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-109 |
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Q: How do we properly clean and seal our deck? A: (Brad Staggs, Ask DIY Home Repair expert) You spend thousands of dollars on a deck, so why not spend a little time to preserve your investment? The first thing you should do is simply sweep the debris -- leaves, twigs, dirt -- off the top of the deck. Pay particular attention to the spaces between boards. Leaves will rot in there and rest on the joists, eventually rotting the boards. Use a putty knife to clean the crevices. Next, you'll want to clean the surface of the wood. There are several products on the market, or you can simply use bleach, cut half and half with warm water, and a scrub brush (figure A). This is ideal for small areas and will work wonders on algae and mildew and the like. For larger areas, rent or purchase a pressure washer. Spray the bleach/water mixture on the boards first and let it soak in for a while before pressure washing. Make sure you cover up shrubs and plants before you start spraying bleach. Once your deck is clean, you can apply a redwood stain or a waterproofing deck sealer, which will repel water and make your deck last longer. To apply the sealer, you can purchase a pad with a little reservoir (figure B) and simply brush it on. Or you can use a foam roller. Go over the entire deck surface with the sealer. More questions for Brad: Q: I have warped boards on my deck ,and I'm afraid that somebody will trip and fall. Any suggestions? A: Warped boards can be very dangerous. The simple solution is to pull up the boards and replace them with new boards. Or you can remove the warped boards, plane them and then put them back. Q: I've heard that bleaching your deck can cause problems. Is this true? A: I would not use straight, undiluted bleach on a deck, and I wouldn't let it sit there for any length of time. Q: If I decide to paint my deck, how often will I have to maintain it? A: That depends on how much it will be exposed to direct sunlight or the weather. It may last several years if it's protected by, say, a tree canopy. But keep an eye on it. Once it starts to peel, sand it down and repaint. And always use an oil-based primer. That will add life to the paint job. Next: Cleaning Silver
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