If you want to know the best way to do deck maintenance, then this guide will show you everything you need to know in simple steps that anyone can follow…
Let’s get into it…
- Remove everything from your deck
- Sweep debris off deck
- Hose down and scrub deck with deck cleaner
- Clean and scrub with a deck brightener
- Apply 1 to 2 coats of deck stain
1. Remove everything from your deck
It can be pretty hard to scrub around deck furniture or even stain around pot plants so it’s always a good idea to remove all of your furniture off your deck so you can do what you need to do…
If you have a deck where you can’t remove the furniture then the best thing to do is move it to one half and do your deck in stages…
That’s what I had to do with this deck…
It’s not perfect but sometimes it’s your only choice…
Once your deck is clear move onto step 2…
2. Sweep debris off deck
I like to use a leaf blower for this step, but either way…
You don’t want any leaves and sticks getting in your way while you’re trying to clean and stain your deck…
Now don’t try to get all cheeky and think that you can blast all of the dust and debris off your deck when you pressure wash it…
I know it sounds like a great idea but if you have a lot of dirt and dust on your deck, it can blow up and coat your windows and the side of your house with a layer of gunk…
Then you have to go back and pressure wash the side of your house and clean your windows…
Just sweep your deck off first and save everyone the hassle…
Moving on…
3. Hose down and scrub deck with a deck cleaner
This step is only if you have an oil based stain on your deck…
If you have a water based stain, then move onto step 4…
If you have oil based stains on your deck, then continue with this step…
The thing with oil based deck stain is that most people go to recoat it and it has a tendency to turn black..
The main reason is because they missed this step…
You want to clean your deck with a deck cleaner first, then a deck brightener…
What actually happens with oil based deck stain is that it fades off and almost disappears…
Then in order to recoat, you need to use a cleaner that will pretty much remove the old stain…
After the stain has been removed, then you need to apply 1 or 2 new coats to your deck…
That’s why I recommend the 2 cleaners I’ve listed above…
They’ll remove old oil based stains so you have fresh timber to coat…
And you won’t be applying another layer to your old layer…
The layer upon layer system that water based deck stains use are the reason why they eventually peel…
True oil based deck stains won’t peel…
They fade, you remove what’s left, and then start again…
Ok, so here’s how you need to use your deck cleaner…
On second thoughts…
If you do need to use a deck cleaner, it’s the exact same process that you would use to scrub your deck with a brightener…
And wouldn’t cha know it…
I will break it down for you in step 4…
So instead of laying it all out for you here and then repeating it for the next step, just continue on and know that the way to apply the deck cleaner is the exact same way you use the brightener…
Just go to the next step now so I can stop rambling on…
Who knows how long this could go on for…
4. Hose down and scrub with a deck brightener
This is where the real fun starts…
What you wanna do is grab yourself a high quality deck brightener like Equiso Vitalise…
Then what you wanna do is hose down your entire deck so it’s nice and wet…
You always scrub the deck brightener while the deck is wet…
Never dry…
And you want to make sure that once the brightener is on your deck, never let it dry into the surface…
So keep a garden hose nearby and make sure you have a hose nozzle that can spray lightly…
Then if you see some sections starting to dry up, give it a light spray with the garden hose…
I personally like to give it a light blast with the pressure washer, but hey, that’s just me…
Make sense?
Excellent…
Let the brightener sit on your deck for about 15 minutes all while you’re keeping it wet…
Then grab yourself a pressure washer and wash that brightener right off your decking…
Then you’re good to move onto the next step…
5. Apply 1 to 2 coats of deck stain
First things first…
Make sure your deck has completely dried…
Because this is a maintenance coat and your deck will already have a coating on it…
It shouldn’t take too long to dry…
But don’t rush in while your deck is still wet…
Most deck stains don’t work very well with a damp decking…
I’m trusting you with this one…
Be patient…
Ok, now that your deck is dry, it’s time to apply your maintenance coat…
Grab yourself your deck brush applicator…
This Deck Boss is the best I’ve come across…
Stir your deck stain with a flat paddle stirrer, kinda like this one…
One thing to look out for is to make sure your deck stain hasn’t expired…
Let’s assume it’s all good…
Now cut in along the edges first…
But don’t cut in the ends of the boards…
The golden rule for staining a deck is that once you cut in a board, you must stain along the whole length of that board…
So don’t cut in the ends, and then leave them to stain the rest of your deck…
That’s the quickest way to get ugly lap marks all over your deck…
And that’s the number one mistake an amature deck stainer makes…
Want your deck to look like it was stained by a professional, then do as I say…
Capish?
Awesome, so you’re also going to only do 2 boards at a time…
If you have narrow deck boards, you can do 3 to 4 boards at a time but generally you’ll be doing 2 boards…
Cut in the ends…
Then stain along those 2 boards until those 2 boards are completely stained…
But don’t just slap that stain on there…
Make sure you’re always applying The Brush on Brush off Technique so you get a smooth, flawless finish…
This is critical…
The Brush on, Brush off Technique is the only deck staining method I know of that will give you a flawless finish but also allow you to apply the the right amount of deck stain…
Too much and your deck peels…
Not enough and your deck peels…
So make sure you know apply your stain using the Brush on, Brush off Technique…
Then cut in at the other end…
Finally, go to the next 2 boards and repeat the process until your deck is completely stained…
And that my friend is how you complete the very important deck maintenance coat…
That’s all there is to it…
How to tell if your deck needs maintenance…
How do I put this??
If your deck stain is fading…
You need to apply a maintenance coat…
If your deck stain starts to lighten off…
You need deck maintenance…
But if your deck looks blotchy, patchy or sections are peeling off like this…
Any type of timber deck maintenance techniques won’t work for you my friend…
I’m sorry to say, but it’s too late for you!!
You’ll have to grab yourself some stripper, strip it off and start again…
Well, you can apply a coat of stain and your timber will be protected, but…
It will look terrible…
Trust me…
No amount of deck stain is going to hide the wear and tear on your decking if you let it go too long without maintenance…
Just know that you can’t go for years without any deck care…
You need to stay on top of this…
Now, the decks that I’ve shown you above are coated with water based deck stain…
If you have a deck coated in oil based stain, your deck shouldn’t look like this one…
Your deck should just fade…
If you let your deck fade so you won’t see any stain on your deck and then you can follow the steps I’ve laid out for you…
You shouldn’t need to sand back unless your timber is starting to get splinters…
Then maybe you should rub your deck down with 80 grit sandpaper to smooth it off…
But that’s about all you should need to do…
Okay dokey…
That should be enough on wood deck maintenance for one day…
How much more do you need to know??
Anyway…
I’m outta here…
I’ll see you next time…
Peace,
Jason…
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