How to Keep Your Decking Looking Tip-Top
Posted onOctober 21, 2016
Timber Decking is a fantastic, cost effective and simple addition to your home that can help you create smart, versatile spaces or tidy up unsightly or tricky spots in your garden.
However to keep it looking as good as new your decking will need regular seasonal care and maintenance, so here is our handy guide to keep your lovely new decking looking clean and fresh.
Try to tackle your Timber deck maintenance regularly in Spring and Autumn and you’ll find that regular upkeep is far better than a massive tidy up every couple of years.
1. Firstly – Keep your decking clear.
If they are not cleaned away promptly, leaves and garden detritus can gather on your decking and rot down causing damage and staining to the wooden boards. Make sure you sweep leaves away regularly and in Spring and Autumn clean between the boards with a filling or putty knife to remove any build up that might cause the boards to decay.
Make sure you wash away any bird droppings quickly as these can cause staining to your decking. Usually warm, well diluted soapy water and a stiff garden brush will do the trick. Rinse with clean water and brush away any excess to avoid water pooling on the boards.
2. Cleaning:
If you do regular upkeep on your deck you may find that any marks come up with a good scrub with a stiff garden brush and a mild all-purpose cleaner well diluted in warm water. Rinse the decking thoroughly after cleaning and brush away any pools of water.
If your timber deck needs more intensive TLC there are a number of excellent decking cleaners on the market – make sure you choose one that is suitable for the type of wooden boards you have and follow all instructions carefully. Choose a cool, overcast day to avoid the cleaner drying on the boards before you’ve had time to scrub and rinse them.
3. Maintenance
Use your seasonal maintenance and cleaning upkeep to check for loose boards and loose nails or screws as these can cause further damage to the boards around them and are also trip and fall hazards. Replace any nails with decking screws as they will last longer and hold the boards in place better.
4. Sanding, Oiling & Staining
If you haven’t cleaned your decking for a while or if you have moved house and inherited existing decking which needs brightening up you can get incredible, durable results with deck oils and stains. Clean the decking as above and sand back the boards paying attention to any rough areas or spots with bad discolouring.
Choose a stain or oil appropriate to the type of wood that you have, and check batch numbers to ensure you buy multiple cans from the same batch to ensure an even effect.
Choose a cool, bright day and following the manufacturer’s instructions work smoothly over the boards, avoiding over application and paying particular care to gaps and joins to ensure even coverage. Several thin coats of oil are better than one thick one, although with stains and colours each subsequent layer can provide a deeper effect. Allow to dry thoroughly before walking on the decking.
For the best effect oils and stains should be re-applied every 6 to 12 months.
So to keep your decking looking brand new:
- Brush it Weekly
- Clean it thoroughly in Spring and Autumn
- Sand and Oil or Stain it Yearly
