Garden decking is becoming very popular again and can look great your garden but it can also become green, slippery and plain dirty and ugly after the winter months. There are 3 easy steps to get your decking looking good again and keeping it that it way.

•Clean
•Restore
•Protect

Stains from unsuitable fittings can also cause problems so make sure your contractor uses anodized screws and bolts, if in doubt please ask us.

• Problems that can be prevented are those often associated with placing planted containers and furniture on the deck. Planted containers  should have a moisture proof stand underneath.

Before treating any deck, the deck should be thoroughly cleaned. If in doubt, seek help from ourselves.

How to Clean a Deck
There are several preparations available from DIY stores or Decking Specialists with which to clean your deck. Go for the brand names.

A power washer can be used for cleaning decks BUT it must not be a heavy duty one. Something smaller than 1500 psi with a wide fan jet will be suitable for most deck cleaning jobs. Anything more powerful will leave the timber with a ‘wooly’ finish, as it will destroy the wood fibres. The result will be a deck that is very difficult if not impossible  to clean or to treat. If you are unsure then let us clean it for you.

Just because your deck has been pressure treated in the manufacturing stage, does not mean that it requires no further treatment.

Ordinary deck stain will only colour the surface area of the timber. It does not penetrate into the timber, so dirt is still able to fill the spaces! A Deck Sealer is required to do the job so use a quality decking oil.

Decking oil is a special treatment/preserver that when applied  has high penetrating properties, so that it can enter and then solidify in the timber.

Oils do not crack as the timber expands and contracts with the varying weather patterns. Deck oil treatments actually improve the structure of the timber, for once dry, the solids are stronger than the individual wood fibres that they bind together. Decking oils actually replace the natural oils and resins that get lost over time with deck timbers.

Application

The oil should be applied in two coats using a soft-haired paint brush. The soft-haired option will allow for even spreading of the deck oil and also act as a sponge to mop up any surplus deck oil, which can then be used further along the board.

The oil should be applied thinly and well brushed out to ensure no puddles of surplus oil is left on the deck. This is particularly the case with grooved deck boards, as surplus oil can linger in the grooves, giving an unsightly appearance, and also taking a long time to dry.

If you decide to opt for a coloured oil and it really does add impact to your deck then always choose a lighter colour if you are uncertain. It is easy to darken a lighter colour by oiling with the darker colour subsequently. It is virtually impossible to lighten the colour after using a darker coloured oil.