Wood Deck Planks

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Wood Deck Planks – Wood decks, if left towards the ravages of nature, can rapidly deteriorate from that clean, shining wood surface you so admired as soon as your deck was a new comer to a dingy, gray, mildew and dry-rot infested eyesore. If the damage is mostly towards the deck surface, quick relief is on the way using the cleaning and resealing methods I recommend below. Before you begin, though, you ought to take a look underneath to be certain dry rot hasn’t found its way to your deck.

Checking for Dry Rot and Making Repairs. Dry rot can be a fungus that forms in moisture soaked wood, frequently in places shaded from sunlight. Left untreated it will spread and destroy the integrity in the timbers, ultimately causing structural failure. Seek it diligently. It will hide of your stuff in locations where are hard to arrive at, often underneath the deck where boards and timbers meet. Use a screw driver or similar tool to jab at wood, trying to find the tell-tale cardboard-like texture which offers little capacity your probing. Don’t be fooled by painted boards that appear to be sound. Dry-rot can hide behind a layer of paint and stay tough to notice before you probe. Badly damaged supporting timbers and deck boards have to be replaced. If the damage isn’t severe it is possible to chip away the loose wood fibers and apply a fungicide product for example Bora Care or Shell-Guard. Many people report good results with using anti-freeze to help remedy the affected area. If a significant area of a timber is damaged, consider eliminating that part and replacing it which has a tight-fitting plug that you epoxy into place. (Follow recommended safety guidelines when you use epoxy.)

Cleaning the Deck Surface. Even after a single season new decks, or else properly treated, can lose their original luster and turn a dingy gray. Ultraviolet rays in many cases are at fault. Grime, mold spores could also detract through the appearance your deck. Before you start work on the particular surface cleaning, be sure your deck has proper drainage. Clean the cracks relating to the surface boards which has a pressure nozzle on your own garden hose. (As tempting as possible, avoid a pressure washer. Even if used judiciously the power in the spray can harm the soft fibers in the wood, giving your deck a grainy and fuzzy appearance.) Where stubborn grime remains inside the cracks relating to the boards, make use of a putty knife or saw blade to pay off the best way for water to drain. This is especially important near a residence where winter snow can trap water and make a pool inches deep.

The next line of attack is with an oxalic acid-based wood cleaner for example Wolman DeckBrite Wood Cleaner & Coating Prep or Armstrong’s Wood Cleaner. The oxygen bleach products usually do not contain chlorine and therefore are safe around plants and animals. The main ingredient is bleach, sometimes in a liquid solution or even in dry form with soda ash. As the solution soaks to the wood, oxygen ions break up mildew, algae, and dirt.Another approach, in case you are dealing mostly with mildew, is usually to you could make your own cleaning solution with 3 quarts water, one quart of oxygen bleach, along with a quarter cup of liquid dishwasher detergent. Use the ammonia free type. The oxygen bleach will eliminate the mildew and also the detergent will help with its removal. After allowing the cleaning means to fix are a symbol of ten to fifteen minutes, scrub with surface which has a medium-stiff brush, either with a pole like a push broom or recorded on hands and knees if you are at all like me and you also wish to put your muscles to your work. The final step is usually to rinse it clean which has a garden hose.

Apply a Quality Deck Sealer. Allow your deck to dry before you apply any sealer or stain. Then choose a day when you’re confident that you won’t have got rain for one more 24 to 2 days. You shouldn’t attempt to use stains or sealers over existing paint or stain as the sealer will not likely penetrate the wood. You can test this by sprinkling a little water on your own deck. If the water beads and it is still on the surface after quarter-hour, you will need to turn back and remove the existing stain. When it comes to selecting a sealant there are many points to consider. Natural oil sealants are certainly not recommended as the oils turn deck green or black. Also the natural oils be food for algae and mildew. Most clear sealants will not likely provide much protection against UV ray damage.

Among the very best option is pigmented sealants as it is often the pigments that absorb UV rays and diminish the discoloration frequently seen on wood decks. An epoxy sealant, for example DEFY Epoxy Fortified, has chemicals that both deflect sun rays and absorb harmful rays. It can be a water based formula that comes in several colors for example natural pine, cedar, and redwood. Tinted finishes add color without hiding the natural wood grain, while semi-transparent stains add more color, allowing some in the wood’s grain to demonstrate. The semi-transparent stains provide longer protection than tinted finishes. If you have grown sick and tired with cleaning and taking care of your wood deck every several years, you may be ready to consider another option-paint. A great choice, but tricky to use, can be a new paint that can be a mixture of water-based urethane and acrylic resins, for example the Sears Weatherbeater Ultra. The advantage is the coating lasts for many years. Although decks can demand a great deal of maintenance to ensure that they’re looking sharp, in addition they offer many years of enjoyment.