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Outdoor Living: Prepping Your Deck -
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Outdoor Living: Prepping Your Deck

Outdoor Living: Prepping Your Deck 

Whether you have a wood or concrete deck or patio it does take a little preparation and elbow grease to get it all ready for summer. The winter inevitably leaves its mark with algae and moss and we need to get rid of it in order to enjoy our time outdoors to the fullest AND to prolong the life of our deck.

I cleaned my concrete deck last weekend and it turned out just great. Because my deck is up top at my place I thought getting a pressure washer up there would be a bit of a challenge so I picked up a container of oxy-bleach which is a hydrogen peroxide /oxygen bleach that is non toxic to plants and safer to use than chlorine bleach. I used it as per the instructions and my deck came up nice and clean!

Another method of cleaning a deck would be power washing. This takes considerably more elbow grease in my opinion and can take off a layer of paint if the pressure is too high but it is a great way to clean it if you don’t want to use any chemical cleaners. You can rent a machine if you are feeling inclined to do it yourself or there are many companies around that will be happy to give free estimates. I had a huge deck in my old house. Some years I would pressure wash it myself and other years I would hire someone. Often the same company that cleans the deck can also apply a wood sealer or stain if necessary. I found our deck needed that stain or sealer about every other year so on the “off” years I would do it myself. One simple way to test if your deck needs to be resealed is to pour a glass of water on it. If it beads up it is ok but if not then it is time to reseal it. Resealing regularly will prolong the life of your deck and cut down on costly repairs.

A few things you should know though, if you are going to pressure wash yourself…Excessive PSI WILL remove paint, cause lap marks or even cause damage to the underlying wood. You really don’t need more that 1500 PSI to do the job. The closer the nozzle is to the wood the more likely there is to be damage. Stand back and let the light pressure remove the dirt. Less pressure really will do the job.

After your deck is clean and possibly has had a coat of sealer or stain applied it is time to enjoy your deck. Sweep the deck regularly and make sure there is no debris getting caught in between the boards. This debris can cause breakdown of the wood. Ensure any standing water gets removed to make the most of your labours. Standing water can cause decay even in the summer so this is a good rule of thumb. And finally, check the structure of your deck every year including the under structure. You want to be able to address any maintenance issues before they become bigger issues.

Now it is time to sit back and enjoy all the hard work! Let us know if you have any great deck tips.

 

3 Comments
  • Alice
    May 26, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Such pretty decor inspiration! My husband and I are just starting to house hunt and a fabulous deck is high on our wishlist!

  • Lynne Streeter Childress
    May 26, 2015 at 11:40 am

    These are so so so dreamy. SO dreamy. We were out on our concrete deck last night for Memorial Day and we had a lovely time. There is so much more that I want to do out there. Thanks for the inspiration.

    • Brooke
      June 10, 2015 at 3:02 pm

      Thanks Lynn and Alice! So glad you found some inspiration in our post.
      Brooke and Tina

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