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From Fall to Winter – Protecting your deck from the elements
Sam Lutz • November 14, 2017
Near the middle and end of fall is the time of year when many homeowners start looking for ways to prepare their decks for winter. Snow, rain, and sleet can be hard on wooden decks. Preparing your deck for the season (or “now”) can help protect your property and extend the life of your deck.
Remove Debris
Leaves and other yard debris can trap moisture on wood, causing mold and rot over time. Sweeping away leaves and sticks is necessary throughout fall to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Clean the Wood
Use a strong jet of water from a hose, a scrub brush and a bucket filled with soapy water to clean the wood. If your deck is stained with mold or mildew, pour oxygen-bleach into the water and use the scrub brush to scrub away the mold. If you’re careful, you can use a power washer for this task. A power washer can damage wood if it’s not used carefully, so read the manufacturer’s instructions before getting started.
Remove Furniture
Leaves and debris can trap moisture against your deck too, causing the early deterioration of the stain or the wood itself. To prevent problems, remove your patio furniture and put it somewhere safe like your garage. If you don’t have room to put all of your deck furniture in your garage, make a point to remove wide-base items like planters. Place these items elsewhere in your yard. Wide-base items cause the biggest problems for decks during the wet and snowy season.
Make Repairs
Check your deck for wood rot and soft spots. Stains and cracks are some of the visual signs of wood rot. If you spot an area that looks rotten, use the pointy end of a screwdriver or awl to pierce the wood. If the wood feels soft, or if the tool can easily be pushed into the deck, this is a sign that the wood needs to be replaced. When replacing boards, look for wood of the same type to get the closest match possible. Use ceramic coated deck screws to screw new boards in place.
Refinish If Necessary
Decks need to be refinished from time to time. You’ll know your deck needs refinishing when the old stain begins to fade. It’s easy to tell by spraying the deck with a mist of water. Droplets should bead up on the surface of the deck. If the water is absorbed into the wood, this is a sign that the stain is wearing off and needs to be replaced.
To refinish your deck, start by cleaning and making repairs as described above. Next, use paint rollers to coat the deck with stain. Angled paintbrushes can help you get stain into the little nooks and crannies. To protect your landscaping, drape nearby plants with tarps.
Remove Snow Throughout Winter
When winter comes, you can protect your newly finished deck by removing snow as it falls. This prevents the moisture from wearing away the stain prematurely.
Stop In At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture
At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell deck stain and other materials you need to refinish your deck this winter. To get started with your project, stop in at one of our convenient locations today.
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