Renewing Your Weathered Deck or Patio

It’s that time of year again. Time to relax outdoors or your deck or patio and enjoy the beautiful warm summer months to come. While you maybe ready for summer, is your deck or patio ready? If you’re seeing gray, it means that your deck is weathered and in need of some serious TLC. Don’t fret, treating a weathered deck or patio isn’t all that difficult and with the following tips you can keep that deck or patio looking beautiful for the years to come.

If you haven’t been cleaning your deck or patio on a regular basis, you should be. Regular cleaning can prevent your deck from looking gray and dingy and only requires a few minutes of your time. An easy time to do so is while you’re outside caring for your lawn. You can spray down your deck with a hose to gently wash away dirt and debris. You can use a pressure washer on your patio since it can withstand harsher treatments. For a really deep cleaning, get down on your hands and knees and scrub with a brush and a deck or patio cleaner.

If you’re deck has been previously stained and its starting to loose it’s luster, a good sanding job maybe necessary in order to get your deck back into tip top shape. If you don’t want to spend an entire day sanding your deck, you can rent a floor sander or get yourself a good electric hand sander to get the job done a lot faster!

You might want to use a brightener on your deck to remove any remaining gray and old stains that you couldn’t remove with a wash and help lighten the wood. You can apply the brightener using a garden sprayer and then remove it using a pressure washer.

To keep your deck or patio in beautiful shape, a stain or a sealant is an absolute must. Stains and sealants can protect against water and mildew damage while keeping the wood’s color looking beautiful. Depending on whether you want to add some color to your deck or keep your wood in its natural form, the choice is yours. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions, keeping in mind that most stains and sealants will need to be applied at least once every two years or so.

On a final note: Keep in mind that your deck won’t last forever without the proper maintenance. Even the tips above might not be enough to keep your deck or patio from experiencing more troublesome problems. To keep problems to a minimum, be sure to check your deck or patio for any rotting, cracking or loose boards. If you find a problem, you’ll want to remove it immediately to prevent further damage. You may find, you can do the job yourself if you own a deck. If you have a patio however, seeking a professional is highly recommended.

Remember, a beautiful deck or patio does require a little bit of yearly maintenance, but with the tips above, your deck or patio can stay beautiful longer.