Keep Your Deck Looking Great

Extend the Life of Your Deck

Introduction: If you keep your deck looking great and clean, it will extend the life of the deck for years. If you have the combination of a wood deck and pets such as dogs, it is likely that you often have muddy paw prints on your deck more often than you would like. It the muddy print stays on the surface too long it won’t simply wash off with water.

Perform a deck cleaning of the wood surface by combining a quart of liquid chlorine bleach with 1/3 of a cup of powdered laundry detergent and three quarts of warm water. Add the bleach to the water first and then the detergent.

Pour the mixture into a pump garden sprayer or power washer. Wash small areas at a time and scrub with a nylon-bristle-brush if necessary. When all traces of the muddy paw prints have been removed rinse the area with clean water.

If the deck has spots of decay or has any boards that seem soft and spongy, you may have to replace the effective boards. A detached ledger board, the beam where the deck meets your house, is the most common source of failure. Check to see if there's a wide gap between it and your home, and whether any bolts have loosened or nails have popped out. If they is any significant decay the ledger board should be replaced before the decay progresses into the house sills and floor structure.

If you are using a power washer to clean the deck use the ecology friendly Simple green cleaner on regular wood decks or composite decks. The power washer setting should be on high volume but the pressure setting on low. High pressure can quite easily damage the surface of the deck.

Keep your deck looking great by cleaning it often to extend the life of the deck for years. Remove any soiled areas immediately and replace any damaged wood as soon as possible before the damage migrates to other areas of the deck. Every two or three years perform deck refinishing with sealer to protect it from the elements.

Building Deck Railing

Composite Wood Decking

Deck Construction Tips

Deck Maintenance

Deck Cleaning | Washing Deck

Dry Deck

Deck Floor Joist Sizes and Spacing

Deck Piers and Footings

How to Install Lattice Around a Deck

How to Repair Deck Dry Rot

How to Square a Deck

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