If you are like my family, we spend a lot of time outdoors on our deck and in our backyard. So we are looking forward to the coming spring season, anticipating lots of campfires, smores, and chilling on the deck. But before all that, we need to make sure that the deck is clean and safe to use for the coming season. Whether you have a composite deck or a wood deck, we have some tips to help you with that.
Inspect the entire deck: including underneath the deck if you are able. Check all the posts, railings, stairs, and joists for rot and loose fasteners. If you have a composite or vinyl deck and railings, there are likely still wood supports holding things in place. So you want to make sure that all your posts are solid, and that the deck floor isn’t bowing or moving in any way.
Cleaning: Keeping the surface of your deck clean and free of debris, can extend the life of your deck. If you have a composite or wood deck, you want to use a cleaner, stiff bristled brush and a garden hose. Deck Cleaners can be purchased at any hardware store, or recipes for homemade ones can be found online. For these type of decks, you do not want to use a pressure washer. If you have a vinyl deck such as Azek, you can use a pressure washer to clean the deck. In most cases, you don’t need to use any type of cleaners for these decks. A good thorough pressure washing is all you need.
Staining: If you have a wood deck, now is the best time of year to stain it. We recommend that you use a lighter colored stain. The darker your deck surface, the hotter it will be to walk on in direct sunlight. And the excess heat build-up from the darker stain will also cause the wood to splinter and crack more quickly. Before you stain that wood deck again, check out our Deck Calculator to get an idea what it may cost to replace it with a low-maintenance deck.