Maintaining a Wood Deck: How to Clean and Restain Your Deck
Apr 19, 2014
It’s that time of year when you’re able to get outside and tackle some of those projects that have been awaiting the nice weather. Maintaining a wood deck is one of those projects that some may dread, but it is not as hard as you may think.
This Old House can be a great resource for homeowners and I came across this quick “how to” video on cleaning and restaining a wood deck.
Many people think that they need to clean with a power washer, but General Contractor Tom Silva of This Old House instead recommends a backpack pump sprayer since a power washer can sometimes be too powerful and cause damage to the wood decking.
Tom Silva offers these easy steps for maintaining a wood deck:
1. In the backpack pump sprayer, mix a one-to-one ratio of biodegradable wood cleaner to water.
2. Use a garden hose to wet down the entire deck.
3. Spray the wood cleaner solution onto the deck and railings, then wait 10 minutes.
4. Scrub the wood surface with a stiff-bristle brush to remove loosened dirt and grime.
5. Rinse the deck clean with a garden hose.
6. In a bucket, pour one part borate (in this case, Tom used Bora-Care) and five parts of water, and mix well using a cordless drill fitted with a paint-mixing paddle.
7. Pour the borate solution into the pump sprayer and apply it to the deck and railings to kill algae.
8. Let the deck dry for two or three days.
9. Mix one gallon of oil-based deck stain with ½ pint of exterior-grade varnish.
10. Apply two stain coats with a sponge applicator.
11. Come the following spring, apply a final coat of stain.
Go ahead and watch Tom Silva and homeowner as they demonstrate this process so that you too can achieve a fresh, new look for your deck. Maintaining a wood deck can be quite easy if you follow these steps.
Once you’re finished you’ll be ready to fire up the barbecue and have some friends over for a cookout, some cheer and good conversation.