How To Care For Your Deck
If you're one of the lucky ones who own a deck but are never certain how often, or even if, you should be caring for it, then sit down and take notes. I'm about to give you some tips that will extend the life of your deck. Caring for a deck is no less important than any of maintenance you should be doing for your home. Plus, it's one of the easiest things you'll ever do. All it takes is a little bit of your time and a little bit of elbow grease.
The first thing you should do to care for your deck is to keep it clean. Never allow dirt to accumulate on your deck. A good sweeping once a week does wonders. You'll need to sweep more often if people track dirt on your deck.
Should people track up your deck with mud or other grime, then take your water hose and clean it off. Really tough mud or dirt may take the use of your water hose and a soft bristle nylon brush. Keeping your deck free of contaminates goes a long ways in protecting the surface.
Personally, I do not like to power wash a deck very often. I know some people who do it like once every two weeks or so. Their decks look so weathered and old that it's pitiful. An occasional power washing is a good idea. Maybe once every 6 months or so and then only spray it lightly. Power washing tends to strip off the sealant from sealed or painted surfaces. If it's a new deck, power washing will tend to blast away some of the preservatives in the lumber.
Ideally I tell new deck owners to wait 2 or 3 months after their pressure treated deck has been built before they seal it. This gives the lumber time to dry out. Pressure treated lumber is usually 'wet' and heavy when first installed. It's not unusual to see moisture come out when screwing in the deck screws. The last thing you want to do is seal in this moisture. So give it a few months before sealing.
Speaking of new decks, if your deck is new or a few months old and made from pressure treated wood, consider sealing, staining or painting it. This is the single most important things you can do to extend the life of your deck other than building a roof over it.
Sealing helps keep the elements from entering into the lumber. Every screw or nail hole and every gouge caused by abuse is a potential entry point for moisture. Moisture is the enemy of your deck along with insects! This is why using a premium grade sealant, stain or deck paint is so important.
