By Laura Jean Whitcomb

How do you use your deck? Do you walk over it every day as you enter your front door? Or do you only venture out onto your deck in the summer to fire up the grill? Whatever the usage, you may be surprised to hear that a deck needs yearly maintenance.

A Brief History of the Deck

No one is quite sure when exterior wooden decks came into existence. In the 1950s, they were rarities. Then, in the early 1960s, the first true modern decks were built in the United States. Decks tempted families out of their formal dining rooms and into a relaxed style of living and entertaining, complete with cookouts, cocktail parties and family reunions.

You should stain or seal your deck once a year. (Some newer products may last up to four years.)

In rural areas, decks are the perfect intermediate space between house and grounds. In the cities, where land space is limited, decks provide a way for people to be outside, even if they don’t have a yard. With more people spending their vacation time at home, decks continue to increase in popularity. According to California’s Clear the Deck Tool Company, there are now 40 million architectural wooden decks in the United States. Approximately three million new decks are built yearly, and an additional three million decks are replaced or repaired every year.

The Effects of Mother Nature

How long has it been since you did a little maintenance on your deck? It may be time to push aside the outdoor furniture and tomato plants and take a close look.

Notice any leaves caught in between the boards? A major cause of rot in decks is wet organic debris trapped between surface boards. Leaves and twigs caught in the gaps between boards act as a sponge to hold water. A fungus is produced and it spreads through the wood.

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed a new guideline: pressure-treated wood will be taken off the market by Dec. 30, 2003. Pressure-treated wood is treated with chromated copper arsenate, a known human poison.

Unfortunately, many people never treat and seal their decks. Nothing dramatic happens, but ill effects slowly build up over time. Abused by weather and ultraviolet radiation, the wood’s surface fibers break down, causing graying and erosion. Dirt and debris accumulate, making a nice home for living organisms. (If you’re not getting caught on a splinter, you may slip on the slick, green surface of your deck.) You may begin to notice that the stairs bounce, the rails wobble, the boards bow and the joints wiggle. By the time you’re ready to make repairs, the rot at the surface is just a small percentage of the actual damage.

Pressure-treated Wood

Many decks built in the 1970s are made from pressure-treated wood. Although pressure-treated boards will last 40 years or so before there is any substantial decay, discoloration and splintering can begin after only a few months.

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed a new guideline: pressure-treated wood will be taken off the market by Dec. 30, 2003. Pressure-treated wood is treated with chromated copper arsenate, a known human poison. According to Healthy Building Network, a 12-foot section of pressure-treated lumber contains about an ounce of arsenic — enough to kill about 25 people. If it’s time to update your deck — and you want to make repairs with the same pressure-treated wood used in the original construction — you had better do it this year. Better yet, investigate cedar and cypress (natural woods with rot-resistant properties) or non-wood alternatives such as plastic and metal.

Maintenance & Repair

Ready to do your own deck check? Here are a few steps to get you started.

Prepare

▪ Clear the deck of furniture, plants and toys.
▪ Sweep off larger debris. Make sure that gaps between boards are free from dirt, debris, twigs, insects and pests. Water should drain freely.
▪ Fix nail pops, a nail that has worked loose from the board. Sometimes you may need to use a screw that is a bit longer than the original nail.
▪ Repair split wood or remove damaged boards. (If the wood is rotten, a screwdriver will push easily into the wood.) Cut a replacement board to size, pre-drill holes and fasten it. It may appear to be higher, but it will shrink as it loses moisture. You can also sand it with a belt sander after a few weeks.
▪ Using a cloth tarp (plastic doesn’t breathe), cover plants and grass underneath and surrounding the deck.
▪ Deck cleaners are formulated to clean a deck surface whether it as a stain or sealer on it, but an old, worn-out finish could result in a blotchy cleaning job. You may want to strip your deck first. You don’t have to get down to bare wood, just scrape to remove loose, flaky finish. Don’t spend more than two hours doing this.

Clean

▪ Make sure children and pets do not have access to the area.
▪ Choose your deck cleaner (a bleach or non-bleach formula) and read directions of deck cleaner.
▪ Hose down deck if necessary. If you are using a power washer, be careful not to strip away too much wood. Keep the pressure stream moving to remove dirt and old wood fibers.
▪ Put on knee pads, rubber gloves and safety glasses. Apply cleaning solution according to the manufacturer’s directions, wait (some cleaners need to set for 15 or 20 minutes to work on stains and grime), then rinse deck.
▪ Let deck dry for a day or two.
▪ Strippers and cleaners evaporate rapidly and become ineffective on hot, dry days, according to Family Handyman Magazine. A cool, overcast day is best.
Stain or Seal
▪ Choose your wood preservative: water or oil-based, clear or stain. (With stain, be aware that pigment gets worn out and may peel.) Whatever you choose, make sure it is water repellent or water proof (not just water resistant) and offers UV protection.
▪ Clear preservatives can be brushed on, rolled on with paint roller or sprayed on.
▪ Apply stain by dipping the end of a wide brush into the stain. Wipe off excess against the lid of a can. Apply a light coat — you can always go back and apply more to make it darker. According to Home & Garden Television, for the best results feather in the stain by working each new brush full of stain from the dry area into the wet.
▪ Home & Garden Television also recommends letting stain or preservative set for 15 minutes then going back over it with a brush. This is called back brushing and will give the deck a more consistent finish.
▪ You should stain or seal your deck once a year. (Some newer products may last up to four years.)

Two Tips to Save Your Deck

SUMMER

We’re all guilty of placing our plants directly on the deck. But by doing this, water from the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot or planter will leave a stain on the deck’s surface and start wood decay. Make sure your potted plants are adequately drained and moisture has a chance to evaporate. Use a small deck, called a deck stand off, or table to raise the plant up off the deck.

WINTER

You wouldn’t use a steel shovel to dig out your car, so why use one on your deck? Use a plastic snow shovel, which is less likely to get caught and damage wood. Shovel along the boards lengthwise. Keep deck clear of snow and ice as best as you can — and avoid using salt and ice melters.