How often should you treat decking?

For most decks, sealing once each year is a good rule of thumb. Depending on the condition of your deck this can be adjusted, but keep in mind that you should never go beyond three years maximum before re-sealing and staining.

When should you treat your deck?

When Should I Reseal My Deck? You should reapply wood sealer at least every three years. In many cases, you need to seal a wood deck once a year. The more foot traffic and sun exposure your deck gets, the more often you need to apply deck sealant.

Does a deck need to be stained every year?

Many homeowners wonder, “How often should I stain my deck?” To keep a deck looking great and prolong the life of the wood, a deck should be stained every two to three years. Other signs your deck needs staining are: The deck has mold or mildew buildup. Water soaks into the deck boards and no longer beads up.

How often should you oil decking?

Within the deck building industry, it is usually recommended that decks need to be oiled once every 6-12 months.

How long can you leave decking untreated?

A deck made of untreated wood can last anywhere from 10 to 30 years. Decks made of treated wood and composite materials can last as long as 50 years.

How to Treat Decking

What happens if you dont treat decking?

The effects that can occur due to a lack of treatment are aesthetic in nature. After 6 months, the wood will start to lose its color and will begin to fade. Ultimately it will fade to grey or silver. This is not a problem in and of itself, and some people prefer this look for their decks.

Is it OK to leave deck unstained?

But when it happens this wear will be evidenced by greying, as the top layers of the lumber oxidize from sun and rain, and also splintering, warping, rotting, and cracking. It may be many years before an untreated deck becomes completely unusable.

Can you put too much oil on decking?

An excess of oil isn't going to damage your decking, so it's nothing to worry too much about. The thing with oils is that because of their ability to soak into the surface, it can be tricky to get them out of grooved decking.

How do I keep my decking looking new?

If you're happy with how your deck looks and just want to keep it from getting grey and weathered, try a decking protector. It'll protect your decking from sunlight and rain, as well as resisting damage from foot-traffic, and being translucent it won't change the appearance of the wood.

Should I use decking oil or protector?

Decking protector absorbs into the water, creating a translucent, water-proof layer. Decking stain, on the other hand, comes in a variety of colours, as well as weather-proofing the wood. Decking oils replaces the woods natural oils, while leaving a subtle colour.

Is staining a deck worth it?

Staining a deck will lead to less work in the future. One of the main reasons the professionals don't recommend staining wood decks is because of the amount of time and energy involved. Stains don't generally last more than a year. This means yearly cleaning, staining and, if necessary, sanding of your deck every year.

When should you not stain a deck?

You want to apply the stain when the wood surface and air are in the temperature range of 50° – 90°F. You also want to avoid the direct application of sunlight. Lastly, do not apply a stain if there is a forecast of rain in the following one to two days, or all your hard work could end up being washed away.

How often do you need to waterproof a deck?

The general rule of thumb is to get your deck waterproofed once a year, especially if you live in areas that see a lot of rainfall. Another thing to consider is whether or not you live in an area that gets a lot of direct sunlight year round.

Do decks need to be sealed?

A backyard deck can be the perfect platform for good times, but a wooden surface needs a proper sealant to protect it against the ravages of sun, rain, and temperature fluctuations.

Why does my deck always look dirty?

A thorough yearly clean of your deck is critical to the upkeep of your outdoor space. Letting leaves and dirt sit on your deck for long periods of time can lead to discolouration and encourage mould and rotting of timber decks. As a starting point, sweep your deck to remove obvious debris and dirt from the surface.

What is the best treatment for wooden decking?

The best decking oils as chosen by our expert

1. Ronseal Ultimate Protection Decking Oil. ...
2. Cuprinol UV Guard Decking Oil. ...
3. Manns Premier UV Decking Oil. ...
4. Everbuild Lumberjack Wood Preserver. ...
5. Barrettine Decking Oil. ...
6. Liberon decking oil.

How do you maintain decking?

A wood cleaner or restorer can be used to prepare a bare wood or freshly stripped decking prior to applying a fresh decking treatment. deck cleaning products are used to keep biological growth such as mould and algae under control and decking looking good for longer by preserving the finish.

What happens if it rains on freshly oiled deck?

Once you are within the time frame recommended for a second coat try applying stain in an inconspicuous spot to see if it fixes the rain damage. If a light recoat does not fix the problem you can also try using a mix of wood cleaner and a pressure washer to see if you can wash the spots out without harming the stain.

Why is my deck turning black?

The biggest reason for a deck stain turning black is mildew. All wood surfaces need to be cleaned correctly prior to staining. The use of a quality wood cleaner and pressure washer or scrub brush is necessary to remove all the contaminants like dirt, grime, mold, mildew, and graying.

Can you oil a deck at night?

The same rules apply; it's best to wait until your deck is cool to coat it, as that's when stains and oils penetrate it best. Don't coat your deck if it's under the beating sun; either wait for an overcast day or until the sun isn't directly on the wood.

Should I treat my decking?

Although all softwood decking should have been pressure treated to ensure a long life, your deck will benefit from a little bit of TLC every few years or so. However, there's no need to paint decking if you don't want to – a clear oil or preservation treatment will do the job.

What happens if you don't clean deck before staining?

But don't just slap a coat of stain on in a hurry — you'll need to clean your deck before staining it. If you stain a deck without cleaning and prepping it first, the results will look blotchy, uneven, and, well, amateur. Any time you save skipping the cleaning stage, you'll spend twice over repairing the botched job.

Does pressure treated decking need to be sealed?

Although treated wood is protected against decay and termite attack, the application of a water-repellent sealer to all exposed wood surfaces is recommended upon completion of construction. This sealer will help control surface checking (splitting or cracking) and provide an attractive appearance.

Is it better to stain or paint your deck?

Paint allows you more color options, as where stain is limited to shades of brown. Because paint fills gaps and cracks, it hides the flaws of a weathered or old deck much better than stain does. It's easier to clean a painted deck rather than a stained one.