How To Maintain Your Westchester Deck for Years to Come
Everyone loves to have a great deck in their Westchester home. If it’s well-built and you occasionally have a deck refinishing job done, it should be able to last for many years, or even decades. However, there is still some maintenance and upkeep you should do, to ensure your deck lasts as long as possible.
Here are some tips for keeping it in great shape!
Four Ways to Keep Your Westchester Deck Looking Great
- Keep it clean!
The single most important way to keep your deck in good shape is to clean it regularly. Even good finish or paint can be harmed by decaying leaves staying on the surface, or dirt and grime digging into the top layer. Also, be sure to clean up any food and drink spills as soon as possible, so they don’t attract harmful pests.
We suggest weekly sweepings and washdowns whenever the deck is in use.
- Periodic washing
About once a year the deck should get a more thorough washing. Use a wood cleaner specific to the type of wood in your deck since different woods have different tolerances for soap and chemicals. If you want a good all-purpose option, oxygen bleach is environmentally friendly as well as being effective at removing mold, mildew, and algae.
One other warning: never power wash a deck. Power washers will strip off any paint or stain on the top of your deck, making things worse.
- Stay on top of repairs
Once an older deck starts to develop repair issues, it’s going to go downhill fast if those repairs aren’t conducted promptly. If you notice a broken board or missing nails, you should fix it as soon as possible. Otherwise, one problem will cause other problems, and it can turn into a cascade failure that compromises your entire deck.
- Have a deck refinishing every 2-3 years
If your deck is stained and sealed – which it definitely should be – that finish will still need to be replaced periodically. Typically, this is every 2-3 years. It’s possible to refinish your deck yourself, but it’s a labor-intensive job that will take at least a day or two. It’s often better to hire deck refinishing services and let the pros handle it.
C.E.T. Painting are your Westchester experts for deck refinishing, painting, and maintenance. If your deck has gone too long without cleaning and refinishing, contact us to make it look great again!