Preparing Your Westchester Deck for New Staining
If you want to keep your Westchester deck looking great for years, staining it – or hiring deck staining services – is one of the best ways to do it. Staining preserves the natural look of your deck or even enhances it while protecting the deck from the elements. Most of the time, staining is cheaper and easier than painting the deck, and lasts longer too!
However, stains still need to be periodically reapplied, around 2-3 years. You can’t simply roll on another layer of stain. For the best results, you need to do a little preparation first.
How To Prepare a Deck or Patio for Staining
1. Remove everything on the deck
You need to have access to the deck’s entire surface, so you should relocate everything that isn’t nailed down.
2. Sweep the deck
Once the surface is clear, begin by thoroughly sweeping the deck. You want to get any larger debris (such as fallen leaves) off of it, as well as hopefully remove as much dirt as possible. The more grime you remove with a broom, the easier the rest of the process becomes.
3. Spray the deck with cleaner
There are wood and deck cleaners custom-made for this, which are typically applied with a pumped sprayer. We suggest working on the deck in small sections because you don’t want the cleaner drying out while sitting on the deck.
Once a section has been sprayed with cleaner, wait 15 minutes for the cleaner to soak into the deck.
4. Scrub
After 15 minutes, the cleaner had time to work. Start scrubbing the surface with a stiff brush to remove the residue. For once, you don’t have to worry about damaging the deck, because you’ll be removing the top layer either way, so don’t be afraid to scrub hard.
5. Rinse the deck
Once you’ve fully cleaned and scrubbed every part of the deck, hose it down to remove any remaining cleaner.
6. Lightly sand the deck.
Finally, you want to take off the very top layer of stain, so take a sander to the deck. This removes the old stain and makes room for the new layer of stain to adhere.
That’s all it takes to prepare your deck for staining. However, if it seems like too much trouble, remember you can always call C.E.T. Painting for excellent deck staining services in Westchester!