How to Take Care of Your Deck| Maintenance Schedule & Tips | Patio Covers | GL PATIOS

Cleaning and taking care of your deck throughout the year is very important, this will prevent rotting, and will allow you to make the most out of your investment.
Decks can be affected by different weather conditions and numerous elements, it’s important to maintain it. This will help you to avoid continuous expensive repairs.
In this post, we will discuss a regular and simple upkeep schedule that will help you keep your deck in the best condition for the longest possible time. We’ll discuss each season in detail.

Spring Season

Step 1: Cleaning
A deck that hasn’t been cleaned and washed is prone to mildew and can lead to rotting.
A few steps on how you can clean your deck:
1. Do your best to clean debris that might be stuck between the boards of your deck. Apressure washer can always help with tight debris buildup.
2. Sweep the deck with a broom to get rid of any dirt, dust, and debris.
3. Another good preventive measure is wetting and covering shrubs and plantings with plastic covers.
4. The next step is cleaning your deck. It’s best to start cleaning on a cool day so as to avoid cleaner evaporation.
Stick to the regular deck cleaner for wooden boards and just follow the directions.
If your deck is composite, you can use water and soap to wash away any dirt or any traces of mildew or use a cleaner that is intended for vinyl decks.
Do your best to scrub the deck with the cleaner before it dries out. Then wash your deck with warm water.

To clean the wood railings wash them from the bottom up with a cleaner or warm water. This way you will leave no marks on the wood surface. Once scrubbed clean, wash the railings with warm water.
5. Your deck would need to dry for a couple of days before you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Sealing YourDeck
Now it’s time to seal your deck. To do that you can purchase a sealer at a Home Depot or any other home improvement retailer.
There are a few primary choices you might come across:
● To preserve the natural look and feel of your wooden deck, then clear sealer will be the best choice for you.
● To protect your deck boards and railings from sunlight, you can use toner. It does add a little color, but at the same time it will keep the original look and feel of the wooden boards.
● To add a little color to the wooden boards use semi-transparent stain.
● If you are more concerned with providing the best protection for your deck during the different weather conditions use solid stain.
Try to use clear sealers every year. Stain finishes can be used once every year. Always wear protective gear, a safety mask, and gloves when staining and/ or sealing.
1. The first step prior to staining or sealing is sanding your deck.
2. Replace any damaged or missing screws or nails.
4. Seal the deck area with a roller, coating a few boards at once. For railings or benches use smaller size rollers or brushes. Apply in a thin coat a couple of times. Let it dry. Stain or sealer may also be applied with a pump sprayer.
Summer Inspection

Summer weather is perfect for giving your deck a closer look, and inspecting for any dry rot or any other damage.
1. Use a screwdriver to check for any signs of dry rot on your deck. If the screwdriver can easily penetrate the wood at least ¼ inch or more, that indicates a high likeliness of dry rot.
If the area affected by dry rot is pretty small, you can remove it with a chisel and treat the cavity with special wood treatment. If the affected area is large or you suspect your home structure may be affected, you can always call GL Patios on (916)-812-2054 and we will make an appointment to estimate the damages and come up with the right solution.
2. Another important thing to inspect in summer is the ledger. If there is any damage to ledger,
it needs to be fixed right away as damaged ledger may lead to the deck collapsing. Check for any possible rust, damages or cavities in the flashing.
3. Also check joists, posts, beams or any hardware for dry rot, rust or any possible damage. If something doesn’t look right, give us a call and our team will be glad to help to see if any adjustment or repairs are needed.
4. All deck boards also need to be checked for dry rot or possible cracks. They may not be a threat right now, but it’s important to notice them early on as they can get worse. If you see noticeable damage, it’s better to replace that part or section of lumber.
5. And the final step is to check all of the deck railing. Do not hesitate to sway it to check for any loose or broken posts. Also, it’s important to check for any possible cracks and repair them right away as they can get worse over time. Cracks or rot may also develop around nails or screws.
It’s better to remove the nail or screw in the affected area and treat it with adhesive and/ or filler.

Fall Inspection and Prevention

Fall temperatures also are perfect for deck inspection and sealing if you did not do it in spring.
Fall weather is perfect for any cleaning, maintenance or any possible re