Preserving your Deck Stain & Finish for the Fall and Winter

A regular customer of ours called me this past Sunday.  We had refinished his back deck and steps this past summer, and he wanted to know what he could do to prolong the finish.  We still have a month of Fall left, followed by three months of winter, before an often wet Spring here inVancouver.  It’s worth it for him to do a few proactive things to help the recent finish last as long as possible

I suggested a couple of things to him, which you can do too…

1)    If possible remove everything from the tops of the railings, steps, and decking.  Particularly pots and planters.  The problem with pots and planters is that if they are left in the same spot for a prolonged period, they can often lead to wood rot.  If they can’t be removed, then the next best option would be to place the pots on trays with wheels or coasters (so the planters can be moved about the deck easily and frequently) or getting some vinyl spacers or ‘pot toes’ to put between the bottom of the pot and the deck.  These minimize the amount of surface area of the planter that actually comes in contact with the deck.

2)    Keep leaves and needles off the surfaces, but more importantly, keep these out of the spaces between the boards on the deck.  If these spaces become plogged or blocked, water can sit there for months at a time.  It’s important to allow as much air as possible to circulate in these areas to prevent wood rot.

3)    Keep the surfaces clean.  Removing dirt and algae will not only make the finish look better, but it will prolong the life of the finish or stain.  This is easily done with some mild household detergent and a soft brush on a pole.  –if you power wash, use low pressure, and be very careful not to damage the wood.

Please have a look at our deck refinishing page for more information on Vancouver deck refinishing.

In an upcoming blog, I’ll write about a few other things that you can do around your home to help protect your exterior surfaces over the winter.

Thanks –and feel free to contact me about any questions that you may have, or if you would just like some free advice.

Derek Bardon

Careful Painting ~ Painting Vancouver  Since 1995