At Home Living: Protect your deck with yearly maintenance

With summer turning into fall, the backyard deck is turning one more thing on the homeowner to-do list that needs to be prepared for winters snows and springs thaws.

According to home improvement experts in the Topeka area, decks, whether they are wood, composite, stone or concrete, need to be put to bed for winter like many other yard items.

If youre wooden deck is lucky enough to pass one test, your burden may not be as great.

First, test it, spritz some water on it to see if it beads up, Matt McPherson of Renew Crew in Lecompton suggests.

If it beads up, McPherson says that means the deck is protected. But dont count on it. Just because the deck looks good doesnt mean its also protected from snow and rain penetration. He says the stain color lives on after the waterproofing properties have vanished.

And dont believe the canthe stain can you used on the deck those many years ago.

Dont believe the stain can, McPherson said. He says many major brands say they protect for 15 yearsunder perfect laboratory conditions. He says three years for a wooden deck and four to five years for a fence are the best you can reasonably expect for protection.

For the do-it-yourselfer, McPherson and Jose De La Torre, who works the Pro Desk at the Topeka Home Depot, both agree that the deck first needs a good cleaning.

Both men say power washing the deck is vital. This gets rid of dirt, moss and mold as well as splinters where freezing and thawing rain and snow can collect and split the surface.

While De La Torre suggests power washing with water, McPherson suggests adding a cleaning agent. McPherson also suggests not using too much force with the power washer, as it can damage the wood.

Here is the original post:
At Home Living: Protect your deck with yearly maintenance