Saturday, July 10, 2010

How to maintain your deck, to keep it looking beautiful, long after staining or sealing?

Photobucket



Here, Power washing Dragon and Painting™ will attempt to answer all these sometime similar, but very important questions about maintaining a Beautiful deck after it has been stain or sealed.

What's good for cleaning your deck after its been stained or sealed?

How to keep up with Deck care / Deck maintenance after staining?

How to keep your deck looking good in between staining?

How to keep the deck looking nice after staining?

how long do I have to wait to walk on my deck after it has been stained?

how soon/ long after my deck being stained can i use it?

When is the best time to stain my deck?

How to maintain your deck, to keep it looking beautiful, long after staining or sealing?

how to take care of my deck after staining?

Here are some tips:

First things first, On Long Island we specialize in deck cleaning, deck washing /power washing, deck cleaning and total deck restoration along with all phases of exterior and interior painting. Expert power washing then staining or sealing is what we do. Although we do a lot of power washing here on long Island, some people don't realize, we are certified Deck coating and Deck refinishing experts.  We take Deck and property rehabilitation seriously, deck rehab, wash, stain and refinish beginning to end.

I know you have been dying to make use of your decking, especially if it looks really good , Inviting isn't it?, do not get on it, yet!

In fact even though it may look dry , and may even appear dry to the touch, it is not. Stain needs time to cure, in many cases, 24 hrs after staining, it will be hard on the outside but soft in the middle, just like a lot of folks I know :) Wait at least 48 hours of good drying time in the sun for just normal light foot traffic, 72 or more to move any furniture and to begin full access to you own private little oasis, just to be on the safe side.

Next, the best way to keeping your deck clean is not getting dirty in the first place, but no really, reality says you will have the occasional thrill and spill, and natural elements always does their part to contribute to delinquency of many a deck, but the trick is, to be prepared and stay on top of it.



No question, Long Island, We clean decks!


How to clean:
Just use regular liquid dish soap and water. The deck cleaners are often too harsh. Dawn is the best. You can keep a mix in a spray bottle or bug sprayer for larger applications, if necessary have a soft bristle brush, perhaps attached to a broom stick for convenience, to slightly agitate . Be sure, before using this technique, that the stain/ sealer had time to cure properly. Check with your products specs. also take caution and test on an inconspicuous spot on your deck and check for color steadfastness to see if the finish / color is being disturbed or changed.

For trying to keep mold and mildew at bay, just using a 50/50 mix of bleach and water should do the trick.

For three or four years you may be able to get away with just clean and topcoat. You will probably only have to do verticals once every 2-3 years. The stain will get a little darker each season. Keep it free of mold and you will get longer life.

After top coating 3 times or more you may want to power wash/ strip the wood and begin from scratch. To do the whole process, which is quite an undertaking you may want retain the services of a qualified power washing and staining expert.

General info: the best time to stain your deck is spring and fall. If you have to do it during the hottest part of the summer you must schedule your work around the intense heat and direct light of the sun, not doing so can reap havoc on a deck that other wise may have come out perfect. Hot, direct, sun can burn the stain into the deck , leaving vicious lap marks if your not careful and having the stain dry to soon before it has a chance to penetrate properly defeating the purpose of protective stain in the first place. Please plan strategically.

If your on deck conditions are extreme, dogs, Barbecues, pool water/use, you may want / need to re-stain at least your horizontals yearly -usually just what receives the foot and sometimes hand traffic or whatever you see taking a heavy beating. Other wise your deck should remain beautiful for at least 3 years, especially if previously coated with a solid stain.

Be aware of a deck's mortal enemies: anything that sits on you deck too long without being moved or rotated, flower pots or planters-(please put on wheels, or at least blocks), grills , lawn furniture, garbage bins, mats , outdoor rugs, buckets, metal containers of any sort and anything that can rust should be banned , snow, wet leaves, mold and mildew etc., should be removed immediately. In the case of snow, if you decide you should shovel, use one with a plastic edge, so to to be careful and not scratch up your deck. Never drag anything across your deck, if you can't pick it by yourself, get some help.

I would go as far as to say, do not sit the grill on the deck at all, they are always leaking and the heat factor is not the best for most coatings, and never have it near any vinyl siding. If you do like to grill on deck, use some kind of outdoor flame retardant rug underneath or oversize welcome home mat , they have ones that simulate grass, but this too should be moved at least weekly or after heavy rains. You don't wanna trap any moisture under anything on your deck, unexposed sitting water can be quite destructive!




    We recommend and are expert applicators of Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat optimal waterborne technology that we used many times with fantastic success.  Not many perform better on decks then Arborcoat solid or semisolid.





We also Like Sherwin Williams Woodscapes, Deckscapes and Sikkens product lines

See for your self what the Dragon and this new technology can do for you.
Call 631-780-4737 Power washing Dragon and Painting © Long Island NY for your free estimate



VIDEO: about maintaining your deck  from Benjamin Moore or  Click Here



To see us on Facebook click here


                          


           VIDEO: about how Arborcoat stands up to the elements from Benjamin Moore


                        


         VIDEO:  here are some of the benefits of choosing Arborcoat over other brands


Learn to identify when your deck needs love.


Click here see more info about Power washing.


Cleaning decks Long Island NY
We clean decks with dexterity!



Check out our Deck restoration service on Thumbtack.com

1 comment:

nago said...

just linked this article on my facebook account. it’s a very interesting article for all.





Blacktop Seal Coat Contractor Long Island