Imagine having guests over for a bbq in your perfectly manicured backyard, but they glance down to find your deck splintering and turning grey. Realistically, your deck probably doesn’t look that bad, but I wanted to provide a few general tips to help make sure that doesn’t happen.
Keep it clean. Stains last longer if you sweep off dirt, leaves, pollen etc. Try to do this every week or two.
Most decks need a maintenance coat of finish every year or two. High traffic areas may need it more often than that. More color in the stain or finish means it’ll last longer.
You should do a full stripping of the finish and reapply every 4-6 years.
What goes into stripping a deck you ask?
Get a hold of a power washer (you can rent these). Power washing your deck will allow you to get off all of the old finish and dirt clinging to the wood.
Apply the stripper with a brush.
Use the power washer to hose down any remaining finish taken off by the stripper.
Next you should use a deck cleaner. Wet the deck with water and then apply the cleaner with a long handled brush or roller, leaving it on for up to ten minutes (follow instructions on your cleaner). You can spray this off and let it dry.
Now use a sander to take down any rough spots that have developed. I'd HIGHLY recommend a power sander, which can also be rented.
Now it's time to stain. You'll want to us a brush, roller or a sprayer depending on your workload. Check your color choice on the underside or a scrap piece of wood before starting. We don't want any surprises. Wait for a day that isn’t too hot, but dry outside. Stain in small sections and apply in the grain direction. Remember not to stop for breaks and let the stain dry - make sure to stain the entire deck so you won’t have a line.
Many products are designed for one coat, but read the directions to double check.