Now that we\u2019re heading out of the cold doldrums of winter, you and your family are surely eager to get outside and enjoy the weather on your deck. Before you send out invitations to your first barbecue of the year, inspect your deck. Wooden structures take a beating over the winter from precipitation and temperature fluctuations. Here is how to get your deck ready for spring.<\/p>\n
Natural wood and pressure treated lumber both can suffer from winter weather. The first step to correcting damage is to find it. Do a full inspection of the entire wooden structure. This includes the support beams underneath and all plans across it. This is one situation where you need to know what\u2019s going on. Turning a blind eye to potential issues will only allow them to grow and need larger repairs.<\/p>\n
Looking at your deck doesn\u2019t do any good if you don\u2019t know how to identify damage. Wood rot is the most damaging issue that can crop up. Rot will only lead to a complete deterioration of the structure. To seek out rot, look for discoloration, wood, splinters or parts of the deck that are falling away.<\/p>\n
Should you find any rotten areas in your deck, it\u2019s important to replace those pieces. You can simply cut off the damaged areas and replace it with new wood. Keep in mind that a board with a bit of discoloration on the outside could be rotten completely through. Rot runs deeper than most expect.<\/p>\n
After rot, mildew is the second most common issue from a harsh winter. It\u2019s a much easier solution than rot. Visit your local home improvement store to get wood cleaner. While some homeowners choose to clean the mildew with bleach, the chemicals can get into the ground and contaminate water and kill plants. The wood cleaner is made to remove mildew, but be gentle for nature.<\/p>\n
If your deck was previously stained, it is possible the stain is failing and flaking off. If that\u2019s the case, it is time to remove it and put a new stain down. Flakes are most common in corners and around the edges of individual boards. Inspect those areas first for flaking stains.<\/p>\n
Now that you are aware of the problems in your deck and have corrected them, it\u2019s time to clean. Rent or hire a pressure washer to come and give your deck a thorough cleaning. The pressure washing will remove dirt, debris and some staining. It\u2019s the first step toward an updated deck before summer sets in.<\/p>\n
With issues like mildew, flaking and rot addressed, dress your deck up with a new stain or paint. Stains will soak into the wood and leave a more natural look. Paint will sit on top of the wood and allow an opaque color option. Both protect the wood beneath from water damage and weather issues.<\/p>\n
Sure, this all can be done by the novice homeowner. If you are unable or unwilling to put the time in yourself, don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re here for you! Schedule a no-obligation estimate with our crew today. We\u2019re happy to inspect, repair and refinish your deck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now that we\u2019re heading out of the cold doldrums of winter, you and your family are surely eager to get outside and enjoy the weather on your deck. Before you send out invitations to your first barbecue of the year, inspect your deck. Wooden structures take a beating over the winter from precipitation and temperatureRead the full article <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","categories":[49],"tags":[212,210],"class_list":["post-2208","community","type-community","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-residential-painting","tag-deck","tag-spring"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/2208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/community"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/2208\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/north-san-diego\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}