Weatherproofing Tips & Tricks

​Weatherproofing your deck
Decks are second heaven for many people. The deck is usually the place you spend a lot of time in, alone or with family. There, you can do almost anything in summer or and early fall. But weatherproofing your deck is also as vital. You need to protect your precious deck from the elements, especially if you want it to look as good as it did when you built it. Below, we discuss some goof-proof weatherproofing ways to ensure that your deck serves you for as long as your house stands.

Clean your deck thoroughly
After any deck building, you must take the time to clean it. You can start by sweeping the debris off the floor of the deck. You should do it carefully and ensure that any dirt, twigs, and leaves come off.

But the job doesn’t end there. There may still be dirt and or leaves and twig trapped between the spaces of the boards. If and when the leaves rot, your deck will rot away as well. To avoid that, you can use a putty knife to remove them. As much as this will take you some precious time, it is worth it eventually when your deck is as shiny as new.

Scrub the wood itself
Wood decks are prone to have dirt that won’t come off in a sweep. Mildew and algae are the worst enemies of your precious wood decks, and eliminating them is a great idea. But there’s nothing to worry about. You can easily remove them is a good scrub. Cleaning the surface only requires a bucket of water and some bleach.

You need to plunge your scrubbing brush into the solution of water and bleach and start removing the algae. But this only applies to old decks or if you forgot to seal it during construction. For a new and shiny deck, you can skip the scrubbing and jump right off to the staining and or sealing process.

Seal your decks
When you use deck sealant or deck stain on your deck, you give it a chance against the elements. Deck sealant make your deck repel water. Even when it is raining, the water beads up and rolls off the deck quickly. To know whether your deck needs a new sealant, pour some drops of water on it. If the water forms beads, you don't need to seal the deck again as the bond is still relatively intact.

You can use a foam roller with a sealer. It ensures that the sealer covers the boards on your deck sufficiently. But you still need to ensure that you have appropriately gone over the entire surface. And that would mean that your deck is adequately weatherproofed. Deck stain also work as good.

To weatherproof under the decks, you should consider using plastic membranes. These help with the drainage of water and prevents it from pulling up under your decks. When deck building, you can request your deck contractor Cincinnati to put these systems.

Weatherproofing your deck is essential. It would be best if you did it at least once a year or so. If you sealed or stained your deck in the past, you can stand it. A deck contractor Cincinnati, can also do a terrific job repairing creaky, loose, and damaged boards. That is an essential step, especially if you are considering sanding it.