Your deck is an area that you can entertain your family and friends with a delicious spring barbeque, a summer sausage sizzle, a fall football tail gate party and a winter cup of hot cocoa. Keeping your deck looking good all year can take a great deal of work because it takes quite a beating from the ever changing weather, heavy foot traffic and rays of sunshine that can fade its color. While staining your deck is a big chore to take on, its payoff is a beautiful deck that will impress your family and guests as well. Jeff the Painter outline why hiring a professional is a much better idea than the DIY route!
Do You Need to Put Two Coats of Stain on a Deck?
There are a few common mistakes that home owners often make when it comes to refinishing decks. These mistakes can put a major setback on properly staining your deck and even do more harm than good. The most repeated mistake made when it comes to staining a deck is over coating. Transparent, semi-transparent, and semi-solid alkyd stains are single coat systems that are designed to penetrate into the wood. Extra coats of stain are added because some home owners believe that the extra coat will provide more durability, this however is not the case. What will end up happening is the extra layer will begin to flake off, potentially pulling pieces of the original layer off with it, exposing your deck to harsh elements.
Can Pressure Washing Damage Decks?
Many home owners take on the task of cleaning their deck by using a pressure washer. While pressure washing is a great way to clean your deck, if it is not done properly, with the correct pressure setting, not only will you clean your deck, but at the same time you will be forcing water into the wood of your deck. Moisture and wood do not go well together and will result in a shorter life for your deck.
How Long to Let Deck Dry Before Staining?
If your decking is not allowed to dry thoroughly before you begin the staining process, water will be trapped by the new stain, and this will eventually lead to a very poor staining job. If you decide to stain your deck by yourself, take into consideration the weather that you will be working in. If it is a hot day with zero clouds in the sky, reschedule your re-staining job for a different day. Hot weather and direct sunlight can cause deck stain to dry much too quickly. This will result in unsightly lap marks all over your deck that cannot be fixed unless you start all over.
Interior & Exterior House Painting & More in San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad & Escondido, California
To get your deck right the first time, contact Jeff the Painter today!. We specialize in deck re-staining and will leave your deck looking like new.
