Cleaning and Sealing Your Deck, Deck Maintenance

Follow these procedures for deck refinishing process.

1. Reset nails and secure loose boards.
2. Remove existing stain either by using a chemical stripper or sanding deck to the bare wood.
3. Use deck cleaner to remove any unseen mildew or dirt.
4. Apply stain waterproofing. Tip: use paint brush to cut around deck, area next to walls.
5. If you choose to use oil base, make sure the deck surface is thoroughly clean and dry before applying stain sealer.
6. Note: I recommend using high quality water sealer in San Francisco, just because of it’s proximity from the water. The same thing applies to Marin county as well. Water base stains can be applied to damp wood.

Deck restoration involves the need to remove and replace wood damaged by dry rot, fungus or other problems. Once restored the deck can be refinished with a sealer.