subject: How To Restore And Protect A Weathered Decking [print this page] Have sunlight and moisture taken a toll on your decking? Is your decking looking weather worn and wearing a coat of grey?
Follow these 2 steps in order to restore your decking's original colour and keep it looking like new.
Step 1 - Cleaning
Before you begin treating your decking, you should make sure the timber surface is free from stains, dust, dirt, algae and mildew.
All you need is a quality decking cleaner and good cleaning tools such as a stiff broom or a long handled scrubbing brush.
Scrub the wood, let the decking cleaner saturate and use a hose or pressure washer to rinse clean.
By thoroughly cleaning your decking and opening the pores of the timber, you will achieve perfect adhesion of the oil or stain.
Once the decking is dry and clean you can think about the second and final step: applying a decking stain or oil to enhance the colour and longevity of the timber.
Step 2 - Protecting and enhancing the colour
It is always better to apply the decking treatment after the wood has completely dried from cleaning and when several days of dry weather have been forecasted.
There is a number of decking treatments currently on the market and if you are unsure about which one will suit your decking best you should always check with the experts at your local DIY store.
There is still a little confusion on the difference between decking oils and decking stains.
They are both used to protect the timber but decking oil will give the wood a more natural finish by replacing its natural oils while using a decking stain will give your deck a more opaque finish
Another difference is that decking stains normally guarantee longer protection while a decking that has been treated with oils will require more maintenance.
Apply and distribute the decking treatment evenly along the boards using a pad or a paint roller and let it dry at least for the amount of time recommended on the packaging before applying a second coat.
