Time to swab the decks!

May 11,2011

Decks aren’t cheap.

 

No matter what the situation. Whether you’re hiring a contractor, doing it yourself, or having your crazy cousin Larry do it for you, you just can’t get around it: Decks are expensive. The materials, the fasteners, the tools, the permits, the time:

 

All of it, expensive, expensive, expensive!

 

Unless you’re building a wooden stoop and calling it a deck, you are looking at spending at least over a $1,000 and into the thousands. So why wouldn’t you protect your investment and maintain your outdoor living space?

How to treat your deck

 

Wood gets worn, especially in high traffic areas like decks and docks, so they need to be treated and taken care of. Even with your composite decking, which is a beautiful, albeit expensive alternative to pressure-treated wood, you have to pressure wash and clean the planks.

 

Cleaning your deck with solvents and treating it with a water or a weather protector will quadruple its life and keep it sturdy, stable and functioning for years to come.

 

It seems like a simple concept, but it’s over looked by most.

 

Like your car or any other major investment, maintenance is key (and will actually increase the value of your home, unlike that clunker you have sitting next to the driveway!)

 

Northeast weather is brutal, we all know that. Whether the weather is pitting your sidewalks, or eating your car with help from the salt truck, or slowly chewing up your deck, your only defense is fortification in the form of good old-fashioned maintenance and elbow grease.

 

Regular treatments will keep you from putting down big-time investments back into your already expensive outdoor endeavor.

 

I personally do not build decks commercially because of the regulations and permitting processes involved in most suburban communities (that’s right, I’m talking to you Guilderland zoning and planning boards).

Why are there always extra parts to these things????

 

However, a sizable chunk of my business entails the rehab of existing decks, as well as pressure washing, sanding and staining them.

 

With a little regular love and care, you don’t need to hire someone to come in and repair your deck after it has fallen into disrepair, which is not only an eyesore and a disappointment — but it’s a danger to you and your family.

 

There’s a million products and million things you can do to protect your deck: just pick one this summer and swab those decks …