The Life of a Deck Sealer Depends On The Deck Cleaning Results

Deck sealing can be a tedious task for most homeowners. Most do it yourselfers do not realize that the wood deck needs to be prepped and cleaned thoroughly before deck sealer can be applied. Deck cleaning is more than just wash the wood with water from a pressure washer. Actually most pressure washers, even the small homeowner type, will put out too much pressure which can easily scar, fur, and mark up the wood. These marks will be visible through the new deck sealer.

It will not matter what brand or type of deck sealer is applied to the deck nor how many years the deck sealer is claiming to last, if the wood is not cleaned properly the longevity of the sealer will be shortened significantly.

Deck cleaning is a matter of removing all the grey sun bleached wood fibers, dirt, mold, and old sealer (if present), and any other stains or debris on the deck. This all needs to be done with the proper chemicals so low pressure can be used. No more than 1000psi should be used to clean the wood or it can be damaged. Even at low pressure care must be taken to eradicate any wand marks during the wash process. After cleaning the deck and neutralizer is used to lower the ph level of the wood to make it more acidic and to open the pours to prepare for the new sealer. Most do it yourselfers will fall short of these important necessities. Some do not wash the wood at all but will just sweep the deck off and then apply and new sealer.

The number one reason a deck sealer fails is because the wood was not prepared correctly. These steps are as important to the life of the deck stain as any other key factor regardless of how many years the sealer claims to last. Hiring a professional deck cleaning and sealing company is the best choice, but do your homework and research to find a reputable deck cleaning company. Some fly by night and unethical companies won't follow the necessary steps either and a year later you won't be happy when your deck needs attention again.