Decking Treatment Guide
Decking Treatment Guide
When it comes to Wood Treatment on Timber decking a lot of consumers may be blown away by the sheer amount of products on the market. With all of the restorers, decking stains protectors and Deck paints available it’s easy to see why people get confused. So here I am going to break down what each of the above does and hopefully help you to choose the right type of protection for your decking.
Decking Restorer – Decking Restorer is the quick and easy way to safely restore grey or weathered decking back to its natural appearance with the minimum of effort and fuss. The unique non-acidic, gel formulation will brighten and revive dull and weathered timbers to leave your deck looking clean. This is ideal if you are in a rush to get your decking looking good. You will need to apply a wood treatment after cleaning.
Decking Protector - Decking Protectors are usually a water-based formulation that protects from constant wetting, drying, splitting and swelling. It will prevent moisture penetration and resists mould and algae growth on the surface of the coating. Resists greying. This product is ideal for use in sprayers.
Decking Oil - Decking Oil is a durable scuff resistant tinted oil that forms a waterproof barrier to protect against weathering, warping, swelling, drying and splitting. It resists mould and algae growth and its fade resistant finish protects against UV rays. This product is ideal for use on hardwood decking such as yellow Balau.
Decking Paint – We don’t recommend treating your timber decking with paint as it can be prone to peeling.
Applying Decking Preserver
Before any sort of protection is applied it is vital that any dirt, grime and algae has been removed completely. I would recommend Ronseal decking cleaner for this job. You will buy the pack that contains two sachets of cleaner that should be diluted in a bucket of water. Once diluted use a tough garden brush to agitate any worked in grime from the grooves of the deck and then rinse away as necessary.
The decking should be absolutely spotless and dry to the touch before anything is applied to the surface. I usually advise a 3 – 5 day period of dry weather before application. This will allow the treatment to be fully absorbed evenly in to the timber without leaving blotches or any strange discoloured areas.
Application
Using a paint brush, roller, sprayer or pad you can now proceed to apply the treatment. You should try and apply said treatment as evenly as possible over the entire deck. Make sure you get the treatment in to all of the grooves and notches to ensure full protection.
After Care
As stated above the deck should have had around 3 – 5 days without rain before application. In an ideal world the deck should also receive 2 days of sunshine after application to allow the protector to absorb fully and evenly. Your deck should now be fully protected from the elements for the next 12 months.