How to Maintain Your Deck - by Scott Paul
web Link OPW Decks or The Sealer Store web Link

Important Info

All of the sealers/stains that we sell are penetrating transparent tinted coatings. They are not film forming finishes like a solid stain, paint,  or shellac. When the deck/wood is prepped properly and the penetrating stains are applied properly they will last for years to come. The tint (color) acts as a UV-Ray absorbent, which prolongs the sun from discoloring the wood. Depending on your conditions you can expect all of the finishes we sell to last 18-36 months on the horizontals and twice as long on the verticals.

The reason the majority of products fail are:

·         A product is applied too thick, over a previous coating, or a solid color stain/paint was used resulting in a film forming coating. A film forming coating is a product that does not penetrate into the wood completely.  A product that does not penetrate can result in premature peeling and or flaking. All of our stains penetrate into the wood. 

·         The deck/wood is not properly prepped for application of coating resulting in the stains not penetrating into the wood.

·         New wood is not dry and/or prepped for application of stain. You cannot stain a brand new deck/wood without applying cleaners to open the pores.

·         Unless absolutely necessary (removal of solid stain and/or paint), never power sand a deck. This will close the pores of the wood and your new stain may not penetrate properly. If you must, try not to use a grit finer than 60 grit. You can lightly sand by hand or with de-felting pads on low speed orbital sanders to remove splinters and/or raised grain of wood.

Power Washing

We suggest that only experienced professionals use a power washer when cleaning your deck/wood. That being said, it will obviously make your cleaning of the deck/wood a lot quicker if you do use a power washer. If you choose to use a power washer please follow these guidelines:

• Always use a cleaner and or stripper. The cleaners do 90% of the work.
• Use the power washer as a high pressure rinse off. Never as the only tool to remove or clean the wood.
• Wash with a motion similar to sweeping of broom (pendulum motion). Wash with the grain of the wood.
• Never use more than 1200 psi of pressure. This does not mean you cannot use a 3000 psi machine. It is only 3000 psi if you are washing from 1 inch away. If you are 10-12 inches away you will be using about half the amount of pressure.

Always use extreme caution when using a power washer. Improper use could result in severe damage to wood. If you do not feel qualified, contact a professional in your area. or OPW services for the Metro Detroit Area.

New or Gray looking Decks/Wood

If your deck/wood is new or does not have a previous coating follow these steps:

• Clean wood with a wood cleaner similar to Defy Wood Cleaner. This will open the pores and remove any graying and or dirt. Use a power washer or hand scrub to clean the deck
• Follow cleaning of the wood with a wood brightener. A wood brightener is essential to the process and is the easiest step. A wood brightener neutralizes the cleaner and lightens/brightens the wood. We suggest two types of brighteners depending on your type of wood. For Cedar/Redwood we suggest Biowash wood brightener.  For all other types of wood we suggest the Defy Wood Brightener. If you do not know the type of wood use the Defy Wood Brightener.
• Apply coating of choice. We have been in the deck/wood restoration business for 14 years and the stains we sell are by far the best that we have seen in the industry. We recommend applying the finish using a stain pad or a stain pad/sprayer method. The use of a stain pad allows the person applying the finish the ability to "push" the sealer/stain into the wood. If you are going to use a sprayer make sure that you back wipe any puddles so that the sealer/stain is applied evenly. *Make sure that you follow all manufacturers application directions.

Previously Coated  Deck/Wood

If your deck/wood has a transparent stain/sealer coating follow these steps. Transparent means that you can still see the natural grain of the wood. If you cannot see the natural grain of the wood then you probably have a solid color stain or paint. See below for further info for solid stains/paints.

• Clean wood with a Deck stripper. A deck stripper will "soften" the previous coating. Use a power washer or hand scrub to rinse the "softened" coating. Depending on the thickness of the previous coating it may be necessary to strip more than once.  Typically most coatings will be removed with one strip. We suggest either Biowash or Defy Stain Stripper.
• Follow stripping of the wood with a wood brightener. A wood brightener is essential to the process and is the easiest step. A wood brightener neutralizes the stripper and lightens/brightens the wood. We suggest two types of brighteners depending on your type of wood.  For Cedar/Redwood we suggest Biowash wood brightener.  For all other types of wood we suggest the Defy Wood Brightener.  If you do not know the type of wood use the Defy Wood Brightener.
• Apply coating of choice. We have been in the deck/wood restoration business for 14 years and the stains we sell are by far the best that we have seen in the industry. We recommend applying the finish using a stain pad or a stain pad/sprayer method. The use of a stain pad allows the person applying the finish the ability to "push" the sealer/stain into the wood. If you are going to use a sprayer make sure that you back wipe any puddles so that the sealer/stain is applied evenly.  *Make sure that you follow all manufacturers application directions.

Solid Color Stains / Paints

For the majority of cases solid stains/paints cannot be completely stripped. If you want to completely remove the coating you will need to either power sand the deck or strip the deck an unknown amount of times. You cannot apply any of our coatings over a solid stained or painted deck.