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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 THE ART OF OUTDOOR LIVING MARCH 2010
Now That the Snow is Gone... It's time to think about your gardens and outdoor living. Will you have flowers? What about the garden you've been planning to grow? Where are the kids and pets going to play while the adults relax and entertain? Let DeckTec help with outdoor living plans and services that will help you make your backyard a true oasis from the wear and tear of everyday life. Think about putting in some edging that's bound to make yours the garden of envy in your neighborhood. Plant trees and shrubs, create a patio area or add a built in bench to your existing deck. Make your "own outback" your staycation option this summer.
Time for Spring Cleaning & Your Deck Maintenance As the weather warms up, it's time to clean out and spruce up the house and yard. The same is true for maintaining your deck. Whether you have a beautiful natural wood finish or a composite deck, our experts can help. Every situation is unique due to the variety of use, age, construction and other factors. However, here are the four main ways to care for your wooden deck:
1) Leave it alone - If you have a well built Redwood, Cedar or hardwood outdoor structure, doing nothing is a choice to allow your deck to weather to a natural grey finish. What you want to be careful about with this plan, however, is that in our dry climate, wood can dry out, causing some board checking (surface cracks). If you choose to go with this low level of maintenance approach, please keep our number handy for time-to-time board replacement or minor fix-up that may occur.
2) Basic cleaning - You can keep the natural buckskin look of your wooden deck, and avoid sealing or staining, by having your deck cleaned twice a year with a good chemical wood cleaner and light sanding as needed. Call us today for suggestions on your wood, or just make an appointment for our team to come out for the annual work or as needed.
3) Transparent and protective finish - After new deck construction, allow for proper seasoning of your wood. You can then get your deck cleaned and sealed with a transparent or a lightly pigmented stain, similar to having your car detailed and waxed. This process needs to be done every year to keep your deck in its best condition.
4) Heavy finishes - In some areas (like the mountains) extreme weather conditions require the use of heavily pigmented stain, linseed oil or paint to protect the wood deck beneath. Our experts can give you the pros and cons of each of these solutions and will be happy to help. Please be aware that in these heavy duty situations you may run into issues with uneven wear and higher costs of maintenance. Still, our team will do everything possible to keep you and your deck happy.
Nothing is Maintenance Free With composite decks, we will be glad to arrange a cleaning to get rid of winter's accumulated dirt (a program that should be completed on an annual basis). Unfortunately, any scrapes or blemishes will remain, but the beauty of your composite finish can be revealed by getting rid of winter's accumulated dirt. For old composite decks that are faded or worn special composite deck stains are available that work well due to the texture and nature of the material.
For a review of your own deck maintenance program, please call us at 303.277.1550. We're here to help!
What's on Deck? Be sure to look for our April Newsletter, where "We've Got You Covered," literally, with news about patio roofs and more. Meanwhile, here are some other small items of interest...
Best to you this spring!
Steve Sparhawk President, DecTec Outdoor Designs |